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The area on this map
outlined by dots highlights
the proposed city of
Briarcliff. The area with
a solid outline represents
the proposed city of
Lakeside. For a larger
version of this map, go to
ReporterNewspapers.net.
GOOGLE MAPS
Proposed new DeKalb cities
seek votes, territories
BYCOLLIN KELLEY
Will Georgia’s next new city be Briar-
cliff or Lakeside?
Around 200 residents of the proposed
city of Briarcliff came out for an update
and informational meeting on Sept.
12 at Clairmont Hills Baptist Church.
Questions taken after the update from
Allen Venet, president of the City of Bri
arcliff Initiative, showed there are con
cerns about taxes, schools and services.
Some residents want to opt completely
out of the cityhood plan.
Venet said that the Briarcliff plan
had met its first goal of raising enough
money — $30,000 — to have a feasibility
study completed by the Carl Vinson In
stitute of Government at the University
of Georgia. The study is required by the
state before the Legislature will take up
the issue of cityhood.
The city of Briarcliff would have an
estimated population of nearly 94,000
people. The cone-shaped city would be
gin where 1-85 and 1-285 meet, and use
those expressways as its northwest and
eastside boundaries, respectively. The
west boundary runs in a zig-zag along
Moreland Avenue before dipping down
to include the Fernbank area. Briarcliffs
proposed southern city limit skims the
northern boundaries of the cities of De
catur and Avondale Estates.
Some of the familiar landmarks that
would be included in the new city are:
Callanwolde Fine Arts Center, Toco
Hills Shopping Center, Emory Universi
ty, the Centers for Disease Control cam
pus, Druid Hills High School, DeKalb
Farmers Market, North DeKalb Mall,
Lakeside High School, Northlake Mall
and the Mercer University campus.
The proposed city of Lakeside would
encompass many of the same areas pro
posed for Briarcliff, but would extend
out to include portions of Tucker. It
would take in roughly 62,000 residents.
Meanwhile, Tucker is exploring its own
cityhood plan. The Lakeside City Alli
ance will hold another public meeting
on Oct. 14 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Briar
cliff United Methodist Church.
One thing that all the cityhood
movements have in common is a desire
to wrest control from DeKalb County,
which the organizations have accused
of being unresponsive and inconsider
ate of their communities’ needs. Venet
said the city of Briarcliff would create
its own police force, planning and zon
ing department, parks and recreation
department and “pothole department”
for road maintenance. Fire, water, sew
er, trash collection and schools would all
remain with DeKalb County.
Venet said he didn’t believe the change
would require a tax increase. “We’re ba
sically unbundling some services from
DeKalb County, so the tax dollars that
would go to them would come to the
city instead.”
A number of residents from Dru
id Hills were upset their neighborhood
was part of the proposed city. Dru
id Hills resident David Armstrong said
the community’s civic association do
nated $10,000 to the Briarcliff initia
tive without asking all the residents.
“There’s a significant part of Druid Hills
that doesn’t want any part of this,” Arm
strong said.
Venet said the state Legislature would
be the deciding factor on any of the city
hood movements. He noted that Briar
cliff would be represented by three dif
ferent state senators and seven different
state representatives.
“Out of those 10, nine of them are
Democrats and one is a Republican,”
Venet said. “That Republican is Sen.
Fran Millar, and he is a vocal support
er of Lakeside.”
Millar said in May that the only
cityhood proposal that would “go any
where” was Lakeside. If the Legislature
signs off on any plan, voters in the pro
posed city would still have to vote on
whether to incorporate.
For more information on the city
hood initiatives, visit briarcliff.org or
lakesidecityalliance.org.
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www.ReporterNewspapers.netl SEPT.20 — OCT.3,2013 | 9
