South Fulton residents could get a vote on incorporation (Atlanta: school, pros and cons)

[jero23]

Originally Posted by primaltech

It's just stupid, I don't know how else to explain my complaint here. There's no reason for chunks of South Fulton and Union City to keep entering and exiting like a checker board as you drive down any of these roads. Takes away a sense of cohesive area identity, and it's just going to be confusing for everyone involved.

Imagine if all of metro Atlanta were like that. Like, take the area of the city of Roswell, and randomly put disconnected pieces of it all throughout central and north Fulton. So 2 blocks in Midtown would be in Roswell, a random abstract selection of Buckhead would be Roswell, and south part of Sandy Springs would be in Roswell but not the north part. With the Roswell city hall still up there north of the river.

There would no longer be any useful meaning communicated in the statement, "I live in Roswell". And the people who live in the block of Lenox Rd in the city of Roswell, totally surrounded by Atlanta, they're not gonna want to be in Roswell or feel any identity or connection with it. Nor are their public services going to be handled efficiently or effectively.

There is no point in trying to further explain things.

Originally Posted by alco89

Things that have already been explained before in this lengthy thread. If arjay doesn't get it, he just won't get it.

Oh he understands you all. He is just being contrary and obtuse to annoy others and to give credence to ignorance, impractical nonsense, and duplicity. Anytime something involves the anti-Atlanta prejudices expect such...

[Saintmarks]

Originally Posted by arjay57

I'm just not seeing why the shape of a city's boundaries makes any difference, Saintmarks.

As the others here have posted, the shape in and of itself is not the problem if there is some sense of continuity. There is none here. It is multiple shapes that do not connect to each other. There is mass confusion of where you are in this mosaic map that is the problem for all the municipal services mentioned.

Many have argued that these new cities aren't real cities because there is no sense of "place," no historic town center, etc. Remember the Tucker and Lavista Hills argument? Tucker had history, had a town center, etc, etc. Made sense. LaVista Hills didn't have that and arguably one of the reasons it didn't pass.

Not only does this proposed South Fulton have none of that, you don't even know where it starts and stops. At least you can say roughly of, say Dunwoody.... everything north of 285 in DeKalb. Or Brookhaven.... everything between Atlanta, Chamblee, 285 and 85. Here, you can go on a short drive and are South Fulton then in Union City then South Fulton then Fairburn then Union City again then South Fulton again then Palmetto then South Fulton again.... Makes absolutely no common sense.

This Rorschach blob of a proposed city.... the only thing these areas have in common is they are the remaining portions of Fulton County that are not in someone's corporate limits. What sense of place is that? Part of the problem of course is the state's burdensome annexation laws. Union City in particular, but also Fairburn and Palmetto to lesser extents, have gone for property so they won't forever be landlocked if this city comes to be. That desire is understandable, but the way the laws are on the books have led to their piecemeal annexations.

Some legal authority needs to get in here and work this mess out.

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by Saintmarks

Some legal authority needs to get in here and work this mess out.

The General Assembly could have solved this issue during the last session but decided to let it go through anyway.

[jero23]

Originally Posted by alco89

Things that have already been explained before in this lengthy thread. If arjay doesn't get it, he just won't get it.

Originally Posted by Gulch

The General Assembly could have solved this issue during the last session but decided to let it go through anyway.

We have to thank Donzella "I want to name a highway after Creflo Dollar although it is not in my district" James for this stupidity. She is already disliked in the majority of her district (Douglas), so she is not doing herself any real favors.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by Gulch

The General Assembly could have solved this issue during the last session but decided to let it go through anyway.

And there were some state reps trying to do it, but they got ignored.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by Saintmarks

As the others here have posted, the shape in and of itself is not the problem if there is some sense of continuity. There is none here. It is multiple shapes that do not connect to each other. There is mass confusion of where you are in this mosaic map that is the problem for all the municipal services mentioned.

Many have argued that these new cities aren't real cities because there is no sense of "place," no historic town center, etc. Remember the Tucker and Lavista Hills argument? Tucker had history, had a town center, etc, etc. Made sense. LaVista Hills didn't have that and arguably one of the reasons it didn't pass.

Not only does this proposed South Fulton have none of that, you don't even know where it starts and stops. At least you can say roughly of, say Dunwoody.... everything north of 285 in DeKalb. Or Brookhaven.... everything between Atlanta, Chamblee, 285 and 85. Here, you can go on a short drive and are South Fulton then in Union City then South Fulton then Fairburn then Union City again then South Fulton again then Palmetto then South Fulton again.... Makes absolutely no common sense.

This Rorschach blob of a proposed city.... the only thing these areas have in common is they are the remaining portions of Fulton County that are not in someone's corporate limits. What sense of place is that? Part of the problem of course is the state's burdensome annexation laws. Union City in particular, but also Fairburn and Palmetto to lesser extents, have gone for property so they won't forever be landlocked if this city comes to be. That desire is understandable, but the way the laws are on the books have led to their piecemeal annexations.

Some legal authority needs to get in here and work this mess out.

Saintmarks, thanks for taking the time to respond. You know I hold you and your opinions in high regard.

I agree that creating a sense of place is an important element of urbanism but I don't think that's related to how we draw municipal boundaries on a map. I could drive from Loganville to Villa Rica and don't think I'd have any idea where various city limits stopped and started unless I saw a sign beside the road.

We may have to agree to disagree on this one.

[Saintmarks]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Saintmarks, thanks for taking the time to respond. You know I hold you and your opinions in high regard.

I agree that creating a sense of place is an important element of urbanism but I don't think that's related to how we draw municipal boundaries on a map. I could drive from Loganville to Villa Rica and don't think I'd have any idea where various city limits stopped and started unless I saw a sign beside the road.

We may have to agree to disagree on this one.

You too are one of my favorites here!

Well, if you lived in Loganville or Villa Rica, you would have a surer idea of where the city stops and starts. You and I don't live in South Fulton, so if this is what the folks want, then so be it. But I don't think anyone would plan out a city of South Fulton from scratch that would look like this. It is a reactionary response, not a well thought out solution. If the residents want to become a city of South Fulton on the whole, that is one thing. But would you really want to be in this city in a little island or peninsula totally surrounded by Union City and Fairburn?

So, all in all not an argument against incorporation. Let the residents themselves decide that. But for proper municipal services, clean up these boundaries before they are set in stone. Just common sense.

[Kimgem]

For those who live in unincorporated South Fulton:

Great news! In spite of the City of Atlanta's best efforts, they failed to annex all of the valuable properties they were seeking to annex before the June 30 deadline. This is a victory for the City of South Fulton!

Our borders are now locked. You have the opportunity to make history and vote "Yes" for Cityhood. Here is what you can do now:

1. Confirm your voter registration status, which reflects where you live at the Secretary of State's My Voter Page. This is ESPECIALLY important if you have moved recently:

http://www.mvp.sos.ga.gov/MVP/mvp.do

2. Get informed about why it is in our best interest and our children's interest to vote "yes" for cityhood. Please visit http://www.cityhood.net for a quick video or http://www.voteyescitysfulton.org for FAQs.

After you review the facts, I am sure you will agree that the obvious answer to this question is "Yes" and you will vote accordingly on the November 8, 2016 ballot.

[primaltech]

I have no real dog in this fight, but the poster above me is clearly a shill.

[Kimgem]

Originally Posted by primaltech

I have no real dog in this fight, but the poster above me is clearly a shill.

Since you do not live in unincorporated South Fulton, this is the only direct comment you will receive from me about this issue. I value my time. It is beneath me to sit on message boards name-calling and arguing with people about issues in their area I know nothing about.

For example, as an unincorporated South Fulton citizen, I do not have time to go to Vinings message boards and argue with Vinings residents about what they should or should not do in Vinings.

Back to the word "shill." The definition of "shill" is:

"an accomplice of a hawker, gambler, or swindler who acts as an enthusiastic customer to entice or encourage others."

I am an citizen of unincorporated South Fulton who believes that we should become a city. I am involved in my community association so that I stay informed about what is happening in our area. I have experienced the inefficiencies with the services in that Fulton County provides to unincorporated South Fulton citizens personally.

Here's an example. Did you know that there is a disparity in the transportation services that North Fulton senior citizens receive vs. South Fulton senior citizens? It is true! I have been trying for almost 2 months just to get a list of transportation service providers that service South Fulton senior citizens only. I did not think that would be a hard thing, but apparently it is for the Fulton County department of Aging and Youth.

There is a wait list of almost 2,000 South Fulton senior citizens who need transportation that are not receiving the help they need.

I also mentioned in a previous post that our house was burglarized 2 years ago. It took 2 hours for the police to show up. Is that about the wait time for police response to crime in Vinings? I'm just curious.

I hope you see why I am passionate about this issue. If not, oh well!

So I will be directly affected by how this vote goes. I am voting "Yes" because I believe South Fulton deserves better.

That's the reason for my posts - not to let the naysayers who do not even live in South Fulton fool those who happen upon this thread.

For some of you, I realize this thread is entertainment, a form of Debate Club.

For those of us who live in unincorporated South Fulton this is our lives, Sir.

So to quote one of my favorite movies, "The Princess Bride," regarding your use of the term "shill":

"I Do Not Think It Means What You Think It Means."

- Inigo Montoya