Seven acres of land on Osborne Road have been purchased by the city of Brookhaven for $9 million from SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) funds.
The deal was announced after city council members returned from executive session during the Dec. 6 meeting.
The purchase of the property is for “public purposes,” according to the agreement.
Formerly known as Morrison Farms, located at 3068, 3074, and 3086 Osborne Road, the land was a plant nursery established in the 1970s. St. Martin’s Episcopal School considered buying the land in 2022 for athletic fields, but backed out for “purely economical” reasons.
When St. Martin’s planned to build a gymnasium and playing fields on the lot, Lynwood neighbors fought the deal, arguing that a sports facility would bring trash and noise.
The city of Brookhaven voted in November 2022 to change the zoning to R-75 (residential).
During executive session, Brookhaven City Council also voted to enter a settlement agreement with Multiplex LLC over the redevelopment of Skyland Park. The agreement states that Brookhaven will pay Multiplex $550,000 by Dec. 21, 2023.
In June 2017, Brookhaven negotiated a land swap with the DeKalb County School District for the construction of a new park and John Lewis Elementary School. The city claimed Multiplex was late delivering the park project, causing residents to visit parks outside of their neighborhood.
