The Brookhaven City Council at its Aug. 25 meeting eliminated a planned multi-use path from the Windsor Parkway path project, but opponents to the project say that the installation of a roundabout will still result in the destruction of hundreds of trees.
According to Brookhaven’s website, the project “will convert the conventional minor-stop intersection at Ashford Dunwoody Road and Windsor Parkway into a single-lane roundabout with a 10-foot shared-use path on the east side of Ashford Dunwoody Road. Windsor Parkway between Ashford Dunwoody Road and Lanier Drive.”
A shared-use path will be installed on the south side of the street and a curb and gutter, the website said. It was one of the mid-term projects recommended in the Ashford Dunwoody Road Corridor Study adopted by the council in 2017.
According to the resolution, the item was removed after a meeting on Aug. 18 during which dozens of attendees voiced their opposition to the MUP. However, the resolution said the council feels “there is still a desire for increased safety for cyclists on Windsor Parkway,” and called for additional pedestrian safety measures be incorporated in the design for the corner of Ashford Dunwoody Road and Windsor Parkway at St. Martin’s School.
However, during public comment, a number of speakers said the MUP removal isn’t enough, and that the entire project should be scrapped and re-examined.
Dell Ross, who has been circulating a petition opposing the entire project, signed by hundreds of people, thanked the mayor and council for listening to the concerns expressed before and during an Aug. 18 meeting about the plan, but added “the core concerns have not been explicitly expressed, the impact on the trees.”
A tree survey by the city found that 206 trees will be affected by the new path, with About 63% of the affected trees are 14″ or less in diameter, while 17% are 20″ or more.
“We need some back up or a more reasonable plan,” Ross said.
Michael Southern, who lives in District 1, expressed a “strong opposition” to the roundabout and the realignment of the roads to accommodate a planned roundabout.
Others said they fear the installation of the roundabout and path will adversely affect the property values of the affected homeowners, and still other speakers said the project is expensive and unnecessary.
Later in the meeting, the council voted unanimously to remove the MUP from the project list. Opponents said they will continue their efforts to scrap the entire plan.
In other action, the council approved the rezoning of 4170 Ashford Dunwoody Road that would allow for the construction of a mixed-use development on approximately 14 acres that would include 320 multi-family housing units, seven parking levels, 16,000 square feet of restaurant space, and an office building consisting of 266,000 square feet.
The Brookhaven Planning Commission had recommended the rezoning and a Special Land Use Permit with conditions. The council approved the measure unanimously.
