The Planning Commission reviewed PJs Package Store’s request to add 1,530 square feet to its establishment on July 8. Despite Greater Hidden Hills CDC objections, it recommended approval. Now, the matter will go before the Board of Commissioners, July 22, 6:30 p.m.

The store is on the northwest corner of Panola Road and Redan Road. It wants to increase its square footage by 56%, going from 2,800 square feet to 4,330 square feet.

This means that three of the six storefronts in the strip mall would be occupied by the liquor store. Note that one of the other tenants (the Chevron gas station/convenience store), also sells liquor. (Sketch map attached.)

The Greater Hidden Hills Community Development Corporation opposes this expansion. Our overlay zoning code is designed to promote and encourage a healthy, prosperous, diverse array of businesses. We have many unmet needs in this community, forcing us to drive many miles to purchase the materials, services, and experiences that we want. Liquor stores are NOT among our unmet needs.

We have a surplus of liquor stores. Within a 20-minute drive from the center of the Hidden Hills Overlay District (roughly the center of the closed golf course), there are 62 beer, wine and liquor stores.

When you add the other types of stores that sell bottled alcohol, such as grocery stores, gasoline stations, and convenience stores, we find that we have close to 600 places where one can buy packaged alcohol within a 20-minute drive of our center. (Numbers from ESRI Business Data, 2013.)

I talked to some of those who voted in favor of the expansion. These respected members of the Community Council, DeKalb County Planning Department, and the Planning Commission have several reasons for their position. Here are the reasons I have heard:

• The business is already there, and there are legal reasons why the County cannot deny it the opportunity to expand.
• The business is in a cramped location, so expansion will make the strip feel less congested.
• The business will be better able to thrive if it expands.
• The community should make an effort to support small businesses in the community.

The owner of the liquor store is interested in meeting conditions to make the expansion more palatable. I will share those plans with you when I get them.

As we move forward to the final public hearing, we ask for your opinion and input. You can respond to this post or write to us at ghhcdc@gmail.com

Jan Costello
President, Greater Hidden Hills CDC

More than 30 people attended the June 24 Greater Hidden Hills Community Development Corporation (GHHCDC) meeting on creating a dynamic business community. DeKalb County Interim CEO Lee May opened the meeting with praise and encouragement. He has been involved and supportive of our efforts since we first began the overlay zoning process in 2006. 

Double click this link to see pictures, hear what Tucker volunteers had to say, and read the list of great ideas:

Dynamic Business Meeting-See Results

Minutes:  Greater Hidden Hills Community Development Corporation (GHHCDC) Meeting
Mainstreet Community Center, May 30, 2014, 10 a.m. -11:30 a.m.

Attending: Jan Costello, Nadine Rivers-Johnson, Phyllis Frierson Joyce Russell, Charlene Taylor

After a brief welcome, we discussed the June 24 meeting. Flyers have been distributed to businesses. Wendall Ervin covered the east side of Hairston/Redan. Jan did some of the north side of that intersection. Nadine covered Panola/Redan. Phyllis did the west side of Covington/Hairston, and Jan did the east side. They both hit Pep Boys! Letters were mailed to the landowners of three strip mall sites (two at Redan/Panola and one at Cov/Hairston). Char is going to the nursery on Covington.

The AJC ran two articles. Releases were also sent to CrossRoads Newspaper, On Common Ground, and the Champion.

Refreshments for the meeting: Joyce is bring 75 small waters, Phyllis is bring cookies, Nadine is bringing nuts and napkins.

Paperwork: Nadine is printing the brochure, membership form, sign-in sheet and surveys; she will bring them to the meeting.

Intro at meeting: Jan will prepare remarks and slides.

We will meet at 5:45 to set up.

Other business:

We decided to try and tour Columbia Residential’s senior living communities on July 12, 19, or 26, if that works for Mr. Khalil.

We need to get a phone to add to our contact info. Jan will look into it.

We like the business card with some changes. The group wants a back/front card.

We continue to work on the 501c3 paperwork. We will set up a meeting with Jerome Chavis in August. Before we meet, we want to answer the question, “What will we have accomplished in five years?”

We will have the next general meeting Sept 23 (or later in the week, depending on the crowd preference.) We will try to have it at APD Solutions if the date works for the firm

Next board meeting: July 26.(If the tour interferes, we will reschedule).

Notes from the last Board Meeting

Minutes:  .Greater Hidden Hills Community Development Corporation (GHHCDC) Meeting
Mainstreet Community Center, May 30, 2014, 10 a.m. -11:30 a.m.

Attendees: Nadine Rivers-Johnson, Charlene Taylor, Phyllis Frierson, Jan Costello, Joyce Russell, Lois Dunlap
prepared by Jan Costello

1. Welcome

2. Brief Update from Committees

Marketing and Communication (chaired by Nadine Rivers-Johnson)

Letterhead is done. Information about access to the Gmail and WordPress accounts was given to the Board. Noted a correction to a typo. Corrected document will be sent to the Board by email.

Need more paper for brochures. Char will check with her source. Joyce is looking into retail options.

Finance and Budget (chaired by Secretary-Treasurer Phyllis Frierson)

No changes…still have $98 in the credit union. The $85 expense for the corporate filing fees was donated. Phyllis will work on setting up online access to the account. Jan is working on ordering checks.

Streetscape Committee (chaired by Charlene Taylor)

Char is testing ClickItFixItSeeIt. Jan will work on getting it linked to the website. Right now, the template we are using does not allow a widget for easy clicking.

Membership Development (chaired by Joyce Russell)

Joyce created a membership form using the new letterhead. We had minor modifications. Nadine made them and printed out forms.

Nadine has approached businesses about the GHHCDC and they have expressed interest. We are all going to take brochures and membership forms to businesses and ask them to participate. We are going to approach our own neighborhood organizations to join. We are going to make a concerted effort to raise enough funds to file for the 501 (c)(3).

Nadine will check back with the County about a small grant to fund the October business development seminar. We discussed whether to have it on a Saturday morning or weeknight evening. More business owners may be able to attend in the evening.

3. Zoning Update

Site near LA Fitness – still no more word on what is going on there. The county says it is work for a sewer hook-up and driveway, but much land has been cleared. We have sent another inquiry to the county.

Medical Offices: 6826-6846 Covington Hwy – this development is just getting underway. It is east of the Kroger and Wells Fargo on Covington Highway.

Note: Community Council meeting on June 16, 6:30 p.m., Redan-Trotti Library. This is a good place to find out what is going on. The developers and planning department reps are there.

4. Discuss Kick-Off Plans

The October seminar planning is still underway. We’re looking for a site, and determining the best time.

In the meantime, in late June or early July, we’re going to have an open meeting with a guest speaker. The focus will be on the importance of businesses and residents working together to revitalize the community.   June 24, 7 p.m.   Location and speaker to be announced. One DeKalb Director Bettye Davis is helping us.

5.  Set priorities for next quarter

We will recruit business, neighborhood, and resident members. We will have the October seminar. We will work on the 501 (c)(3) application.

6.  Old Business

Nadine set up a meeting with Jerome Chavis, owner of NTRC Accounting on Rockbridge Road, to give us advice on the 501 (c)(3) process. The meeting was June 2, 7 p.m.

7. Date for next board meeting (public welcome): June 21, 10 a.m., Mainstreet Community Center

8. Open Meeting with guest speaker/expert on community revitalization. Focus on importance of businesses and residents working together to revitalize the community. June 24, 7 p.m. Location and speaker to be announced.

Minutes  — Description of Progress to date, plans for Economic Development Forum, Marketing, and Streetscape

Greater Hidden Hills Community Development Corporation (GHHCDC) Meeting
Mainstreet Community Center, April 26, 2014, 10 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Board Members Attending: Nadine Rivers-Johnson, Charlene Taylor, Joyce Russell, Jan Costello
Absent: Phyllis Frierson

Streetscape committee member Larry Coles joined us at 11.

Minutes prepared by Jan Costello

1. Welcome
In anticipation of Mother’s Day, Nadine shared her original song, Momma, recorded with the Godfather of Crunk, Carl Newsom. Great song. Readers of these minutes may view it on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unIq1o23Yic

Jan shared the news story about the Fair Food Program, which has resulted in tomato pickers in Florida earning more money and getting better working conditions – all as the result of a campaign that began 15 years ago! Now, many major tomato buyers, such as Taco Bell, McDonald’s, Whole Foods, and Walmart (just signed on), are paying a penny per pound more so that the tomato pickers are treated more fairly. Ninety percent of the tomato growers in Florida are participating in the program. The campaign is now branching out to other states. The point – progress takes time but it is achievable.

2. Update from Committees

Marketing and Communication (chaired by Nadine Rivers-Johnson) – Nadine printed 200 copies of the brochure on the paper donated by Charlene. Looks good!

No response on the request for the county grant. We are going to re-draft the request to reflect the Economic Summit (details below).

We plan to retool our newsletter effort and produce an economic development report for the CDC, distributed online and in print. We will sell ads. We’ll start small. The effort is still in the discussion mode.

Finance and Budget (chaired by Secretary-Treasurer Phyllis Frierson) – no change in accounts.

Discuss proposed budget prepared by Joyce Russell. Will finalize it after we consult with the accountant.

Streetscape Committee (chaired by Charlene Taylor). After several requests for information, Charlene learned that the development near LA Fitness on Covington Highway did get a land use permit. Trees were cleared to allow the day care center to get off a septic system and connect to the county sewer line. A driveway will also be installed. The county planner told Nadine that all the clearing was within the guidelines, but that trees would be replanted.

Char continues to make progress on the ClickItFixIt site. This will be a tool for reporting to specific county departments any problems in the community.

Membership Development (chaired by Joyce Russell)

We reviewed the membership form and suggested minor changes. Joyce did a great job. It will go on letterhead that is being prepared by Jan.

Fundraising 

We discussed putting together a half-day workshop to nurture economic development in the community. We would have a motivational speaker. We would offer five or six short workshops for attendees. The offerings could include 1) social media marketing; 2) customer service trends; 3) getting small craft/handmade business off the ground using online shopping sites; 4) building business with appealing storefronts; 5) raising residential property values.

We also discussed adding a school topic – perhaps something from Junior Achievement. Or, we might give an award to a student group that is engaged in business learning.

Tasks: Jan will call the Small Business Administration, DeKalb Extension Service, SunTrust, and DeKalb Economic Development for speaker ideas. Phyllis Frierson said (after the meeting) that she would reach out to Etsy (an ecommerce site) to see if they have speakers or successful vendors in the area. Joyce will contact Publix about the customer service topic. Need a volunteer to check with Redan about business clubs and to contact Junior Achievement.

Target date: October.

Joyce will contact Berean about using rooms in the big facility.

Nadine will revise the grant request.

3. Priorities for this year:

Get corporation filing fees up to date.

Raise money so that we can file for the 501(c)(3)

Give to the community a successful, well attended, useful business workshop.

4. Old Business. Jan reports that the letterhead and transparency/succession documents are in production.

5. The next meeting will be May 31, 10 a.m., Mainstreet Community Center.

Minutes: Board of Directors Meeting
Greater Hidden Hills Community Development Corporation (GHHCDC)
Mainstreet Community Center, March 22, 2014, 10 a.m. -11:00 a.m.
Attendees: Jan Costello, Calvin E. Sims, Sr., Nadine Rivers-Johnson, Joyce Russell, Phyllis Frierson
Absent: Char Taylor
1. Welcome. We shared pumpkin bread that came from the bounty of a plant growing wild in a Hidden Hills neighbor’s yard. Jan noted that the pumpkin seed travelled here from Tennessee. It brought joy to the neighbors and, many months later, enriched our meeting. The metaphor may be too simplistic, but it is encouraging to think how small things can lead to great outcomes. We cannot know the future, but we can predict that positive action now will incline us towards positive results.
We congratulated Nadine on organizing the successful meeting with law enforcement and county representatives on March 18. More than 100 people from nearby neighborhoods attended it.

2. Finance
Checking account status. We now have a checking account! We are banking at Georgia United Federal Credit Union. We have basic savings and checking accounts. The great news is that there is only a one-time fee of $5. As long as we have fewer than 50 transactions per month, our account is free!
Phyllis provided the Treasurer’s Report. We have $98.22. The report is available at

https://greaterhiddenhillscdc.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/treasurers-report-march-21-20143.pdf

Accountant status. After tax season, the Board will meet with Jerome Chavis, a partner and CPA at NTRC and a resident of Mainstreet. He volunteered to work pro bono, set up our accounting structure, and provide tax advice. Nadine will work on setting up a meeting for late April.

Budget. Joyce agreed to set up a proposed budget so that we would have it ready for the accountant to review. She will research the annual fees associated with the corporate license. The Board is sending her expense items, such as the $550 for insurance.

Dues. The Board voted unanimously to set a modest level of dues in order to have membership in the Greater Hidden Hills Community Development Corporation. Our bylaws stipulate that membership last a calendar year (Jan. 1 – Dec. 31). Since we are just getting started, the inaugural membership will last through Dec. 31, 2015 (pending Board approval).
We have two membership classes, each with the following dues:
Residential Members (individuals who reside in or adjacent to the Greater Hidden Hills Overlay zone) will pay $20 per membership year.
Business Members (members with a business in or affected by the Greater Hidden Hills Overlay zone) will pay $75 per membership year.

3. Marketing
Newsletter Seed Money Grant Request. Nadine put together a comprehensive grant request for newsletter seed funds. The money would cover printing costs for the first year (four issues). The request has been sent to the DeKalb Economic Development department and to Commissioners Sharon Barnes-Sutton and Stan Watson. Nadine and other GHHCDC members have discussed the request in person with various parties. We await a decision.
Here is an excerpt from the request:
1. The Greater Hidden Hills Community Development Corporation, Inc. (GHHCDC) was established in 2013 with a goal of developing the Greater Hidden Hills area.
2. The GHHCDC operates as a not-for-profit business, and it is our desire to seek seed money for a quarterly newsletter to further support this marketing effort.
3. The purpose of the proposed newsletter will be consistent with an objective of informing and engaging marketing in the area and forming partnerships between businesses, schools, and the community-at-large.
4. The proposed publication will serve as the marketing and advertising medium for commercial tiers in the Greater Hidden Hills Overlay District and 19 neighborhoods located in the GHHCDC. Community news is also a vital part of the publication.
5. Currently, there are more than 200 businesses in the area, and this newsletter is a great opportunity to foster commercial growth with a successful, locally specific publication.

Newsletter Update. Calvin said the graphic artist is willing to make changes to the Memo of Understanding he submitted. In particular, he does plan to give us the digital file of the newsletter as well as send the file to the printer. His freelance work with individual businesses will be entirely up to him. The Board is free to recommend his work as well as the work of other graphic artists. The Board voted unanimously to give the graphic artist credit in all issues and to give the artist a business card-sized ad in the first issue. Calvin will send the Board a revised Memo for our approval. Calvin will also create an advertising rate sheet, a Memo of Understanding for the freelance advertising sales people, and a Memo of Understanding for the contributing writers.
The Board will vote on the proposed Memos via email. Once the design artist’s Memo of Understanding is approved, we will vote to ask him for the prototype.
Calvin will solicit articles for the prototype. Jan will create the interior masthead with the newsletter name, the corporation, address, policies, and so forth. She will write an introductory column and a sidebar on what the GHHCDC is.
Nadine will research ways to create “aliases” on Gmail so that we can have an exclusive address for advertisements.

Proposed Festival – Calvin suggested that we stage an annual festival as a fundraiser and community celebration. There was concern about trying to do too much too soon, so we tabled the idea for now.

Kick-off Meeting – We still want to do an economic development-focused kickoff meeting. We will aim to have the kick off on a Saturday morning (8 a.m.) in late June. The idea is to have a light breakfast, a keynote speaker, and representation of our local businesses. It will be timed to coincide with the newsletter. Joyce will check with Berean Church about using the community space. We will discuss the idea further in April. We are soliciting a volunteer to manage the event.
4. Update on Old Business
Board of Directors Insurance. The “Directors and Officers” liability insurance and general liability insurance does include fiduciary coverage. The cost is about $550. When we have employees, Williams Turner & Mathis, Inc., advises that we add Employee Dishonesty insurance.
Brochure. We will print the brochure once Char delivers the paper to Nadine. Char expects to be able to deliver the paper by March 29. A copy of the brochure is posted on the website: http://www.GreaterHiddenHillsCDC.org
Letterhead/Logo. Still in production. Jan visited LogoGuru.com, but the minimum fee is $199, and we do not have the money. Phyllis and Jan are going to work on the logo.
Phone. Jan and Phyllis will work on setting up a Google phone account.

5. New Business
Succession and Continuity Plans. Joyce suggested we start using our Gmail account for all corporation business. That way, we keep records in one place. She suggested setting up a Google Drive for important documents. Jan will work on that project and provide the Board the access code information. In addition, access information to our website and other corporate information will be put on the drive. Only Board members will have access.
General Membership Meetings. All meetings are open now, but we will make a pronounced effort to invite all members to the first meeting of each quarter. The Board voted unanimously to do so, beginning with the 2nd quarter.
501 (c)(3) status. Jan will research and begin the process.

6. The next meeting will be April 26, 10 a.m., at the Mainstreet Community Center. All interested residents and businesspeople are welcome.