Thanks to everyone who was able to attend our virtual event today! In case you missed it, you're in luck—we recorded everything so you can enjoy the wonderful presentation. A huge thank you to the City of Atlanta Community Improvement Grant for making this event possible! Donate today to help us create more events like this one.

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68JDMPB_CGE

Special thanks to our host and moderator Sara Keith, our host and moderator, the director of the Atlanta School of Photography, whose mission is to make photography fun, affordable, and accessible to all Atlantans! Sara has always believed that anyone with a camera can be a photographer—they just don’t know it yet. Her hope is to continue the legacy of her grandfather (a photographer), the photographic community, and the arts culture of Atlanta.

We proudly welcome our guest speakers:

Staci Catron, the Cherokee Garden Library director at the Atlanta History Center. She recently published a book, Seeking Eden: A Collection of Georgia’s Historic Gardens, which highlights the importance of historic gardens in Georgia’s past as well as their value and meaning within the state’s 21st-century communities.

Tom Little, the director of historic preservation at Surber Barber Choate + Hertlein Architects and the founding president of the Georgia chapter of Docomomo, a non-profit organization dedicated to the documentation and conservation of buildings, sites and neighborhoods of the modern movement. Tom received the Advocacy Award of Excellence in 2018 from Docomomo for his work related to one of the buildings we'll be talking about today among others in the Atlanta area.

David Mitchell, executive director of the Atlanta Preservation Center, whose mission is to promote the preservation of Atlanta's architecturally, historically and culturally significant buildings, neighborhoods and landscapes through education and advocacy.

A few quick tidbits about our secret garden and our iconic bank building, taken from our existing Walking Tour online.

In 1925 Landscape Architect W. L. Monroe bought 13 acres on North Boulevard. He built a plant nursery called Monroe Gardens, which was popular as a gathering place for Atlantans. In 1937 part of Boulevard was renamed Monroe Drive. Of the many buildings Monroe built on the property, only few remain: an outdoor fireplace and square-dance floor plus a chapel, fallout shelter, and rock wall, which reside on the grounds of the Ansley-Monroe Villa townhome community.

The former Trust Company Bank Building, now Cirque Daiquiri Bar: “Atlanta’s Finest All ’Round Bank” opened for business in the early 1960s as a branch of the Trust Company Bank. The futuristic round building was designed by the late Atlanta architect, Henri Jova, who also designed the Carter Center and Colony Square, one of the first developments to combine residential, hotel, office, and retail space in one complex. The bank’s interiors were spectacular, with marble finishes and avant-garde furnishings from Eero Sarinen for Knoll and Herman Miller, selected by interior designer Virginia Bowen, then a head designer at Atlanta’s Ivan Allen Company. In March 2018, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, thanks to the Georgia Chapter of Docomomo’s efforts for more than ten years.

We deeply appreciate the commitment of our special guests! Please visit their websites to learn more.

Atlanta School of Photography

Atlanta History Center: Cherokee Garden Library

Atlanta Preservation Center

Docomomo Georgia

Halloween 2020 will truly be one to remember, with the convergence of a full moon, a blue moon, daylight saving time, and Saturday celebrations!

Shop Local! Local PiHi resident Jane Powell is the owner of Costumes Etc, located just off Cheshire Bridge Road. You're sure to find the perfect Halloween costume here! Bring your mask and go check out Costumes Etc!

Please find these resources to help you and your friends and neighbors plan a safe way to celebrate. 

AJC—CDC: Stay at home this Halloween, trick-or-treaters

Halloween2020.org: See risk level for your county and get recommendations on how to celebrate safely.

Atlanta Magazine: How to have a fun—yet safe—Halloween in Atlanta this year. Tips and suggestions for making the most of this holiday while in the pandemic.

The City of Atlanta has proposed Short-Term Rental legislation that would make AirBnB, VRBO, and other short-term rentals (less than 31 days) illegal for single-family zoning districts across all Atlanta neighborhoods. Current AirBnBs will not be grandfathered. 

• Proposed Legislation Summary Fact Sheet (PDF)
• Full Proposed Legislation Document (PDF)

We'll be discussing this in more detail at the PHCA Board Meeting on Tuesday, October 6. Please join us! You can also contact us to share your comments with the Board.

The item will also be discussed one level up at our Neighborhood Planning Unit monthly meeting on October 19 and again for a vote at the November 16 NPU-F meeting. 

Additionally, you can send your comments to Councilmember Ide and the authors of the legislation.

Update after the October PHCA Board Meeting:

During our Board meeting, this proposed legislation was discussed by PHCA board members as well as other residents, including one rental property owner in the neighborhood.

Everyone agreed that while some short-term rental properties (and long-term rental properties as well) can pose problems, this legislation is not the right approach to prevent those problems. A few points to the discussion included:

• This legislation would be a heavy handed approach that would be difficult to enforce and most likely would not solve the issues
• Existing homeowners who have invested in their rental properties and who are doing a great job would be punished and their investment put at a severe disadvantage
• Existing laws are in place around excessive noise, drug use, etc. in which concerned residents should call 911 if they witness illegal activities, whether it's next door at a short-term rental, long-term rental, or a homeowner living in their own home. 
• An unintended consequence to the legislation may prevent homeowners from renting their homes short-term for photo shoots or to the film industry for movies, etc. 
• Below, please see additional questions and comments we explored during our discussion on October 6.

The PHCA Board does not stand behind this proposed legislation and will take that approach at the NPU-F meeting on October 19. Please feel free to voice your opinion at the upcoming NPU-F meeting. They have a method for registering ahead of time for any matters needing a vote: https://forms.gle/moPP6MysYYqRhiAA9

We would be happy to hear from additional residents regarding this issue as we constantly strive for a better, safer neighborhood with laws and legislation that make our community more enjoyable for its residents.

• How many short-term rentals are in the zones to be excluded right now?
• How many complaints have been made?
• Which current short-term rentals were complaints made against?
• How many repeat complaints have been made?
• On which short-term-rentals?
• Who owns and manages those lodgings on which complaints (particularly repeat complaints) have been made?
• What action has been taken on those complaints?
• What other solutions are possible?
• What punishment/deterrent is currently available?
• What enforcement/penalties are available for this legislation? (since none is referred to in this legislation)
• What are the tax implications of removing a large number of income producing short-term rentals from the City?
• How much tax income is the City and/or state likely to lose?
• Politicians at all levels of government, seem to think legislation solves problems. That is not necessarily true if those laws are not evenly enforced. People solve problems, especially people working together toward a common goal.
• It seems the legislation is aimed at getting rid of these so called “Buckhead Mansion Parties”. If the parties are the problem, the scope of the ordinance should be narrowed to focus on just that.
• One (perhaps unintended) consequence is that this ordinance would outlaw renting private homes for films, commercials, and photo shoots.
• Rather than punishing violators under current ordinances, this adds new, possibly unenforceable laws.
• The proposed legislation punishes a large number of law-abiding citizens who own the many short-term rentals that have not created problems, by depriving them of potential income.
• As a Board, we do not think this legislation is appropriate. We feel more vigorous enforcement of current ordinances and stricter penalties for offenders, particularly repeat offenders is more appropriate. If that doesn't work, then more targeted legislation should be considered. For example, noise ordinances could be amplified and vigorously enforced. That might mean better enforcement of violations by the "clubs" which are even larger public nuisances and public safety concerns.

Virtual History Event This Saturday: Learn more about two of Piedmont Heights' iconic landmarks—the Trust Company Bank building and Monroe Gardens—when you take a virtual tour with Piedmont Heights! Register to attend our virtual tour this Saturday, 10/17, when you click here: https://bit.ly/36WnO1M

Special thanks to our host and special guests from the Atlanta School of Photography, Atlanta History Center, Atlanta Preservation Center, and Docomomo Georgia.

Annual Neighborhood Meeting: Join us on Sunday, November 8, for the Annual Meeting! All residents are welcome, even if you're not a member. We invite you to join us here: https://bit.ly/315WDOp

PiHi T-Shirts on Sale: Celebrate your Piedmont Heights neighborhood pride with the 2020 PiHi T-shirt, designed by local designer, Elliott Strauss, a resident in the Piedmont Heights Alliance business district. Click here to buy yours today for just $20: https://bit.ly/3iRf8w0

PiHi Gift Card Giveaways: This month, we're giving away a $25 gift card to one lucky PHCA member and another $20 gift card on Instagram. More details here: https://bit.ly/3i3Q4Sb

Short Term Rentals: The City of Atlanta has proposed Short-Term Rental legislation that would make AirBnB, VRBO, and other short-term rentals illegal for single-family zoning districts across all Atlanta neighborhoods. Here's an update from our monthly Zoom call on 10/6. More info here: https://bit.ly/3mU9MDq

Membership Drive: A warm welcome to our newest members, and thank you for your continued support! Please encourage your neighbors to become members today. They can select an annual or monthly membership option to begin receiving all the benefits of membership. Neighbors who become an annual member by Friday, October 31, get a free PiHi T-shirt. Learn more here: https://bit.ly/3mSdXzL

Featured Members: Our first Piedmont Heights' "Resident Spotlight" featured our neighbor Ron Hu on Facebook and Instagram. We love connecting with Piedmont Heights residents via Piedmont Heights Civic Association! Learn more on our post here: https://bit.ly/2GVM2yz

Volunteer Opportunities: PHCA is always looking for assistance with a variety of tasks—from photo taking to event planning. Click the link to learn more & get involved: https://bit.ly/3iVnfrE

Gotham Way Park Fundraiser: Help us keep our park beautiful, including the giant staircase, which needs re-staining. Donations of any amount are welcome! Learn more here: https://bit.ly/3nJ3Wp7

Follow Piedmont Heights Civic Association on social media!
Facebook
Instagram

Nominate a Neighbor!

What neighbor would you trust to represent your interests? Nominate them (or yourself) to join the Piedmont Heights board! Elections are coming up soon on November 8.

Celebrating PiHi History

Join us online on October 17 for Secret Garden, Iconic Bank: Piedmont Height's Historic Impact. Special guests from Atlanta History Center and more!

Keep Our Park Beautiful

Thank you for your generous donations! More than $1,400 raised already! Donate $100 (tax-deductible) and receive a PiHi T-shirt as we maintain our beautiful park.

PiHi Community Bits & Bites

Food & Drink

• Ansley Wine has reopened its doors, at long last! Go check out their October Wine Club selections. You can still call ahead and pick up outside; otherwise, masks required inside and other safety precautions in place. https://bit.ly/34BfWAc

• PiHi resident Lisa Dwyer is @la.foodsmith on Instagram with recipes, cooking tips, and videos! Plus, she frequently takes orders for a variety of delectable homemade desserts! https://bit.ly/3npNLwx

• Eater Atlanta shared their favorite takeout and delivery spots in PiHi, Morningside, and VaHi. Of course, some of our favorites are listed—Roxx Tavern, Sweetwater, Grindhouse Killer Burgers, Grana, Fat Matt’s Rib Shack, Lazy Llama, Varuni Napoli, and more! https://bit.ly/3lo2ztL

• Congrats to our September Gift Card Giveaway Winners! Jane G. (Rock Springs Rd.) chose Roxx Tavern for her members-only gift card, and Holly M. (Rockridge Pl.) selected Grindhouse Killer Burgers! More giveaways happening later this month. https://bit.ly/36HDWEd

Safety

• Avoid letting your car get stolen! Tip #1 - Don’t leave your keys in an unlocked car. Tip #2 - don’t leave your car running and unattended, even if it’s in your driveway or “just for a second” when you’re running errands. Thanks for these great reminders from Captain Tony Singh from the Atlanta Police Department (and our Security Patrol Officer!) when he attended our October PHCA meeting. Also, check to be sure your keyfob inside your home isn’t too close to your vehicle outside, so that the car can’t be unlocked and/or started when the fob is inside. Also, APD has created a task force to help combat the ever-problematic street racing. We hope to have more info soon. https://bit.ly/3d8HQqT

Rock the Vote! And Other Civic Duties

• Vote! Learn all about voting options, polling places, and more for the November 3 election. https://bit.ly/33Dk57d

• ATL311: Report local issues, such as concrete spills on our streets, trash pickup problems, and more. ATL311 has a mobile app, website, and phone 404-546-0311. https://bit.ly/30Fz2nl

• Save the Date for the Piedmont Heights Annual Neighborhood Meeting! Sunday, November 8 at 3:30pm online. https://bit.ly/34E88NU

Home in the Heights

• PiHi T-shirts are on sale through November 13! Order yours today and celebrate being home and healthy in the Heights! https://bit.ly/3daEpjr

• Keep your home in tip-top shape with the Home Repair Series Virtual Workshops from the Atlanta BeltLine. https://bit.ly/2GDGLvB

It’s Fall, Y’all!

• Scarecrows in the Garden are on boo-tiful display at Atlanta Botanical Garden through November 1! https://bit.ly/34Cl5aX

• Atlanta Celebrates Photography has virtual and live events going on all over the city https://bit.ly/3daqeLt

More Neighborhood News

• Sign up for Councilmember Jennifer Ide’s newsletter on her website. https://bit.ly/3npn8b8

• Fulton County also has a newsletter. Scroll ALL the way to the bottom of their website to subscribe. https://bit.ly/3dkh1jX

PiHi Membership Drive: October 2020

Did you know - more than 180 PiHi residents are already members.

Please join today or encourage your neighbors to join you as a member!

There's never been a better time to join the Piedmont Heights Civic Association!

Select an annual or monthly membership option to begin receiving all the benefits of membership. Become an annual member by Friday, October 31, and get a free PiHi T-shirt. Learn more here.

PiHi T-Shirts on Sale * Celebrate being home and healthy in Piedmont Heights with the 2020 PiHi T-shirt, designed by local designer, Elliott Strauss, a resident in the PiHi Alliance business district. Click here to buy yours!

PiHi Gift Card Giveaways * Congratulations to Jane Gole on Rock Springs Rd, the winner of this month's $40 PHCA Members Only Gift Card Giveaway. She selected Roxx Tavern for her gift card! The $25 Instagram Giveaway winner will be announced in the next couple of days! More details here.

Safety FAQs * What to do if you’re dealing with a noisy neighbor (barking dog, late-night party outside, etc). For more information, click here.

Short-Term Rentals * The City of Atlanta has proposed Short-Term Rental legislation that would make AirBnB, VRBO, and other short-term rentals illegal for single-family zoning districts across all Atlanta neighborhoods. We will discuss more on our monthly Zoom call on 10/6. More info here: https://bit.ly/3mU9MDq

Smith's Olde Bar Is Back Open * Smith's recently reopened with new menu items, new ordering options (including a takeout window out back), renovated women’s restrooms, more tables outside, distanced tables inside, and much more! See what's new & plan your visit here. 

Family Portrait Mini Sessions * Reserve your session with photographer (and former PiHi resident) Meg Pukel. Click here for pricing and availability.

Monthly PHCA Meeting * Join us on Tuesday, 10/6 at 7pm for the PHCA monthly board meeting! These monthly meetings are open to all PHCA members and residents! 

Public Safety

• Virtual Coffee with a Cop! Thursday, September 24 from 10–11:30 a.m. Hosted by APD Zone 3 and Zone 6 (Part of PiHi is in Zone 6 - the rest is in Zone 2). 

Art & Beauty

• Congrats to Lisa Saul, owner of EcoColors Salon for her feature in VoyageATL. Get the hair of your dreams—without the toxic chemicals.
  
  
• Enjoy the latest art on exhibit at Spalding Nix Fine Art with their “Wayfinding” virtual tour. 
  
  
• Check out the gorgeous pieces from Mason Fine Art and Spalding Nix Fine Art in the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia’s 20th Anniversary Online Art Auction. 

Along the Beltline

• Shine your light with this year’s Atlanta BeltLine Lantern Parade-in-Place from September 21-26! 

For the Kids (& Kids at Heart!)

• #ShopLocal for the perfect Halloween costume at Costumes Etc, owned by PiHi resident Jane Powell, located just off Cheshire Bridge Road.
  
  
• “Turnip the Volume” with Georgia Organics’ Farm to School month. You’ll find fun activities and lesson plans for all ages.

Food & Drink

• AJC just named Taqueria del Sol one of the city’s best Mexican eateries! At the moment, they’re offering meal kits each week. Get Taqueria's newsletter to see what’s on their weekly menu.
  
  
• Cook’s Warehouse cooking classes are back - in person and virtual! 
  
  
• East Pole Coffee celebrates three years in business in Armour West - Congrats! Stop by for curbside caffeine to go, or get a subscription for delivery to your home. 
  
  
• Brooklyn Bagels will replace the former Panera at Ansley Mall in Spring 2021! 

FOOD & DRINK

• Smith’s Olde Bar has reopened with renovations and pandemic precautions in place. Get your football fix, check out the updated non-smoking patio, or grab dinner to go! 
  
  
• ASW Distillery is open for reservations every Saturday with your safety in mind. Reserve your spot at ASWdistillery.com! 
  
  
• So many PiHi restaurants are open, including Atmosphere French Bistro, Nakato Japanese Restaurant, Taqueria del Sol, Fat Matt’s Rib Shack, and many more. Always call or check their website or social channels for the latest! 

KEEP PIHI BEAUTIFUL

• Help us keep Gotham Way Park beautiful, including the giant staircase, which needs re-staining. Donations of any amount are welcome. 
  
  
• Announcing local artists Charity Hamidullah and Angie Jerez for our Traffic Box Art Project! 
  
  
• Thank you to PiHi Alliance, Preferred Office Properties, and Woofs Sports Bar for organizing and sponsoring our recent Cleanup Day. 

SAFETY & SECURITY

• Virtual Coffee with a Cop! THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 from 10–11:30 a.m. Hosted by APD Zone 3 and Zone 6 (Part of PiHi is in Zone 6 - the rest is in Zone 2). https://bit.ly/35Uo1SX

• PHCA Members, if your Security Patrol sign has been damaged or gone missing, let us know so that we can bring you a new one.
• And don’t forget, you can request Home Away Watch service if you're out of town. 

CIVIC LEADERSHIP

• Nominate a Neighbor to join the PHCA Board starting in January. Learn about board member roles and how you can improve our community.
  
  
• It only takes a few minutes to complete your Census form online. Deadline is September 30 and it means real $$ for our neighborhood. 

READING IS ESSENTIAL

• The annual AJC Decatur Book Festival is virtual all month long! 
  
  
• It's Library Card Signup Month, and the Fulton County library system has you covered with ebooks, curbside pickup, and more. https://bit.ly/301ztIH

Sign up today, even if you're not a PHCA member (yet!).

Stay in the know with what's going on in PiHiATL!

The Piedmont Heights Civic Association usually sends an email newsletter about once a month... sometimes less, sometimes more depending on what's going on our community.

Your Civic Association has been working hard to serve you and our neighborhood since our last newsletter!

Some examples are:

• Safety Concerns: Working with Councilmember Ide, Council President Moore, Atlanta Police Deputy Chief Murphy, and APD Zones 2 and 6 to cut down on thefts from automobiles and street racing, which have grown considerably throughout Atlanta. Zones 2 and 6 both support our neighborhood. Zone 2 has increased patrols, and the Department has formed a Task Force to fight the street racing problem. Zone 2 made a significant number of arrests, citations, and vehicle impoundments the last couple of weekends. To help prevent theft from vehicles, APD urges citizens to lock their vehicles; remove keys, guns, and visible items from those vehicles; not leave vehicles running at gas stations or convenience stores; and report all incidents to 911.
• Streets & Transportation: Continuing to work with Councilmember Ide and Atlanta Department of Transportation on the design of the intersection at Piedmont and Montgomery Ferry, and to get the new road striping painted at the Piedmont/Rock Springs intersection. These are two high-traffic intersections, and current conditions make them unsafe.
• Concrete Spillage Problems: Identifying problems with concrete spillage at the Monroe/I-85 intersection in front of Fire Station 29 and coordinating with Councilmember Ide and Department of Transportation on alleviating that problem. We identified the three cement factories on Armour Dr. as probably responsible and have asked the City to hold them accountable. That spillage endangers vehicle traffic and could impact fire response. Also working with the PiHi Alliance and Councilmember Ide to get Atlanta Watershed to hold those cement companies accountable for spillage of cement and sand that blocks drains on Armour Dr. at the MARTA underpass and creates street flooding that prevents entry and exit on the only road for the many businesses in the Armour/Ottley complex.
• Intown Suites: Working with Councilmember Ide, NPU-F, and Atlanta Police Code Enforcement to hold the owners of the former Intown Suites property at 1944 Piedmont Circle accountable to clean up that property. The owners had plans approved by the neighborhood and NPU-F to create a boutique hotel and office buildings. However, nothing has been done except letting the property decay in the two+ years the place has been abandoned.
• Flooding on Allen Road and Piedmont Way: Continuing to work with concerned neighbors, NPU-F, Councilmember Ide, Heritage School (which has offered to purchase the former Rock Spring Presbyterian Church property to use as their high school), and Hedgewood Properties to alleviate the greatly increased stormwater runoff onto Allen Road and downstream. Hedgewood diverted runoff from the old church property (particularly the parking lot) to a pipe Hedgewood put in under their development and dumped the runoff onto Allen Road causing flooding on that road and significant erosion in the ditch/stream between Piedmont Way and Allen Road. Hedgewood obviously did that to keep the water off their property, but showed utter disregard to damage their action would cause to downstream properties. We've been working this issue for some time now and will continue to do so.

The Piedmont Heights Civic Association Board of Directors is elected to serve the needs of the members of the Civic Association. In reality, though, the work we do serves every resident of the Piedmont Heights area, whether or not you are a member. While we have accomplished a lot this year, we have a lot more work to do. We could use the support of every resident of Piedmont Heights. Some of the areas we need your support are:

• We need your voices to let us know what your needs are, how we can meet those needs, what you believe the neighborhood’s priorities should be, and suggestions on paths to reach those goals.
• We need your voices to join ours in working with Neighborhood Planning Unit F and nearby neighborhoods (Morningside, Virginia Highlands, Lindridge-Martin Manor, Ansley Park, Brookwood Hills, and others) to fix common problems and advance common goals.
• We need your voices to join with ours in working with the Beltline, to make sure the Beltline is a blessing and not a curse to our neighborhood.
• We need your membership dues to help pay for our Security Patrol and possibly increase the patrol hours to better secure our neighborhood and prevent some of the thefts from autos, street racing, and other crimes that have been rising all over Atlanta.
• We need your dues to help defray the costs of maintaining our community-owned Gotham Way Park (one of the very few parks in the City of Atlanta not owned and maintained by the City).
• We need your participation to work with other Board and Committee members to bring new ideas and possible solutions to problem areas.
• We need your participation to add to our voices when we collaborate with City Councilmembers and City Departments to ensure our concerns are heard and actions taken to answer our community concerns.
• We need your participation to support our PiHi Alliance business members, the local businesses who provide much needed services to our neighborhood and Greater Atlanta.
• We need your participation in the social events we have scheduled before COVID, the ones we will have when this pandemic eases, and to suggest new social events so we can get to know each other better.

Respectfully,
Jim Hardy
President, Piedmont Heights Civic Association