Newspaper Page Text
LOCAL
THURSDAY, MAY 17-23, 2018 • Page 4
Brookhaven announces site of
new public safety building
BY DEREK SMITH
derek@dekalbchamp.com
A new public safety
building is coming to
Brookhaven.
At the May 8 city council
meeting, Brookhaven Mayor
John Ernst announced that
the $12 million facility will be
built adjacent to the trailhead
of Peachtree Creek Greenway
and will serve as the home
to the Brookhaven Police
Department, the municipal
court and the emergency
operations center. The city
council voted unanimously to
award an $800,000 contract
for the construction to Rosser
International.
“Were going to build it
on land we just acquired on
Briarwood Road. This is an
extremely great use of the
land,” Ernst said. “We thought
we were just getting land for
the greenway but now we are
able to use it for our public
safety building. This is a
great use of city resources...
otherwise we would have to
spend another $3 million [for
property] on Buford Highway.
Basically we have two for one.”
DeKalb voters approved
a $47 million county-wide
special local option sales tax
(SPLOST) in November, with
which the city said it would
spend $15 million on public
safety. In February, the council
approved spending $200,000
to find an architectural firm
to help design a new police
department and municipal
court headquarters. Money for
finding a site for the building
was included.
The city first announced it
was in search of land for a new
public safety building in April.
Ernst said in an April 19 public
safety town hall that the city
was considering land along
Bramblewood Drive as well as
other sites.
City officials said the new
site would provide public
safety personnel with “state-of-
the-art amenities” and allow
the police department to move
from its current rented space at
2665 Buford Highway.
“We are busting at the
seams, with very little room
for police officers, cars or
equipment,” said Police Chief
Gary Yandura in a press
release. “The building we
are in now doesn’t even have
adequate backup electricity
when the power goes out. The
new facility will address all of
these issues and give us a little
room to grow over the next 20-
30 years.”
City officials said they
expect construction to be
completed by the summer of
2020.
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Madolyn Spann, left, instructs residents on how to offer input on the city’s comprehensive plan.
Stonecrest residents provide input
on city’s future
BY CARLA PARKER
carla@dekalbchamp.com
Stonecrest has begun the process of
updating its comprehensive plan and that
process includes receiving input from residents.
Stonecrest held its first of four open house
meetings for residents May 10 at city hall. The
open house gives residents the opportunity to
share their vision for the city. The city adopted
DeKalb County’s comprehensive plan and is
updating it to address the city’s future activities
related to transportation, recreation, land use
and commercial development through 2038.
“Across the board, we want them to see
exactly what is happening with economic
development, housing, transportation, quality
of life, everything, so that they have an
opportunity to give the most important thing
for us, which is their input,” Mayor Jason Lary
said. “At the end of the day, how do you want
your city to look and what type of drivers
do you want that to have? Does that include
MARTA, does that include more shopping
areas, increased value on housing? So, this is
a way to be able to make that happen, to hear
directly from them.”
The city partnered with The Collaborative
Firm to put the plan together. Madolyn
Spann, director of planning and economic
development, said an important part of
developing the comprehensive plan is public
involvement.
“We’re about to draff a plan that’s going to be
projected on how the city is going to grow, what
areas are going to be developed in what manner,
and we certainly can’t do that without public
involvement,” Spann said. “Public involvement
is a very heavy part in that.
“This is an opportunity for them to kind
of shape their own vision for the city,” she
added. “This plan is going to be very important
because it’s the stepping stone to establishing
their vision that they have for the city.”
Additional open houses will be held in each
district of the city. Along with giving input at
the open house, residents can also give input
Stonecrest residents had the opportunity to share their vision
for the city.
on the city’s website under the Comprehensive
Plan 2038 tab.
“Once we’ve done all of that data collection,
then we’ll go into drafting,” Spann said. “We’re
also working with a steering committee
that represents numerous persons in the
community. They assist in evaluating the
materials that we’re going to be gathering, and
they’ll be able to advise and be able to inform
the public. Kind of like a link between what
we’re doing and the community.”
Spann said she expects a draff of the
comprehensive plan by the end of the summer.
That draff will be submitted to the department
of community affairs and the Atlanta Regional
Commission.
“The document has to be reviewed and
approved by them,” she said. “Once we go
through that and have a document that
everyone is happy with, the city council will
adopt that plan.”