Another NON Issue in City Discussions - Permit Delays

The Tucker Civic Association reported in its June 2014 newsletter:

Camp Woof, a doggie daycare/ dog boarding facility, is expected to open by the end of June or the middle of July. It will be located in Tucker Plaza Shopping Center, behind the Staples and Dollar General stores. Difficulties in obtaining permits from DeKalb County has delayed the opening. 
Bojangles is expected to open at the end of June next to the Race Trac on Lawrenceville Highway just down from Northlake Parkway. Difficulties in obtaining permits from DeKalb County has delayed the opening. 

We've emailed CEO Lee May to ask him what is meant by “difficulty in obtaining permits” in these or similar cases.   

The wording of these good news stories sounded as if they had a decidedly negative spin.  While we await our answer, we also wonder:  "Did something happen to change the excellent relationship Tucker Civic volunteers said that they had with the county?"   

Why would this group be suddenly complaining about something that has never been mentioned as an issue prior to the push toward cities?  It may be a real concern for business owners or prospective business owners, but they do not necessarily live here or cast their own ballots here.  Is the civic group representing the citizens or the businesses of Tucker?  

How can rushing through a permitting process become a benefit to a nearby homeowner and taxpayer?  If anything, wouldn't that mean it is more likely that a new business could go up and the residents might not have time to review the plans or understand whether or not their own property might be affected?

And even more disturbing is that city advocates, focused on this particular "non-issue" have offered no evidence or proof that they, or a future unknown person to be elected to some unknown city council, could do anything differently or better.  They have not offered up a new process or described what they believe would be a solution.  In fact, if we simply take a look at the newly created Brookhaven, we can find examples of extreme delays in some permitting cases that have taken as long or longer than the county process they left behind.

Growth can be good if it is done right.  But moving too fast on any of these issues can be the downfall of our entire community.   When you move too quickly, you are more likely to make mistakes.  When it comes to something like opening a business and keeping a community safe, we hope permits are a bit challenging to ensure the businesses are following the letter of the law in their understanding of building codes and other requirements.  

Haste makes waste and neither Rome nor Tucker was built in a day.


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