AVONDALE ESTATES — A survey conducted at the end of 2019 of Avondale Estates residents’ preferences for the downtown district showed that sidewalks, lighting and trees were among the top priorities for residents.
Over a 4-week period between the beginning of November and the beginning of December 2019, 140 residents took part in an online survey to inform the zoning rewrite efforts underway in the DeKalb County city.
Survey results are being used to augment input the staff and consultants are gathering through the series of workshops, open houses, and other participatory events that are underway. You can find the schedule of events at www.avondalevision2reality.com.
Results from the survey affirmed the city staff’s current understanding of the community’s direction, priorities and the guiding principles for the new code.
The top three most important future characteristics for the City of Avondale Estates downtown district were:
- Sidewalks, lighting, and trees, for which over 80% ranked a top-three priority.
- Strategically placed retail and restaurants on the first floor with 51% and
- Human scale development of 2-5 stories at 44%.
Those guiding principles can be found here.
Additionally, the majority supported mitigating the visual impacts of parking, concentrating retail on certain streets, and promoting a mix of uses. Importantly, more than 80% agreed with transit-oriented development with greater height on blocks adjacent to the MARTA station and on the backside of the rail lines (up to 5 stories) and with lower heights graduating from 5 stories to 2 or 3 stories closer to the Tudor Village and along College Avenue/North Avondale Road.
The majority supported using a variety of alternatives to deemphasize the automobile. More than 50%, supported maximizing the number of allowable parking but not requiring a minimum. Several short answer responses indicated concern over handicap parking and disability access to retail being of concern.
Finally, residents are looking for more places to get their nails done and a bed and breakfast but are less confident in a hotel or radio stations. More than 92% of respondents would like to see artisanal food production and were supportive of craft breweries. Most would also like to see more local businesses and office uses as well.
The next Zoning Code Rewrite workshop will be February 26.
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