This story has been updated. 

By Sara Amis, contributor 

Neighborhood Planning Unit O elected four new officers at the Jan. 28 meeting at Bessie Branham Recreation Center.  Elections for positions other than secretary were postponed at the December meeting because of sparse attendance.

NPU-O is an advisory board that includes Kirkwood.

Daniel Rice is the new chair and Odell Horne is the new vice chair. Mary Leigh Giarra will be the parliamentarian while Chris Gorton will be NPU-O’s delegate to the Atlanta Planning Advisory Commission. Terms for all positions are for the 2020 calendar year.

Rice expressed strong opposition to what he called the “predatory density movement,” referring to a spate of “missing middle” housing developments that followed a city of Atlanta zoning ordinance change in Feb. 2019.

“If you want someone to lead this NPU who cares about zoning, who is going to combat developers who are coming at us as predators…not all developers are that way, not all density is bad, there is good density…but if you want somebody like that, I’m your guy,” said Rice.

NPU-O voted to deny an application to rezone a property at 1458 Memorial Drive from “planned housing development conditional” to “planned housing development.” Another application to rezone a property at 125 Wesley Avenue from two-family residential to mixed-use multi-family was deferred because the applicant was not present.

NPU-O also voted to deny a request to amend the land use designation of 60 Whitefoord Avenue in order to allow the owner, Mark Steineker, to build a duplex rather than a single-family home. Steineker, a resident of Edgewood, stated that he attended meetings of Organized Neighbors of Edgewood where previous development proposals were discussed and he was attempting to be responsive to the neighborhood’s stated preferences in his plans.

A special event permit for the Edgewood Mac and Cheese Festival was approved.  The event will be held Saturday March 28, 2020 from 1 pm to 5:30 pm at 1374 Arkwright Place in front of El Tesoro.  “Alcohol will be served and there will be about thirty vendors,” said applicant Kip Dunlap.

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