Council approves Westside Improvement District moratorium, film warehouse burglary task force item
The Atlanta City Council approved legislation during Monday’s meeting to impose a 180-day moratorium on the acceptance of any new rezoning applications, building permits for new construction, and other related permits for certain specified uses within the Upper Westside Improvement District Master Plan (Legislative Reference №22-O-1160). The Upper Westside Improvement District Master Plan was adopted on Nov. 1, 2021. The Department of City Planning is working on zoning legislation to create a new overlay district to implement the vision and recommendations set forth in the masterplan. The moratorium will maintain the status quo while the zoning process is being completed.
Other items approved Monday include:
• A resolution urging the Atlanta Police Department to establish a task force that would include other metro Atlanta law enforcement agencies to coordinate a response to burglaries targeting the local film industry rental and production companies (Legislative Reference №22-R-3196).
• An ordinance authorizing a donation in a total amount not to exceed $4,500 from the Council District 11 and District 2 carry forward accounts and the Council President, Council District 8 and District 6 distribution accounts for the maintenance of the Xernona Clayton statue project (Legislative Reference №22-O-1183).
• A resolution requesting the City Auditor conduct an assessment and accounting of the funds spent with Minority and Female Business Partner Vendors (Legislative Reference №22-R-3198).
• A resolution expressing the Council’s support for Senate Bill 403 to enact the Georgia Behavioral Health and Peace Officer Co-Responder Act to establish a collaboration between law enforcement and behavioral health specialist to decriminalize mental health (Legislative Reference №22-R-3193).
• An ordinance authorizing the mayor or his designee to apply for and accept an Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund Supplemental Grant in an amount not to exceed $5 million on behalf of the Department of City Planning (Legislative Reference №22-O-1135).
• A resolution to establish a task force for the purpose of promoting engagement in quality arts and cultural programming within District 12 (Legislative Reference №22-R-3194).
• A resolution appointing Council members Byron Amos, Liliana Bakhtiari, and Alex Wan to serve as representatives on the City of Atlanta — Atlanta Public Schools Joint Committee (Legislative Reference №22-R-3246).
• A resolution authorizing the mayor or his designee to execute amendment №1 to an emergency procurement agreement with Russell Landscape LLC on behalf of the Department of Public Works and add funding in an amount not to exceed $640,000 for yard trimmings collections services. This item was immediately adopted.
• A resolution authorizing the mayor or his designee to execute amendment №1 to emergency procurement agreement with Ed Castro Landscape Inc. on behalf of the Department of Public Works and add funding in an amount not to exceed $640,000 for yard trimmings collections services. This item was immediately adopted.
• A resolution requesting that the Georgia General Assembly grant municipalities the authority to deploy audio cameras for the purpose of enforcing the state law governing the noise produced by vehicles, OCGA Sec. 40–8–71. This item was immediately adopted.
Items introduced to be considered in committee next week include:
• A resolution to urge the Atlanta Police Department to enforce the City Code of Ordinances, Section 150–88(a) and move vehicles, or to require the driver or other person in charge of a vehicle to move the vehicle to a position off the roadway, where the vehicle is found parked within a designated bicycle lane in violation of Chapter 150, Section 150–65(b)(4) of the Code of Ordinance pursuant to the department’s authority granted in Section 150–88 of the Code of Ordinances.
• An ordinance authorizing the chief financial officer to amend the City of Atlanta 2022 infrastructure bond horizontal projects list to add the Atlanta Student Movement Monument, the Martin Luther King Jr. statue pedestal, and the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial as horizontal projects and authorizing the chief financial officer to review all projects to determine reallocation of current project appropriations to identify funding for the requested projects.
• A resolution requesting that the mayor takes into consideration and funds priorities that the Atlanta City Council recommends being included in the Fiscal Year 2023 budget.
• A resolution recognizing the Rodney Cook Sr. Park Advisory Council and commending them for the work they have done to engage the community and develop and implement policies and procedures that will ensure the park will continue to be an inviting and vibrant destination in the Vine City English Avenue community for many generations to come.
