Friday, September 07, 2007

They Want To Do What?!

The already controversial Sembler Project on North Druid Hills Road just got a little hotter and a lot weirder.

A consultant brought in by non-profit Livable Communities Coalition to try to find a way to bring the neighborhood and the developer into the sphere of agreement has proposed submerging a portion of the area's road grid. Not kidding.

What is this latest obsession with underground roads?

A sidenote. Who spearheaded hiring said consultant? Commissioners Kathy Gannon and Jeff Rader. This would be the same duo who fought so hard for passage of the rezoning of Emory Village to allow a four story multi-use development. Two controversial developments in less than two years. Makes you wonder who they are working for doesn't it?

I think this is a story the Drift will start following a little more closely.

2 comments:

kevin said...

I wonder what Jeff Raiders 2006 opponent (forget his name, but I voted for him) would have to say about this (maybe the gentleman blogger could hunt him down and ask ;-))

Also, do they plan to use 2-ton ceiling tiles secured with epoxy?

Open+Transparent said...

Don Broussard ran against Rader, and sometimes posts on GoDeKalb.com.


OK, Jim Durrett is executive director of the Livable Communities Coalition.

http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/printedition/2007/09/20/equaled0920.html

Jim states in his Equal Time piece:

"To lead the planning process, Rader and Gannon turned to the Livable Communities Coalition, a broad-based nonprofit whose mission includes helping local governments shape sensible, appropriate development. The coalition, in turn, engaged nationally renowned planner Alex Garvin to provide the expertise necessary to propose a plan."

Again:
"Rader and Gannon turned to the Livable Communities Coalition..."

Is it me, or wouldn't it have been proper for Mr. Durrett to mention he was Jeff Rader's commissioner campaign chair?

And isn't it convenient Jim makes his living as director of LCC, which was the pass through for I think $600 grand for the Garvin study...minus the LCC cut.

Durrett is alos heavily involved in the Burrell Ellis CEO campaign. Ellis and State Rep. Stan Watson are the two frontrunners by far, but apparantly Mr. CEO Vernon Jones likes Stanley:

http://www.championnewspaper.com/artcenter.html
"Not only did he reference commissioners Larry Johnson, Connie Stokes and Lee May as his “rubber stamps,” but practically anointed state Rep. Stan Watson as his natural successor."