‘Rounding’ up the news
June 11 — It’s Cathy from Rough Draft with my weekly newsletter on Dunwoody. I don’t know about you, but every time I see the sun, I run out of my home like I’m being shot out of a cannon – followed by an equally hasty retreat when the deluge starts again.
🍿 This week’s newsletter outlines an action-packed Dunwoody Planning Commission meeting with several hot-button topics – specifically, age-restricted housing and fast food double drive-through restaurants. And speaking of touchy subjects, residential property taxes are going up, thanks to DeKalb County Schools’ rollback in the millage rate that doesn’t go quite far enough to stay the course.
Also, news about a solar panel installation at a local church, the end of a campaign that never really started, ways you can help save the earth one shoe at a time, and a viral video that shows you why squirrels can live up to 15 years.
🔆 Enjoy this sunny day,
Cathy
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Income-restricted housing shot down after showdown
🏢 During a lengthy Dunwoody Planning Commission meeting on June 10, the panel voted unanimously to defer a zoning change for age-restricted apartments that in essence killed the plan.
Dunwoody citizens came out in force to oppose the construction of a five-story, 220-unit affordable senior housing complex on Ashford Dunwoody Road, citing issues with its proximity to single-family housing, the density of the complex, the potential for traffic congestion, the limited number of parking spaces compared to the number of units, and the need for owner-occupied units within the city rather than rentals.
After the panel seemed to be leaning towards deferring the project to address some of the issues brought up by the residents and commission members, a city official said the developers wanted a definitive decision that night.
“A deferral tonight to them is the same to them as a denial” because of deadlines for Dominium to make application for federal financing, Dunwoody Planning and Zoning Manager Paul Leonhardt said.
🎭 Read about the drama-filled meeting here.
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Not enough back in that roll
💸 Even though the DeKalb County School District is rolling back its millage rate in its proposed 2026 fiscal year budget, DeKalb residents will see an increase in their annual tax bills.
During a series of hearings related to adopting a 2025 millage rate of 22.78 mills – a tenth of a mill lower than last year – DeKalb County School officials said in order to have a revenue-neutral impact on taxpayers, the rollback would need to be 22.15 mills. That action would offset rising taxes generated by increases in property values. But the board did not do that.
For a home worth $400,000, this tax increase would add about $109 to a homeowner’s annual bill. A $800,000 home would see bills rise by an estimated $200 annually.
Side Note: If your property’s value increased, you’ll feel even more pain when you get your tax bill. I have heard a lot of chatter about Dunwoody homes being revalued to the tune of $50,000 or more. FYI, before you start blame-storming, it’s not the city’s fault.
🏫 Here’s more about the millage rate changes.
Breathing new life into old shoes
👟 Madelyn Spiegelman is trying to save the planet, one pair of sneakers at a time.
The longtime Dunwoody North resident is collecting athletic shoes that will be repurposed or recycled through a Florida-based organization called Got Sneakers.
According to the Got Sneakers website, in the United States alone at least 200 million pairs of shoes and sneakers end up in landfills annually. The shoes can take at least 30-40 years to decompose while emitting harmful chemicals into the soil and air.
♻️ Read more about Spiegelman’s efforts and how you can help.
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Solar panels at DUMC
⛪ On Tuesday, June 10 Dunwoody United Methodist Church held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate its installation of a solar energy system that will save the church $14,300 in electricity costs.
According to a statement from DUMC, the move represents “a bold investment in sustainability, stewardship, and long-term savings.”
The church is the third congregation in Georgia to enter into a Solar Energy Procurement Agreement with Georgia BRIGHT, a program of the national nonprofit Capital Good Fund, the release said.
The new solar array is expected to generate 22 percent of the church’s annual energy needs. Over the system’s lifetime, it will prevent the release of more than 3,179 tons of carbon dioxide — the equivalent of taking 700 cars off the road or driving more than 7.2 million fewer miles, church officials said.
Well, that was over in a hurry
🏃🏼 Zack Humphries, a frequent speaker and vocal critic of the Dunwoody City Council, has announced that he is no longer intending to run for the council’s District 1 post in November.
Humphries, 26, had announced at the May 27 council meeting during the public comment that he would be running for the post, currently held by Catherine Lautenbacher.
On his Substack platform, Humphries said he was dropping out of the race, “though I never officially entered.”
“I’m just not ready yet,” he wrote. “I entered the race under some false assumptions.”
‘Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up’
🐈⬛ Mallory Vieira Wickersham (@mowowmal), 32, who grew up in Dunwoody and now lives in Roswell, shared a TikTok video of her fluffy cat Winston, a mostly indoor pet, stalking a squirrel in her front yard, backed by the theme from “Mission Impossible.”
The clip quickly went viral, garnering more than 67,000 likes, 400 comments, and 395,000 views. Also, Newsweek did an online story about the battle of cat vs. squirrel.
🐾 Check out Winston’s unsuccessful attempt here and wait for the over-the-shoulder look of shame at the end.
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