Several Dunwoody City Council members are calling for swift changes to a sidewalk on North Peachtree Road near Chesnut Elementary School and Peachtree Middle School, saying the current setup endangers children walking to and from school.
During a presentation about the North Peachtree Road Safe Routes to School Sidewalk Design Contract at the Jan. 26 meeting, Council Member John Heneghan called changes to the current configuration “the highest priority that I can think of right now in front of us.”
“We have put this on the back burner for years,” he said. “These are paths that the students take every day.”
A speaker at the meeting said that about 175 children walk to Chesnut daily. About 50 parents park their cars at Peachtree Middle School off Barclay Road and walk their children to school, as well.
The discussion ensued as the council discussed whether to authorize a final design contract with KCI Technologies Inc., for $165,000 (with a 10 percent contingency), to complete the final design for sidewalk improvements along the east side of North Peachtree Road to support the Safe Routes to School corridor.
The final design would include a survey, right-of-way plans, and final construction plans, including stormwater analysis. The sidewalk on the west side of North Peachtree would be a shared-use path, with a sidewalk on the east side.
“Based on the concept layout, the right-of-way and construction cost from Dunwoody Crossing to Chesnut Elementary school is estimated at $960,000,” a staff memo about the project said. “The project duration is anticipated at 20 months for design and right-of-way acquisition, with advertisement for construction projected for 2028.”
Several council members, including Mayor Lynn Deutsch, discussed the state of the sidewalks and the need to make changes swiftly.
“I’ve brought this up repeatedly that we have to fix that sidewalk,” Deutsch said.
Council member Stacey Harris pointed out that the sidewalk improvements were included in the 2023 $60 million bond referendum, which was defeated resoundingly.
The council voted unanimously to approve the design contract, but urged city staff to extend the design document beyond its original scope of work from Dunwoody Crossing Apartments to Chesnut Elementary. The design document will now extend along North Peachtree to Barclay Drive.
The council had decided in a previous meeting to fast-track the North Peachtree east side project rather than waiting for federal monies to be released.
The council also discussed a proposed ordinance amendment to prohibit the burning of yard waste in the city. Heneghan had asked city staff to draft the ordinance based on complaints he had received about people burning yard waste.
During the discussion, however, council members mentioned that the ordinance, which spelled out exceptions like firepits or outdoor fireplaces, was overreaching.
“This is an HOA issue, not a city issue,” Harris said. “I don’t think we should regulate based on just a few complaints. I’ve been on city council for six years, and I’ve never received a single complaint about this.”
Deutsch said the regulation needed to be pared down to address leaf burning only.
“We just need to ban leaf burning,” she said. “We need to strip this ordinance down to just that. My take is that we are overthinking this.”
In other action, the council awarded a $3.2 million contract to Blount Construction to pave 13.8 roadway miles in 2026, encompassing all or part of 32 city streets.
The council also heard from PCID Project Manager Nikki Washington regarding a satisfaction survey about living and working in the Perimeter area, and an economic update from Dunwoody Economic Development Director Michael Starling.