New City Buyers’ Remorse

The percentage of citizens who are glad they formed their own city is as follows: Brookhaven 55%, Peachtree Corners 57%, Dunwoody 81%, Johns Creek 84%, Chattahoochee Hills 84%, Milton 86%, Sandy Springs 94% (Source: AJC Metro 4/5/15)  These percentages have declined according to the AJC. 

Size matters.  Cities with populations close to 100,000 in 40 square miles of space like Sandy Springs and Roswell are happier with their lot than smaller new cities like Brookhaven and Peachtree Corners.  Milton is the exception, but is unique.  It is smaller, but older.

Cities formed after 2008 had a nasty surprise when their ordinances were dictated by UN Agenda 21 implementation.  Dunwoody, Brookhaven and Peachtree Corners were affected.  The 81% score for Dunwoody seems a little high given the history of battles between homeowners and city staff and council since its founding.  Dunwoody has 45,000 people squeezed on to 13 square miles of land, with PCID dominating the landscape. Dunwoody is the poster child for expensive, unnecessary new urban planning schemes, pot holes and congestion.  I think Dunwoody homeowners were better off being in unincorporated DeKalb.   

New cities will not likely escape the clutches of UN Agenda 21 Planning and Zoning tentacles, so voters will need either vote NO or get ready to be disappointed with the lunacy coming from their new City Councils.  Beware of the expensive engineering and consulting cronies and the Sustainability Commissions.  If you want your streets maintained, you might as well vote NO.  New cities don’t like to do street maintenance.

So it’s fair warning to Lavista Hills and Tucker and others. It’s death by 1000 Permits.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader