Though the price wasn’t ideal, Dunwoody City Council voted to approve the purchase of 5.18 acres that will be used for the Peachford Road Extension project.
The council held a special called meeting Dec. 5 to discuss buying the property at 4470 North Shallowford Road after asking City Manager Warren Hutmacher on Nov. 14 to try to negotiate a lower purchase price.
Council members felt the $1.4 million asking price was too high. One independent appraisal valued the property at $1.3 million. A second independent appraisal assessed the property at $1.5 million.
“Unfortunately we were not successful in negotiating a lower price,” Hutmacher said.
The city council voted 4-2 to authorize the purchase.
Councilman Danny Ross said he couldn’t support buying the land at this time.
“I think we have much higher priorities,” Ross said. “We’re fixing a problem that doesn’t exist with money we don’t have.”
Councilman John Heneghan said the parcel of land will eventually improve east-west connectivity in Dunwoody.
“If you put a road through there, it will increase connectivity, increase the viability of development in that area,” Heneghan said. “This will give us a chance to service traffic on the south side of Dunwoody and I think it’s an important improvement.”
Mayor Ken Wright said the most important factor of the debate is that this piece of property needed for the Peachford Road Extension is for sale. No one on the council, he said, would likely support condemning the property to acquire it in the future.
“I believe if we don’t do it now, we won’t. I don’t believe the opportunity will present itself again,” Wright said.