Community Corner

Governor Deal Signs Chamblee Annexation Bill

Dresden East residents will now have the chance to vote on the measure.

Governor Nathan Deal signed today HB 1006, a House Hopper calling for a referendum to annex the Dresden East neighborhood into the City of Chamblee.

Rep. Elena Parent (D-81) introduced the bill in February as local legislation following Dresden East neighborhood’s fight to reverse the potential adverse effects the Brookhaven Cityhood bill would have on its community.

Residents in the more than 1,200-home neighborhood were angry that the early stages of the city of Brookhaven study included its commercial district, but excluded their homes. The once a heavily disputed parcel of commercial property Plaza Fiesta, which residents said they needed as leverage if they ever wanted to annex with another city, was recently dropped from the Brookhaven map.

Find out what's happening in Brookhavenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“I’m pleased at how quickly we were able to get his bill passed, and that the people living in this area will have the opportunity to vote in November on whether they want to become Chamblee residents,” Parent said from the House Floor Thursday night.

Chamblee Mayor Eric Clarkson said he isn’t surprised that the Governor signed the bill, just that he signed it so quickly. Huntley Hill’s annexation bill took weeks longer.

Find out what's happening in Brookhavenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“I am excited for those folks that live in that area that are going to have an opportunity to vote on whether or not to be annexed into Chamblee,” said Clarkson said. “Having local control and being in your own city is very empowering and I want all of my neighbors to have that feeling.”

The DECA residents will vote on the referendum during the November 2012 general election and according to DECA Secretary Jordan Fox, there's much work to be done.

"I'm happy to hear the Governor signed HB 1006 today.  We have a lot of work to do between now and November to educate our neighbors about possible annexation into Chamblee, so they can make an informed decision on election day," Fox said. "The passage of this bill allows us to preserve our options and gives us the power to decide what's in our best interests instead of having others make that decision for us."

 

Should DECA residents annex with Chamblee? Tell us in comments, then start or join the conversation on Facebook.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Brookhaven