Dunwoody Village Parkway

Dunwoody Parkway by Rick Callihan

Lots of out parcels along Dunwoody Parkway.  With a new road the city could  see some  new businesses pop up

Back in FarmHouser glory days, Dunwoody Parkway was planned to be a bypass of sorts Tonight Dunwoody's city council will discuss the Dunwoody Parkway project.   I'm confident something will get done here, it's just a matter of what.

First order of business is the question of whether or not the city should  even be spending any money here.  I've read where some people think there  are higher priorities.  Well, city business is always a mix of high and low  priorities.  Every couple of meetings the city has some proclamation  honoring someone.  Are these important?  Will the city crumple and die if  we stopped these?  No.  But it's part of what government does.  How about  20 minutes at a council to swear in a new police officer? Could that be done in a back closet on a Wednesday morning?

Project Renaissance in Georgetown?  That was not on the radar a year ago.  Why couldn't the city let the PVC 16 acre parcel just sit empty for a few years?  It wasn't hurting anybody as a field of weeds.  Did the city's Park and Rec department really need to sponsor a movie at Brook Run?  One could go down a list of the past 100 actions of the city and conclude that over half were not critical actions.

One could take it a step further and say the city should sell all the parks in Dunwoody and cut ties to all the non-profits, sell the 

Banister-Chesnut-Whatever farm house for scrap lumber, and eliminate our marketing department (that last one is actually not a bad idea).

While the city has its shares of traffic issues, I don't think the city 

government exists only to deal with roads, police, and zoning.  The role of local government is diverse.  But that doesn't mean taxpayer money needs to be used to build new infrastructure all over the place to try to spur growth.

Now let's assume a majority of council members agrees to accept matching funds and make improvements to Dunwoody Parkway.  There are two issues to discuss:

1.  Bike Lanes

Future plans call for 5 foot wide bike lanes on the major roads Mt Vernon and Chamblee Dunwoody.  These bike lanes will provide ample routes for bikers in Dunwoody.  We know local car traffic uses Dunwoody Parkway as a cut through - do bikers need a cut through?  Or, are the bike lanes the final segment needed to connect neighborhoods to destinations?  Do we need two five-foot bike lanes on this road?

2. The Median

Should the median be saved or dismantled?  I'm not a fan of the current median.  I think it hinders visibility on a road with so many driveways.

There are three options to discuss tonight.  No way will this thing be a 7-0 vote.  Lines have been drawn in the sand by some.  And maybe one council member will now vote 'no' on everything proposed by the mayor and city manager.

For those on council they need to ask themselves, "Is this project a good idea for the residents of Dunwoody?"  "Will this project benefit homeowners and business owners?"
 
Source: Dunwoody Talk Blog, Rick Callihan, Posted: 27 Aug 2012 07:15 AM PDT

http://dunwoodytalk.blogspot.com/2012/08/dunwoody-parkway.html

Comments:

Rick, I totally agree with your observations. I would like to see less ceremony and more common sense in government at all levels. I think the protocol we use is too arrogant and our ceremonies lead to air-borne platitudes that may be the real cause of Arctic ice cap melting.

Further, I think Dunwoody Parkway is a low priority project.  If we ever get out of this recession, keeping it as a road at all should be debated as part of a re-look at the Dunwoody Village “master plan”. 

I would wait for the property owners to offer their own plans based on actual market demand.  That requires some flexibility. Larger tenants often come in and build their own buildings according to their own specifications like Publix, Walgreens and CVS.  That’s zoning in the real world.
 
If the tree roots in the median are truly undermining the road, they should go.  At least that part of an upgrade would be done. I also see no need for a median to exist on Dunwoody Village Parkway, but timing to remove it should be part of any upgrades in that part of the Village. In most places, it would be part of the parking lot.
 
A real priority is adding turn lanes on Mt Vernon to relieve some commuter congestion.  This shouldn’t cost the $12 million, but would bust the current budget.  The next priority is upgrading the intersection at Mt. Vernon Rd and Chamblee Dunwoody Rd.

Back to you Rick…

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody Ga Tea party Leader