With 2020 upon us, here’s a look back at some of the Brookhaven Reporter’s top stories for the month of February in recent history.
5 Years Ago: 2015
“Historic Brookhaven residents wary of proposal for Hastings site”
Residents opposed a large, mixed-use redevelopment concept for 3920, 3926 and 3930 Peachtree Road, properties on the border of the Historic Brookhaven neighborhood that once held the Hastings Nursery. Some posted yard signs with such messages as, “This Is Brookhaven, Not Brooklyn.” Resident Gayle Sherlag said at the time, “We’re not against development in general. We’re against an 87-foot highrise towering over our neighborhood.”
Last year, the project began moving toward development under the name Porter Square.
10 Years Ago: 2010
“Slow economy allows renewed planning”
Two years before the city incorporated, county officials were planning “character areas” to better define local redevelopment in key local spots. Among the areas targeted were I-85 at North Druid Hills Road; Buford Highway; and the Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station area. “We need to think about what places ought to be like before someone comes in with a proposal,” said county Commissioner Jeff Rader at the time. “One of the biggest things we are trying to bring to the table is the notion that you can build higher urban density in appropriate places in a better way than we have done it before.”
Since then, the city has seen Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Emory University begin massive redevelopments at the I-85 North Druid Hills area, and opened the Peachtree Creek Greenway trail along Buford Highway. Now it is planning for a “City Centre” in the MARTA station area.
“Construction begins as Cross Keys High gets long-sought facelift”
A $20 million renovation of Cross Keys High School that had been delayed for years finally got started. The 1950s-era building on North Druid Hills Road had never been updated. “We won’t get to enjoy it, but hopefully the kids behind us will appreciate it and enjoy it,” said Cross Keys senior Haddy Gassama at the time.
The DeKalb County School District now plans to construct a new Cross Keys High on Briarcliff Road. But this year, the Board of Education approved a funding cut for the project that means it will not happen in the immediate future.