Newspaper Page Text
The Champion, Thursday, June 25 - July 1, 2015
LOCAL
Page 3A
Lewis opens satellite office in Decatur
by Kathy Mitchell
Following each 10-year
federal census for at least
the past four decades, the
boundaries of Georgias 5th
Congressional District have
changed. As a result, John
Lewis, who has represented
the district since 1987, has
several times seen his con
stituency change markedly
Lewis rose to promi
nence in the 1960s, when he
headed the Student Nonvio
lence Coordinating Commit
tee—often referred to as one
of “the big six” civil rights
organizations—and shared a
podium with Martin Luther
King Jr. during the 1963
March on Washington.
After serving on the At
lanta City Council, he made
an unsuccessful bid for Con
gress in 1977. He ran again
in 1986. This time he won
and has represented the dis
trict since.
Until 2007, the district
was nearly all in Fulton
County, with small sections
in Clayton and DeKalb coun
ties. With the 2010 census,
the boundaries changed
again, this time moving por
tions of southwest DeKalb
that had been part of the
13th congressional district
into the 5th district. The new
map was first used in the
2012 elections.
The 5th district now
includes more of DeKalb
County than ever before,
prompting Lewis to estab
lish a DeKalb satellite office,
perhaps for the first time, ac
cording to District Director
Aaron Ward. Lewis’ primary
Georgia office remains at 100
Peachtree Street in down
town Atlanta.
“I don’t know of there
having ever been a DeKalb
office before,” Ward said.
“Congressman Lewis wants
to make services available
to Georgia residents whom
he may not have served be
fore. Fie wants them to get
to know him and to know
that they don’t have to leave
their home county to have
their needs met.” He said that
some of the areas added to
the 5th District are popula
tion-dense communities in
and around Decatur.
“We chose to put it in
the same building with local
government offices for the
convenience of constituents,”
Ward explained. “It’s not al
ways immediately obvious at
which level of government
specific matters are handled.
A person may come to a city
or county office seeking a
particular service and be told
that the service is handled
at the federal level. For that
person, it will be an easy
matter to visit another office
in the same building.”
The DeKalb office and
a new satellite in Clayton
County are being opened on
a provisional basis, he said,
to see whether they are use
ful to constituents in those
areas. The new office, which
opened this month, is in the
heart of the Decatur business
district in the Clark Harrison
Building at 330 West Ponce
de Leon Ave. The office is
scheduled to be open twice
a month: the first and last
Monday each month from 10
a.m. until 4 p.m.
The Decatur office will
have one regular staff person
and an intern. Appointments
may be made, but walk-ins
will be served as well, Ward
said. Services normally avail
able from congressional
offices such as help with
passports and veterans’ ser
vices will be available at the
satellite offices. An array of
printed information on fed
eral services will be available
as well.
“In order to be closer to
the people in DeKalb and
Clayton counties, I thought it
was fitting and appropriate to
open up offices there. At the
end of the year, we will take
stock and see whether people
feel this is a meaningful ser
vice” Lewis said. “If people
use the offices, we will con
tinue. If not, we will explore
other forms of outreach. In
the days to come, I plan to
spend more face time with
the people of both counties
so I can come to know them
better so I can share their
concerns with my colleagues
in the Congress.”
Ward said there is no
specific plan for Lewis to
visit the Decatur office, but it
is likely that at least one such
visit will be scheduled before
the end of the year.
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
The Mayor and City Council of the City of Chamblee, Georgia will hold a public hearing on
Thursday, July 16, 2015, at the Chamblee Civic Center, 3540 Broad Street, Chamblee, GA
30341 at 6:00 p.m. to receive public comments regarding the following matters:
1. 2015Z-05: The Embry Group, LLC requests approval of an amendment of the Official
Zoning Map of the City of Chamblee to change the zoning classification of the following
parcels from Neighborhood Residential-1 (NR-1) to Village Residential (VR) for the
purpose of developing 37 single-family attached dwelling units on the following 3.42
acres of land pursuant to 2015PUD-07:
DeKalb County
Chamblee, GA
Parcel
ID: 18-203-06-061,
also
known
as
3175
Clairmont
Road,
DeKalb County
Chamblee, GA
Parcel
ID: 18-203-06-062,
also
known
as
1808
McJenkin
Drive,
DeKalb County
Chamblee, GA
Parcel
ID: 18-203-06-063,
also
known
as
1816
McJenkin
Drive,
DeKalb County
Chamblee, GA
Parcel
ID: 18-203-06-005,
also
known
as
1826
McJenkin
Drive,
DeKalb County
Chamblee, GA
Parcel
ID: 18-203-06-067,
also
known
as
1834
McJenkin
Drive,
DeKalb County
Chamblee, GA.
Parcel
ID: 18-203-06-006,
also
known
as
1840
McJenkin
Drive,
2. 2015PUD-07: The Embry Group, LLC requests approval of a Planned Unit Development
on 3.42 acres located at 3175 Clairmont Road, 1808 McJenkin Drive, 1816 McJenkin
Drive, 1826 McJenkin Drive, 1834 McJenkin Drive, and 1840 McJenkin Drive pursuant
to Section 280-6(c) of the City of Chamblee Code of Ordinances, Appendix A, Unified
Development Ordinance in order to construct a residential subdivision consisting of 37
single-family attached dwelling units on private streets on property being DeKalb County
tax parcel 18-299-11-008 in Chamblee, GA. The property is currently zoned
Neighborhood Residential -1 (NR-1) but is subject to rezoning application 2015Z-05.
3. 2015PUD-08: Mr. Neville Allison, of Acadia Homes and Neighborhoods, requests
approval of a Planned Unit Development on 4.835 acres zoned Low-density
Neighborhood Commercial (NC-1) located at 3739 Chamblee-Dunwoody Road, 3747
Chamblee-Dunwoody Road, 3757 Chamblee-Dunwoody Road, and 3767 Chamblee-
Dunwoody Road pursuant to Section 280-6(c) of the City of Chamblee Code of
Ordinances, Appendix A, Unified Development Ordinance in order to construct 43
single-family attached dwelling units on DeKalb County tax parcels 18-308-10-003 18-
308-10-004, 18-308-10-025 and 18-308-10-006 in Chamblee, GA.
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