DEC. 15, 2017 - JAN. 4, 2018
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Brookhaven 5th Anniversary | 7
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tinues to make those areas a priority, city continues to work to have its own Ernst said. “Our paving schedule is agschool system and admits disappointgressive. We have some of the best-paved ment that the state charter school known roads in the region,” Ernst said. as Brookhaven Innovation Academy decidThe new Peachtree ed this year to make its perCreek Greenway, a linear manent home in Chamblee park that is expected to conafter not finding a location nect Brookhaven to Chamwithin Brookhaven. blee and Doraville as well “We have to keep tryas PATH400 on Buckhead ing,” he said. “Economic and eventually to the Atlandevelopment is inherently ta BeltLine, is set to break tied to quality education. ground early next year. We didn’t seize on [the The police department new school], but I hope in has bumped up the numthe future we can.” ber of its officers from a Rather than its charter beginning of 54 to 74 now, school, Brookhaven will be SPECIAL and a new citizens’ patrol the home of the new John Mayor John Ernst. is in the works. Lewis Elementary School, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta selectnow going up where Skyland Park was ed Brookhaven as the home for its new once located. A new, smaller Skyland massive hospital complex at the I-85 and Park is being built adjacent to the school North Druid Hills Road interchange, and using the money the DeKalb County promises to invest millions of its own monSchool District paid for the property. ey on traffic improvements in the area. “We got a brand-new park and an exCity officials also praise the “halo tra $1.7 million that we’ve leveraged to effect” CHOA will bring to the surbuy more green space,” Ernst said. That inrounding area, especially along Bucludes 33 acres of former DeKalb-Peachtree ford Highway, where it is expected new Airport land expected to open in January medical-related businesses will pop up. as a city park including walking trails. Across the street from CHOA is Execu“I think a lot of good planning was tive Park, recently purchased by Emory done in the first few years and now we University. Although Emory hasn’t reare in the building stages and moving vealed its plans for Executive Park, city forward to keep those promises,” Ernst officials expect it to complement the said. “We are getting the job done on CHOA medical complex. The area also what we set out to do.” includes a brand new, state-of the-art Atlanta Hawks practice facility that’s a partnership with Emory Healthcare. City Hall is currently located in a leased building on Peachtree Road. Ernst said that finding a permanent City Hall building is not a main priority of his current term, but there are plans to use some $15 million in new Special Local Option Sales Tax funds to pay for a new police department and municipal court, perhaps to remain located on Buford Highway. Williams said she expects the Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA station redevelopment to come back before the City Council in the next five years, if not sooner. “And I hope we go forward in a way in which both sides benefit,” she said. All three mayors agree the first five years included a great deal of planning: a parks master plan; a bike and pedestrian master plan; determining a fair way to pave roads; funding the Peachtree Creek Greenway; coming up with an affordable housing task force; a character-area study for residents to discuss how they want to see their neighborhoods preserved; and a citywide zoning rewrite designed to better handle the rapid development of one of the hottest cites in metro Atlanta. “I think the next five years are going to be terribly exciting,” Williams said. “We have wonderful master plans, which was Atlanta a long process. The real challenge is paying for them all and setting priorities.” 275 Collier Road, NW Suite 100-C Davis said when Brookhaven was startAtlanta, GA 30309 ed, there was no guidebook and a lot of lessons had to be learned. He hopes the
CONGRATULATIONS ON 5 YEARS OF CITYHOOD Proud to call Brookhaven home for more than 100 years
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