We had a great turn out at the January 29 planning meeting! Thank you all for participating in this important process. Click the link below to download the presentation by Caleb Racicot and Doug Young. We have also included a short video with instructions regarding the survey in case you missed the meeting. The next planning meeting is February 11 at 7 PM at the Church at Ponce & Highland.
Postcard from Atlanta Urban Design Commission
This week, property owners in Poncey-Highland received a postcard from the Department of City Planning letting them know that the Atlanta Urban Design Commission officially approved the nomination of the proposed Poncey-Highland Historic District at its January 8 public hearing. This nomination is another step in the process, but not the end.
The next step in the city process is a public hearing by the Zoning Review Board (ZRB), at which the Atlanta Urban Design Commission will present an ordinance, also know as regulations, for the proposed historic district. Any one is welcome to speak at the hearing. The city will send another postcard notification with the date and time of this hearing, but it is likely to be either April 2 or 9. We’ll also notify the neighborhood through the usual communications channels and on the website once it is officially scheduled. Contact Doug Young, dyoung@atlantaga.gov, with questions.
Community meetings that are a part of the neighborhood process, during which we participate as neighbors to help create custom regulations for Poncey-Highland, are scheduled for 1/29, 2/11, 2/20, and 3/5, all at the Church at Ponce & Highland beginning at 7 PM. Additional subarea meetings will be scheduled as needed or requested. Visit the Poncey-Highland Neighborhood Association website for a complete meeting schedule, videos of past meetings, handouts, reference material and more.
Video, slideshow and worksheets below
Our January 9 planning/historic community meeting was productive and well-attended—over 60 people turned out. Thank you! The next planning/historic community meeting will be on January 29, 7 p.m., Church at Ponce & Highland. A full meeting schedule is included below.
During the workshop portion of the January 9 meeting, we began to answer the more detailed questions that will help get us to DRAFT regulations that everyone can react to at the next community meeting (and continuing through this process). If you weren’t able to participate on the 9th, subarea worksheets are included below. Watch the video for meeting content and instructions (and we’ll get written instructions posted soon). Completed sheets can be emailed (just snap a pic with your phone) to Doug Young, dyoung@atlantaga.gov. Please reach out to board@ponceyhighland.org with any questions.
Watch the video above for meeting content and instructions (and we’ll get written instructions posted soon). Completed sheets can be emailed (just snap a pic with your phone) to Doug Young, dyoung@atlantaga.gov. Please reach out to board@ponceyhighland.org with any questions.
At its January 8 meeting, the Urban Design Commission found Poncey-Highland eligible to be nominated as a historic district and to continue to explore regulations that will codify zoning recommendations based on our 2010 Master Plan, create a regulatory tool that protects our historic resources and create a framework to guide future development in the neighborhood.
If you’re curious about what makes Poncey-Highland eligible, or just want to know about the neighborhood’s history, have a look at the designation report by clicking on the button below.
Planning timeline updated to include 12/18 presentation and Q&A by Doug Young and UDC hearing on eligibility on January 8.
The Urban Design Commission (UDC) held a hearing on the eligibility of our Proposed Poncey-Highland Historic District on Wednesday, December 11 at 4 PM. The UDC determined that they need more time to consider the information presented. As a result, they voted to defer the decision to their January 8, 2020 meeting. Following the December PHNA General Meeting this Wednesday, Doug Young will present and community members will have an additional opportunity to ask questions about the proposed district and the process. The planning discussion will begin at 8 PM. Information can also be found on the PHNA website here. Please join us for this additional discussion!
Also, if you are interested in knowing more about how Poncey-Highland meets the eligibility requirements on which the Urban Design Commission bases it decision of eligibility, please read the designation report at this link on the City’s website: https://www.atlantaga.gov/home/showdocument?id=44135.
The history of our neighborhood! This designation report was prepared as part of the nomination process.
The goal of this planning process is to involve neighbors in a conversation about the special characteristics of Poncey-Highland and how we can write regulations that preserve those characteristics while fostering quality growth and development. Please come out and join the discussion!
We had a fantastic turnout at the November 5 meeting—over 60 people! Caleb Racicot from TSW and Doug Young from UDC are always impressed by how engaged our community is in this process, and we appreciate all of you. Keep on turning out! If you missed the meeting, you can watch a video presentation and view a slide show under the November 5 post below.
Since the November 5th community meeting, we’ve received several comments and questions. As a result we’ve adjusted the schedule a bit to focus the December 5 meeting on questions and answers. Then we’ll get back to exploring possible approaches to regulations for Poncey-Highland with Caleb in January. We’ll keep adjusting as needed. And please keep the comments and questions coming!
The revised meeting schedule will be:
December 5 - Community meeting #4: Q&A followed by a mini workshop. Bring your questions and suggestions! You can also ask questions and view answers in the FAQ section of this website.
December 11 - Urban Design Commission hearing on eligibility
January 9 - Community meeting #5: Presentation and workshop on permitted uses, building type standards, subarea standards, and architectural styles. This is the fun stuff! We’ll explore how we can do something really innovative for our neighborhood.
Subarea Surveys: Subarea surveys will be online before the January 9 meeting so that you know what kinds of questions we’re trying to answer as a community at the meeting. The surveys will be open until a week after the meeting.
January 29 - Community meeting #6: District text review and discussion + workshop on any outstanding items. Based on data gathered from meetings in September, November, December and January, Caleb/TSW will prepare draft regulations to review at this meeting.
February 11 - Community meeting #7: Presentation of final draft + workshop on any outstanding items
Meeting on refinement of final draft to be added in February, as needed.
Click the button below for a complete schedule.
Notice of Intent to Nominate packets were mailed by the City of Atlanta to all Poncey-Highland property owners on Monday, November 25, starting the interim controls period that will last up to 180 days. Please contact Doug Young, dyoung@atlantaga.gov, if you’re a property owner and have not received the packet by Monday, December 3. Contents are also available below, just click on the relevant button.
The packet contains an updated subarea and contributing/historic structures map (see the FAQ if you think your property is in the wrong category); interim controls, which are a required part of the City of Atlanta’s nomination/designation process; and the City’s Historic Preservation Ordinance (Chapter 20), which outlines the rules and procedures for the nomination/designation process.
In response to specific questions and comments from residents and property owners after the initial interim controls were mailed at the end of August, the November packet includes streamlined interim controls that provide minimum guidance (beyond existing regulations) in the event property owners need or want to make an addition or alternation to their properties during the 180-day process while we continue exploring customized regulations for commercial and residential properties in Poncey-Highland.
November 2019 Subarea and Historic/Contributing Map. See FAQ for what to do if you think your property is in the wrong category.