During a public hearing on April 27, Dunwoody City Council members had a wide-ranging discussion on the merits of an ordinance regulating vape shops within the city.
The measure would define the areas wherein vape shops would be permitted and put parameters around what would constitute a vape shop, either with 25% or more of its total products sold being vape-related, or 25% of its interior space used for vape-related sales.
Currently, the city prohibits stand-alone vape shops, according to city officials. The council had voted in February for a 90-day moratorium on issuing permits for vape shops, which expires May 11, to craft an ordinance that would put parameters around the type and location of vape shops in the city.
It has not had an easy path to passage. The Dunwoody Planning Commission, at its April 14 meeting, in a split vote, did not recommend the ordinance, believing that CBD and Delta-8 THC products should have been included in the ordinance. Others on the panel felt vape shops should not be regulated differently from other uses considered dangerous, such as gun sales.
During the discussion, Council Member John Heneghan asked if the purpose of the measure was “to regulate it or prohibit this? It looks to me like we are trying to prohibit it. I’m just trying to wrap my head around it.”
Senior Planner Madyln Smith replied that the ordinance “isn’t meant to regulate behavior.”
Nobody spoke in favor of the measure’s passage at the public hearing, but one woman, Susan Blackwell, commented that she had observed a vape shop located across the street from Chamblee High School, which she said potentially gave students immediate access to “all this awful stuff.”
“Please make your decision wisely,” she said.
Another person, Lauren Simpson, said she is a mental health therapist who has treated many students addicted to vaping.
“I don’t think there is any place for a vape shop in [Dunwoody] Village,” she said. “I think we need to think about the future and how to deal with this addiction.”
The council will take up the measure on second reading on May 11. Mayor Lynn Deutsch asked the city’s attorney, Ken Bernard, to address the questions brought up during the discussion.
Sustainability awards given
In other action, city officials recognized Malte Weiland and Dunwoody United Methodist Church as recipients of the 2025 Sustainability Hero Awards.
Since 2012, the Sustainability Hero Award program has celebrated exemplary individuals and organizations for their dedication, service, and leadership in sustainable practices.
“The Sustainability Hero Awards honor the people and organizations that lead by example,” said Anne Hicks, Chair of the Dunwoody Sustainability Committee in a release from the city. “Malte Weiland and Dunwoody United Methodist Church demonstrate how thoughtful action, long-term commitment, and community engagement can help build a more sustainable Dunwoody.”
Dunwoody UMC was selected as the organizational recipient of the Sustainability Hero Award “for making sustainability a priority through its Environmental Stewardship Committee,” the release said. “The church has demonstrated a strong commitment to energy efficiency by installing rooftop solar and energy-efficient LED lights and thermostats in many rooms.”
In other action
• The council met Strawberry Picnic, a dog at the LifeLine Animal Shelter that is available for adoption;
• The panel passed on consent agenda $172,132 for sidewalks and road improvements on Ridgeview Road;
• The council authorized the installation of rooftop solar systems on the city hall building that could potentially save the city $11,000 during the first year.
