DOING “BUSINESS” IN PIEDMONT HEIGHTS - NEW AND IMPROVED

03/25/19

DOING “BUSINESS” IN PIEDMONT HEIGHTS 03/26/19

Piedmont Heights began almost 200 years ago as a little country town around a grist mill on Clear Creek. The residential area didn’t really begin until the 1900s and today is only half the community; the remainder is a wide variety of businesses.

In 2012, to anticipate the impact of the Atlanta BeltLine, the PHCA created a master plan to guide future development. Because funding for the plan came largely from business owners, PHCA formed a Business Committee to give them a greater voice in neighborhood affairs. Membership grew rapidly and two years later the committee evolved into the Piedmont Heights Business Alliance. In 2018 the name was tweaked again and became the Greater Piedmont Heights Business Alliance so that businesses adjacent to our neighborhood could participate. The expanded group is now restructuring itself into a professional organization with a board of directors, president, and non-profit status to be eligible for City grants and other funding for neighborhood improvements.

Examples of similar associations exist in Midtown, West Midtown, and the Old Fourth Ward. The important difference with ours, however, is that it will partner with the Piedmont Heights Civic Association and the Community Improvement Foundation to create a unique and powerful triumvirate for positive change.

Bill Seay, Piedmont Heights Historian and Architect 

Visit our GPHBA page to learn more, join us!

http://www.piedmontheights.org/Business-Alliance

Atlanta Police Department Zone Boundaries Change Affects Piedmont Heights

Effective Sunday, March 17, 2017, Atlanta Police Department’s change to its Zone boundaries changed the Zones responsible for Piedmont Heights coverage. Piedmont Heights and Morningside now have portions of their neighborhoods in both Zones 2 and 6. Former Beat 213, which includes much of Piedmont Heights and Morningside became Beat 613 in Zone 6. In Piedmont Heights, Wimbledon and areas to the north remain in Zone 2 in Beat 212. Rock Springs and areas south moved to Zone 6, Beat 613.

We coordinated with both Zone Commanders on March 18 to voice our concern over the split coverage. Both Zone Commanders assured us the change will mean faster patrol response in our area because Police Dispatch will send the closest unit on a call, no matter which Zone it is in. The change will also mean both Zones 2 and 6 will patrol Cheshire Bridge Road.

We will continue to coordinate with both Zones 2 and 6 and will keep you informed of changes as they occur. This Zone change will not affect the Piedmont Heights Security Patrol.

A new Atlanta Police Zone and Beat map is available at APD (Zone Maps) 

Jim Hardy, President, Piedmont Heights Civic Association

Thanks Trees Atlanta for the wonderful trees donated to our neighborhood!   
We planted over 30 trees today! 

SATURDAY 3/23 SAY YES TO A FREE TREE!

Piedmont Heights and Trees Atlanta are partnering up to plant 30 trees in front yards and public spaces on 3/23 between 9am-12pm. Get your entire family involved for this event!Do you want a free tree for your front yard? Signing up is easy and your neighbors in charge of the project will be there to help. Please email us at parks@piedmontheights.org and we will send details.

Curious about the trees available? There are overstory trees and smaller ones for areas under power lines. A full inventory will be sent to you for your selection ( more information via the tree list button below).

You can participate in planting or have volunteers do it for you. Look for Piedmont Heights street ambassadors over the next few weeks with more information.

Thank you to Trees Atlanta for this generous offer, we appreciate their partnership.

Jorgelina Striedinger - PHCA Parks and Spaces Chair - parks@piedmontheights.org

Piedmont Heights had a big year in 2018! To celebrate some of our successes, we're proud to share some highlights from this year:

• License Plate Readers: We installed several license plate readers to help improve safety and security in the neighborhood, particularly when it comes to stolen vehicles! Thank you to our previous City Council representative, Alex Wan, and the Atlanta Police Foundation for making this possible.
  
  
• Give Art a Start—Traffic Signal Box Beautification: Thanks to a $2,400 grant from the Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs, we were able to commission local artist Lauren Pallotta Stumberg to paint two traffic signal boxes. Not only is the artwork beautiful but the botanical themes help to celebrate our local park (Gotham Way Park) and our historic landmark, Monroe Nursery and Gardens. Check out the new boxes on Monroe Dr. and Montgomery Ferry Dr. as well as Monroe Dr. and Armour Dr. intersections.
  
  
  
• Piedmont Heights Walking Trail Map: Thanks to a $500 Neighborhood Planning Unit grant from the City of Atlanta, we were able to create a walking trail map (online and downloadable as a PDF). Now, neighbors can learn about Piedmont Heights' unique history and its landmarks—historical, environmental, quirky, and more! 
  
  
• Gotham Way Park: We are so close to reaching a major fundraising goal in order to renovate the Gotham Way Park playground! Please help us reach this milestone—sponsor our upcoming Fandango or purchase a ticket for the event on Tuesday, November 27! Thank you to Eclipse di Luna for hosting us!
  
  
• Greater Piedmont Heights Business Alliance: Two wonderful events in 2018 brought local businesses and neighbors together to learn more about the evolution of the neighborhood as the Atlanta Beltline progresses through Piedmont Heights. Thank you to Mason Fine Art, Eclipse di Luna, and Mixx for hosting and feeding our groups this year!
  
  
• Annual Meeting: Our Annual Meeting was held at Ansley Golf Club, where our members voted on our 2019 Board Members. They also learned about neighborhood and larger Atlanta updates from our elected officials, City Council president, Felicia Moore; City Council Representative At Large, Matt Westmoreland; and Director of Constituent Services for Councilmember Ide's office, Kent Strickland. And a huge thank you to our speakers, artist Lauren Pallotta Stumberg (Think Greatly) and Dewayne Bontrager (Twiin Media LLC)!

Tuesday, November 27th 7:00PM – 9:00PM Eclipse di Luna 764 Miami Cir NE #138, Atlanta, GA 30324

Join fellow neighbors and friends for an evening you won’t want to miss You’re invited to the PHCIF 4th Annual Fandango, presented by Eclipse di Luna. Please join us for tapas, drinks and entertainment on Tuesday, November 27th at Eclipse di Luna in support of Gotham Way Park and the Piedmont Heights Community Improvement Foundation.

The goal for this year’s Fandango is to raise $16,000 for Gotham Way Park, paving the way for completion of the playground renovation by Spring 2019. Tickets are $30 per person and may be purchased in advance at or at the door. Tickets include a variety of tapas and one drink ticket per ticket holder. All proceeds from the event will benefit Gotham Way Park. There’s no better way to celebrate Celebrate this year’s #GivingTuesday by giving back to you’re very own community! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/4th-annual-fandango-for-piedmont-heights-tickets-50939958788 $16,000 fundraising goal. 

For more questions regarding the event or if you’d like to become a Fandango sponsor, please contact Rebecca Godleski at rebecca.godleski@gmail.com.

Thank you to the following sponsors Epi City Real Estate Services and Bryans Family Foundation - Gold Sponsors Dresser Homes, Ansley Eye Care, Grindhouse Burgers, Perennial Properties and Monroe Place - Bronze Sponsors All State Drew Niess and David Lerner, Ascent - Sponsors Official Photography by Lenna Davis Photography http://www.piedmontheights.org/Foundation

Piedmont Heights is home to one of the first Holiday Inn hotels. Located on Monroe Drive at Piedmont Circle overlooking I-85, it most recently was called Intown Suites, catering to weekly renters.

The hotel chain was conceived by Kemmons Wilson in 1951 when on a family vacation trip he became frustrated with the shabbiness of roadside hotels then available and which charged extra for children, of which he had five. Wilson built his first hotel in 1953 in his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee, and named it for the 1942 film Bing Crosby film ”Holiday Inn.”

Wilson built a chain of the hotels along the new interstate highway system, a day’s drive apart, and by 1959 there were 100, likely including the one in Piedmont Heights. By 1970 there were 1,700. The new chain catered specifically to families and offered such amenities as baby cribs, dog kennels, swimming pools and restaurants. The daily rate was $6 -- and children stayed for free. The chain’s “Great Sign,” fifty feet high, double-sided and neon lit, was highly visible from a great distance along the nation's highways. The sign is long gone but today there are Holiday Inns in over 50 countries.

Today, Intown Suites is empty and surrounded by construction barriers. The new owner, Paces Properties, will one day begin renovating the property into a multi-use facility containing an upscale 162 room suites hotel, large restaurant, event space, retail amenities, and 26,000 square feet of office space.

This writer remembers taking guests out to eat at the old Piedmont Heights Holiday Inn one evening in 1970 because it had the only restaurant open on Sunday in the area at the time.

by Bill Seay (Rock Springs Rd)

In 2014 Sam and Barbie Bromberg moved to Piedmont Heights from Alpharetta to be closer to Sam’s mother who lives in Morningside, where Sam was born, and to participate in the arts and cultural vibe of Atlanta. Sam came of age in Piedmont Heights in the late 1960s when, at aqe 15, he worked for Baskin-Robbins in Ansley Mall and then at the Kroger supermarket when it was located where CVS Pharmacy is today. Sam and Barbie are now “back home” at Rockridge Place. 

Their new residence has a large side yard on Rock Springs Road where the previous owner had placed large boulders, an ornamental tree, and a concrete bench. Living across the street, I often noticed Sam walking around this yard or sitting on the bench in deep thought and one day went over to welcome him to the neighborhood. 

I asked Sam if he would consider selling a portion of his yard to be converted into a “pocket park," explaining that it would be a pleasant resting spot for walkers and joggers along Rock Springs Road. Sam declined but liked the idea of further improving it as a neighborhood amenity. As time went by, Sam placed a sculpture of Humpty Dumpty on the bench, then added an electric lamp post and, most recently, a fake—but very realistic-looking—black and white dog relieving himself on a bright red fireplug. Sam said the dog’s name was Fritz and he was surprised it had not “walked off.” The diorama is totally charming, and Sam has, in fact, created the originally suggested pocket park.

Recently I spotted Sam in his yard and went over to compliment him on the latest addition to the street scene. While we were sitting on the bench and talking, two walkers came by and cheerfully thanked Sam for what he had done. That says it all.

Sam owns Nova Wealth Management Group, and Barbie is an Intuitive Counselor. They have made Piedmont Heights a much better place, and I hope their contribution will inspire others to create more such informal neighborhood pocket parks.

By Bill Seay (Rock Springs Rd) 

Are you ready?

The amended “Anti-Texting Law” now bans drivers from holding or resting phones while they use them anywhere on their bodies, period.

Hands Free in Georgia from July 1st.pdf

Carolina Lumber & Supply Company, at 504 Plasters Avenue, N. E., has served Piedmont Heights and builders throughout Atlanta for almost 120 years.  Its 21,000 square-foot complex on four acres in the Armour/Ottley industrial area is one of its two local outlets for all manner of building supplies and materials, including custom mill work.

Carolina Lumber Story.pdf

Carolina Lumber

Our second Informal gathering at our neighborhood park! Just a chance to meet other parents and let the kids have some fun! Please spread the word and contact us if you have any questions! We hope you can make it!!

Location - Gotham Way Park, Piedmont Heights
Time- 10:30 am to 12:00 pm

PHCA Membership and Social Committee Chair- Fabricio Moraes 
membership@piedmontheights .org 
communications@piedmonthei ghts.org

www.piedmontheightspa.org
www.piedmontheights.org