beautification

Look out! The Tire Store on Redan wants to become a gas station and liquor store. 

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This property is at 4736 Redan Road, one lot west of Boston Market. We ask you to join us in opposing this request. We have too many gas stations, auto parts stores, and alcohol retail outlets in the Greater Hidden Hills community. We don’t need any more!

Please click on petition and sign it to show your opposition. Pass the link to everyone who cares about this community.

Tire Store-4736-RedanSince the overlay district zoning forces the owner to get a special land use permit, we can make our voices heard.  The first public hearing is April 19, Sue Kellogg Library, 6:30 p.m.  (952 Leon St, Stone Mountain, GA 30083) We will ask the Community Council to deny the request.

This hearing is followed by two more: Planning Commission, May 4, 6:30 p.m., and Board of Commissioners, May 19, 6:30 p.m.

You may recall we met with Siasim Redan on Nov, 11, 2015, and let him know quite clearly that we did not want another gas station and alcohol outlet in the community. We must speak out again and insist that the county follow our much more positive plans for economic development.

T-Mobile has the Winning First Impression

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T-Mobile won the first annual Wow! Winning First Impression Award, given by the Greater Hidden Hills Community Development Corporation. This is the T-Mobile next to Kroger, at Redan and S. Hairston.

T-Mobile won a beautiful planter for its storefront. Potted plants and attractive window displays attract customers.

Nadine (2)Nadine (6)-captionNadine (4)Nadine-2 (3captioni)Fred (4)-captionRainbow and WholeCare Pharmacy were finalists in the contest.

The contest is part of Greater Hidden Hill CDC’s effort to encourage all businesses in the community to improve their storefronts. Curb appeal matters!

Curb appeal is simple and inexpensive. It will

  • increase customer traffic
  • boost revenue
  • attract residents and visitors

GHHCDC thanks Kroger for donating a cake and balloons for the ceremony.

“We ask all businesses to remember that it only takes a second to form a first impression,” says GHHCDC President Jan Costello. “Now is the time to dress up storefronts with planters, window displays, and benches. These improvements will encourage people to shop in the community.”

The Greater Hidden Hills Community Development Corporation, a 501(c)(3), is committed to improving economic development and quality of life.

This contest was made possible by a grant from the Neighborhood Fund. The Neighborhood Fund, an initiative of The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, empowers community members to positively impact neighborhoods at the local level. Building upon grassroots ideas and energy, Neighborhood Fund provides grants and support to community groups to build relationships, develop leadership and change communities within the 23-county region.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Join the Celebration – Thursday 4 p.m.

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The first annual Wow! Winning First Impressions contest winner will be announced Thursday, March 17, 4 p.m.!

Join the Greater Hidden Hills community for the celebration. Meet at Crowe’s Crossing, at Redan and S. Hairston, near Kroger (on the right as you face the store).

We’ll have music and cake, and we’ll present the grand prize – a beautiful, tall planter filled with attractive perennials. Two businesses will receive honorable mention awards.

This evcontest container-1ent is designed to encourage all businesses in the Greater Hidden Hills community to improve their storefronts.
Curb appeal matters!   

The Greater Hidden Hills Community Development Corporation, a 501(c)(3), is committed to improving economic development and quality of life.  www.GreaterHiddenHillsCDC.org

This contest was made possible by a grant from the Neighborhood Fund. The Neighborhood Fund, an initiative of The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, empowers community members to positively impact neighborhoods at the local level. Building upon grassroots ideas and energy, Neighborhood Fund provides grants and support to community groups to build relationships, develop leadership and change communities within the 23-county region.

 

 

 

 

Experts suggest simple ways to boost business

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Three business experts provided money-making advice at a free seminar put on by the Greater Hidden Hills Community Development Corporation. The tips were aimed at businesses in the area.

Speaking to the group on Feb. 4 were Jennifer Galloway, owner of Thirsty Mona Lisa on Main St. in Stone Mountain, Kerry Wright, owner of Calabar & Grill at Redan & Indian Creek, and  John Ernst, experienced business owner and consultant with the Georgia Small Business Development Center.

They emMeeting-wide3phasized that first impressions matter. With people shopping online or driving to fancier neighborhoods to shop, businesses need curb appeal. The panel suggested simple, inexpensive ways that owners could make a more positive impression:

 

*Add flowers and plants to the front of the store

*Clean the windows

*Eliminate clutter on the windows – customers like to see what’s inside

*Showcase merchandise outside the front door

*Make the door a focal point

The experts also encouraged local business owners to meet frequently and network with each other.

All three experts donated their time to the event. Crossroads Presbyterian Church, at Redan and Panola, donated meeting space for the event.

The event launched the first annual Wow! Winning First Impressions contest. All businesses in the Greater Hidden Hills Community are invited to compete. The most improved businesses will win a grand prize – a beautiful, tall planter filled with attractive perennials – and be recognized in a ceremony on March 17. Two businesses will receive honorable mention awards.

Entry formMeeting-wide4s are available at this link  Contest Info and Entry Form

or  by writing to GHHCDC@gmail.com

The events are put on by the Greater Hidden Hills Community Development Corporation, a 501(c)(3), committed to improving economic development and quality of life.

 

This contest is made possible by a grant from the Neighborhood Fund. The Neighborhood Fund, an initiative of The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, empowers community members to positively impact neighborhoods at the local level.

2015 Accomplishments, and What’s Ahead

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 PPT-1
We Received a Grant December 18!

The Greater Hidden Hills Community Development Corporation received a $1,300 grant from the Neighborhood Fund* to stage a Most Improved Business Award, given to the business in the overlay district that significantly improves its exterior aesthetics. Details on the contest will be announced in January. A business seminar will be held in February to provide information on driving sales by making the store exterior inviting and appealing. The awards ceremony will be in March.

The grant includes $500 for community coaching. Our first meeting with the coach will be December 30, 3 p.m., at Mainstreet Community Center, 5001 Mainstreet Park, Stone Mountain. You are welcome to join us.

*The Neighborhood Fund, an initiative of The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, empowers community members to positively impact neighborhoods at the local level. Building upon grassroots ideas and energy, Neighborhood Fund provides grants and support to community groups to build relationships, develop leadership, and change communities within the 23-county region.

 

Greater Hidden Hills Community Development Corporation 

Notice of Election

The Greater Hidden Hills Community Development Corporation (GHHCDC) election of board members is scheduled for Saturday, January 23, 2016 at 10: 30 a.m., Mainstreet Community Center located at 5001 Mainstreet Park Dr., Stone Mountain, GA 30088.

The Corporation operates as a not-for-profit business for the purpose of marketing and developing the Greater Hidden Hills Community.

The Bylaws require a total of five to nine board members to serve for a term of not less than two-years and not more than six years. The board is elected at a meeting of the membership. All interested members are invited to participate in the election.

It is important that the organization maintain a functioning board in order to keep the 501(c)(3) classification, qualify for grants and continue to provide meaningful activities for the community.

The members of the board designate the officers of the Corporation: President, Secretary-Treasurer, and General Managers. Each board member serves on one of the four standing committees: four Standing Committees Fundraising, Membership Development, Marketing and Communication, and Finance and Budget.

ALL MEMBERS ARE REQUESTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SCHEDULED ELECTION.

 

Members– THANK YOU!

GHHCDC thanks you for your support and participation in 2015. We’re off to a strong start! Please review the attached slide show to learn more about our accomplishments in 2015.

Slide show, click here:  Accomplishments 2015

With your support, we will continue our great works.

We are now approaching a prosperous 2016 and membership is due! Your dues are tax deductible because we are a 501(c)(3). Please fill out the attached form and send it in with your check. We look forward to your membership in 2016!

Membership, click here:  GHHCDC_Membership_Application_2016

We’re now on Facebook and Instagram

You can get to the sites by clicking the links on the column on the right.

Thanks to Karen Smiley-Speas for help setting up the new sites.

 

Update on Community Improvements, Upholding the Overlay Code, and Economic Development

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Biffle Park Blooms with Generous Support

On Saturday, a group of volunteers planted dozens of perennials in three planters at Biffle Park. We planted drawf gardenias, Coral Bells, Japanese surge, Coral Bell, Carpet bugleweed (ajuga), black-eyed Susan,  variegated vinca, paperwhite narcissus, and crocus.  The plants will bloom in different seasons and provide greenery all year long.  We moved a butterfly bush to a better location.

Lowe’s Home Improvement on Fairington Road donated $125 to the effort, a contribution made possible because of a grant request by the Greater Hidden Hills Community Development Corp., (GHHCDC), a 501(c)(3). We were able to buy the plants half-price, as a sale was going on when we shopped. Thank you Lowe’s Manager Michael Pitchford and Assistant Manager John Perkins for giving our community the plants.

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And thanks to several people who helped with this effort:

  • Wayne Scaturro for helping repair tIMG_4464he pot that wouldn’t drain
  • Sherrie Walker and Karen Smiley-Speas for helping select the plants, transport them, and plant them.
  • Lois Dunlap and Fred Plummer for helping with the planting
  • Leroy Sampson for letting us use water from his spigot

 

Biffle Park is a wonderful amenity in our community. I’ve spent many hours walking my dog there, visiting with neighbors, and enjoying the happy sounds of kids on the playground. It was a pleasure to give back to this beautiful spot.

 

 

Gas Station/Alcohol Retail Proposal – Public Hearing – Nov. 11, 7 p.m, Karma Bistro, 1179 S. Hairston

One of the primary purposes of the Greater Hidden Hills Community Development Corporation is to make sure our overlay code is enforced. You can help.  On Nov. 11, 7 p.m, the community is invited to hear from a
businessman who wants to build a gas station with an alcohol retail component at 4736 Redan Road, one lot west of the Boston Market. This meeting will take place at Karma Bistro, 1179 S. Hairston (the shopping center behind Los Arcos). New gas stations are prohibited in the commercial tiers of the Greater Hidden Hills District because we have enough of them. If you are able, please join us at this hearing. The GHHCDC will be speaking out against the development.

 

Code Enforcement Aske to Stop Illegal Street Corner Vendors

The gas stations at Covington and S. Hairston and Redan and S. Hairston have become micro flea markets, and such activity is prohibited in the commercial tiers of the overlay. We have joined other neighbors in asking DeKalb County Code Enforcement to crack down on this illegal activity. Interim CEO Lee May answered an email and stated that he would pursue swift action.  If you see vendors conducting business on the corners, please take a picture and send it to GHHCDC@gmail.com.  Let us know where the picture was taken, the date, and time.

 

Dress for Success – a Better Business Model

Another key purpose of the GHHCDC is to encourage better business development. We are working on an initiative to reward business owners that beautify the exterior of their establishments. The initiative will include information on how to dress a business for success and a contest.  If you would like to help with this effort, contact GHHCDC@gmial.com

 

Investigation of Discriminatory Home Appraisals and Lending Practices

The Hidden Hills community and surrounding neighborhoods are still suffering from the discriminatory and unethical practices of mortgage lenders and appraisers, activity that sent the market into a tailspin in 2008. The SDIA is working with a Washington Post reporter to cover the impact of the low property values as determined by appraisers.  Wayne Early, the Chair of the SDIA Housing Committee, would like to hear from those who “have been unable to sell or refinance their homes dues to being “under-water.” This also includes people who may have been denied a mortgage modification, were forced into a short-sale or lost their home due to foreclosure because of low property values.”

If you think you have been affected by discriminatory practices, please contact Wayne Early, 404 643-5082, or wayne@early-economics.com   .

 

Next Meeting

Our next meeting is Nov. 21, 10:30 a.m., at Mainstreet Community Center, 5001 Mainstreet Park, Stone Mountain. Please join us.

 

Submitted by Jan Costello, GHHCDC@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Come to the Battle of the Bands in Greater Hidden Hills

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 August 22, noon to 3 p.m.

Redan Village: NE corner of S. Hairston & Redan, in front of Jay’s Place Redan-Hairston Map-band icon

This community event will showcase creative students and local businesses. Join us!

*  Celebrate the creativity of local high school bands (Including the Redan Raiders!)

*  Compete for top honors in the Little Caesar’s Shaker Board contest

*  Vote on the best haircut by the skilled barbers from Nick’s

*  Watch local deejays battle it out for best in class

*  Enjoy hot dogs and hamburgers

*  Win prizes, just by coming out!

*  Find out about Roll Forward to One and the Keep DeKalb Beautiful effort

*  See what local businesses have to offer

We’ll be selling gently used books at the event and donate the proceeds to the Friends of the Library at Hairston Crossing. If you have books you no longer need or want, please bring them to our book sale table.

We’ll be raffling off great prizes – tickets are free, but we encourage tax deductible donations to our community development corporation.

Contributing sponsors include Jay’s Place, Zaxby’s, Kroger, and Bruster’s.

 

All proceeds benefit The Greater Hidden Hills Community Development Corporation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit committed to helping the community prosper and thrive. This volunteer organization represents the area on zoning matters and advocates for attractive business development that meets our residents’ needs.

 

 

 

Join us for July 18 Meeting; Streetscape Plans

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Next GHHCDC Meeting July 18, 10 a.m.

Join us at the Mainstreet Community Center, 5001 Martin Road, 30088. All are welcome. We’ll be discussing the Aug. 22 Battle of the Bands event and the streetscape improvement plans.

 

Streetscape Improvement Plans

Imagine driving down Hairston Road under a canopy of beautiful trees. What a restful and beautiful way to drive home! Trees make a huge, positive economic impact on an area. Trees will reduce the cost of mowing grass, help clean the air, and slow down stormwater runoff.

That’s why we are excited about the streetscape plans to plant trees at S. Hairston and Redan and in the median. We’re working with Keep DeKalb Beautiful to get trees in late fall 2015.

We’re also asking businesses near that intersection to join the beautification effort. We will keep you posted.

Kathleen L. Wolf, PhD, a research social scientist at the University of Washington, Seattle, reports surveys showing the positive impact of trees.

  1. Judgments of product value, product quality, and merchant responsiveness were more positive in places having trees. People infer that they will have better experiences in more attractive settings.
  2. People claimed they were willing to travel more often, for more time, and over greater distance to a retail district having trees. This means that a district having a quality urban forest may attract visitors over greater distances, boosting the number of possible customers.
  3. Visitors said they would spend more time in those districts with trees once they arrived. Customers were also willing to pay more for products and services, by up to 9% in the smaller communities and up to 12% more in districts within larger cities. People even claimed that they’d pay more for parking.

Keep-DeKalb-Beautiful-Meeting-June-24Caption: Keep DeKalb Beautiful Director Gordon Burkette (left) met with Greater Hidden Hills CDC about planting trees at Hairston and Redan. (from left) Board members Phyllis Frierson and Charlene Taylor, and members Lois Dunlap and Kenneth Saunders III.