The Northwest Community Alliance (NCA) will hold its first development, zoning and land use attorney’s panel at its Sept. 19 meeting, “featuring three of the most prolific, well respected, and knowledgeable attorneys in Atlanta working in this field,” according to NCA Chairman Michael Koblentz.

Featured on the panel, barring last-minute conflicts, will be:

Larry Dingle who has represented clients such as The Sembler Company and Coca Cola and is the co-author of “Major Land Use Laws in Georgia,” published in 1990. Dingle has been a confidante to several recent Atlanta Mayors and also to numerous other high-profile business leaders and politicians. Dingle, who works for Wilson, Brock and Irby, LLC, Atlanta, “has a very strong, lifetime devotion to civil rights,” according to Koblentz.

Sharon Gay is “the most visible and high-profile female development attorney in Atlanta,” Koblentz said. Gay served five years as vice-chair of the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority Board and served as the chair of Mayor Franklin’s Ethics Task Force. Gay works for McKenna Long and Aldridge and has represented the Lane Company, Atlantic Station and the developers of City Hall East.

Carl Westmoreland is a partner at Seyfarth, Shaw LLP in Atlanta. “Westmoreland has become the go-to attorney for numerous high-profile developers looking to break ground in Atlanta,” stated Koblentz. “Few have his knowledge of the intricate land use laws in the City of Atlanta.” His recent clients include Carter and Company, MetroNexus, Turner and Trammell Crow.

“The NCA has wanted to put this sort of panel together for a while,” explained Koblentz. “Many of us who attend NCA meetings, developers and neighborhood representatives alike, have had numerous dealings with these three attorneys. Almost invariably major Atlanta projects involve some sort of interaction or negotiation with a zoning and land use attorney. This will be a great opportunity to hear from and ask questions of three of the best in Atlanta. It should be very informative and provocative.

The meeting will take place at the Rising Roll Restaurant, 1700 Northside Drive at Bellemeade, 7PM, Sept. 19.

–John Schaffner