💰 The Great Oz has spoken

by Cathy Cobbs

Best served cold

Wednesday, Aug. 19 — It’s Cathy from Rough Draft with my weekly newsletter on Dunwoody. It’s been an interesting few weeks for development in the city, with some major projects moving through the Dunwoody Planning Commission and heading toward the city council for consideration. Before we get to that and other stories of interest, here are a few newsy items.

The Dunwoody Nature Center’s Butterfly Experience lands on Labor Day weekend, Sept. 5 and 6.

Applications for the Atlanta Chili Cook-Off competition are now open. It’s not until November, but this blazing summer heat will give you a chance to refine your recipes on unwilling taste testers.

The third time should be the charm for the twice-postponed Dunwoody Homeowners Association Dine Around Dunwoody event, which will be held Aug. 20 at High Street. The event runs from 5:30-9 p.m. and will include a DJ and plenty of opportunities to gather with friends and neighbors.

Move slowly, drink water,
Cathy

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More housing options

During a two-hour Dunwoody Planning Commission meeting on Aug. 11, the panel gave the green light to two rezoning projects that will expand housing options in the city.

The commission voted unanimously to approve a rezoning request for a tract of land behind the North Atlanta Church of Christ that would allow for the construction of three homes within the city of Dunwoody and 21 in the area that encompasses Sandy Springs.

It also approved a rezoning application for 33 townhomes on Ashford Dunwoody Road, and a land use permit for indoor pickleball courts.

Oglethorpe alumni are making an impact

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Across the city, Oglethorpe alumni are making an impact through healthcare, the arts, nonprofits, public spaces, and community organizations that help Atlanta thrive.

→ Their careers may take different paths, but they share a commitment to service, leadership, and creating opportunities for others. Here are story highlights on just a few of the graduateswhose work is strengthening Atlanta and helping shape its future.

Spelling bee champ recognized by DeKalb Commission

At the August 11 DeKalb County Board of Commissioners regular business meeting, District 1 Commissioner Robert Patrick recognized two outstanding members of the District 1 community — a young scholar making his mark on the national stage and a longtime aviation advocate whose service has helped shape the future of DeKalb-Peachtree Airport.

According to a release from DeKalb County, Patrick recognized Sarv Dharavane, a seventh-grader at Peachtree Charter Middle School in Dunwoody, for his record of academic achievement and for his third-place finish at the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Patrick also recognized Larry Scheinpflug for more than two decades of dedicated volunteer service to DeKalb-Peachtree Airport and the PDK Airport Advisory Board.

Scheinpflug, a pilot and aircraft owner, joined the advisory board in July 2005 and has served under multiple District 1 commissioners, the release said. He has held both chair and vice chair positions and has contributed his aviation experience to discussions involving airport planning, safety, infrastructure, leases, landing fees and airport standards.

Hirsch loses suit, ordered to pay $182K in attorney’s fees

The City of Dunwoody has prevailed in a long-running open records lawsuit filed by resident Joe Hirsch, and Hirsch has been ordered to pay $182,000 in attorneys’ fees incurred by the city.

Hirsch named four city employees in his Oct. 31, 2023 suit, and also named the city as a defendant. The ruling, handed down on Dec. 2, 2025, by DeKalb County Superior Court Judge David B. Irwin, found the city and its employees “had complied with the Open Records Act.”

After the rulings, Dunwoody filed a motion to collect attorney’s fees, granted May 22, in the amount of $182,478.10.

Here are more details on the lawsuit and Hirsch’s response to the ruling.

TriNet cuts the ribbon, with some heavy hitters in tow

TriNet, a provider of human resource solutions for small and medium-sized businesses, cut the ribbon on its new headquarters in High Street on Aug. 18.

The expansion will create 750 new jobs over the next five years and represent an estimated $15.4 million investment in DeKalb County.

Not only were there a bunch of city officials, company representatives, and other dignitaries on hand, the powers-that-be also invited the Braves’ Heavy Hitters Drumline to be a part of the festivities.

Here’s a story I wrote earlier about the company’s relocation.