The City of Brookhaven’s District 4 is heavily focused on the future of Buford Highway. At the Council for Quality Growth’s most recent DeKalb Advisory Roundtable, Councilmember John Funny said that “80% of Brookhaven’s development over the next 10 years will be along Buford Highway, Briarwood Road, and North Druid Hills Road.” He is focused on bringing affordable housing and community hubs to these intersections.
To engage the public, Brookhaven will host a Buford Highway Summit on January 17th, 2024 – this event is SOLD OUT, please email here to reach the waitlist. The Summit will discuss the concepts proposed in a July 2023 nodal study by HKS.
The nodal study envisions two communities – the North Druid Hills Road intersection and the Briarwood intersection – and recommends how to achieve thoughtful communities. HKS’s models consider the “edges” and interactions of Interstate 85, apartments, office, retail, green space, and Peachtree Creek, laying out ‘existing vs. proposed’ illustrations of high-, medium-, and low-intensity developments. They focus on taking advantage of the existing developments and slopes of the land, and then consider the best fit for each category of new development.
High-intensity growth, as envisioned at the Druid Hills Road intersection, is based on close proximity to Interstate 85, existing developments, and depiction with the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Unified Growth Policy Map. HKS labels the “Druid Hills Activity Node” as a destination activity node and gateway to Brookhaven, with great potential for redevelopment. The Node includes a number of environmental and vehicular edges, and the HKS design identifies sites that can take advantage of unique traits such as bold views or access to water. The model recommends 5,120,000 of multifamily; 95,000 sf of townhomes; 358,500 sf of retail, 1,37,000 sf of office; 710,000 sf of hotel; 513,260 sf of open space; and 10,770 parking spaces. Many of these developments would sit along Peachtree Creek. Of note, the study proposes some building heights of up to 25 stories.
Medium-intensity growth is what HKS has in mind for the Briarwood Road intersection. The “Briarwood Activity Node” features a large amount of contiguous land area that could serve as a nexus of activity, according to HKS. They envision 3,630,000 sf of multifamily; 631,330 sf of townhomes; 535,000 sf of retail; 355,000 sf of office; 150,000 sf of hotel; 1,102,000 sf of open space; and 7,375 parking spaces. The backside of these developments would take advantage of the green space and slope near Peachtree Creek.
Low-intensity, which would be along the less congested stretches of Brookhaven’s Buford Highway, takes the needs of adjoining neighborhoods into account.
We look forward to discussing the study more in-depth at the January 17th Summit.