A New Public Realm for Dekalb County

A New Public Realm for DeKalb County

Alex Garvin & Associates, Inc.

A New Public Realm for DeKalb County

Alex Garvin & Associates, Inc. Alex Garvin & Associates is a planning and real estate consulting ﬁrm that specializes in the development of the public realm. Operating internationally from New York City, AGA works at every scale – from small communities to metropolitan regions – to produce physically, ﬁnancially, and politically feasible plans that generate support from local residents, business leaders, developers, architects, and public officials. Alex Garvin & Associates works to improve the quality of the built environment, and thus the quality of life for communities’ current and future citizens.

ISBN 978-0-615-18326-8 Table of Contents

Letter of Transmittal 7

1 Executive Summary 10

2 Public Realm Approach 14

3 The Planning Process 18

4 Existing Conditions 28

5 The Plan 54

6 Implementation 82

7 Conclusion 92

A Stakeholder Groups 94

B Schedule of Public Meetings 96

C Public Survey #1 98

D Public Survey #2 102

E Public Realm Overlay District 108 Zoning Proposal

F Information on Bus Rapid Transit 122

Alex Garvin & Associates, Inc. public realm strategists

James Durrett Livable Communities Coalition Marquis One Tower 245 Peachtree Center Avenue, Suite 2450 Atlanta, GA 30303-1222

Dear Jim:

You asked Alex Garvin & Associates to devise a plan that can help a section of DeKalb County as it navigates major changes that are already underway. In response, we have produced a vision for what this area could become as well as a methodology for discovering its potential, making decisions collaboratively, and adapting to the inevitable ﬂuctuations in market demand. The vision focuses on the public realm, that portion of DeKalb that is shared by everybody: its network of streets, sidewalks, and parks. We are conﬁdent that this plan will reverse the decline in the area’s quality of life.

Our recommendations are also a response to the twentieth century legacy, commonly called “sprawl,” currently experienced by DeKalb County and nearly all 21st century suburbs. Recent attempts to deal with sprawl further regulate what property owners can build or assess an impact fee but leave in place traffic congestion, degraded air quality, unnecessary water consumption, and a deﬁ- cient public realm in which the most basic daily activities – walking, driving, cycling, shopping, and even going to the park – are unpleasant and difficult.

The plan calls for a public realm framework that shapes future development through improvements to the streets and parks that support the activities central to public life. By expanding the park system, improving existing roads, and creating a network of streets – replete with generous sidewalks and bike lanes – the plan provides residents and visitors additional opportunities for recreation and alternatives to using their cars.

All the proposals set forth in this plan have been tested by community officials, developers, and residents. These proposals will result in a clean the environment, an enhanced quality of life, and a great public realm – all of which can be paid for without further taxes on area residents. We believe this plan will help the citizens of DeKalb County and the County Commission to make some intelligent choices that not only will solve problems but also will create a healthier and much pleasanter place for everybody.

Acknowledgements

All the people who worked on this project owe a special debt to Commissioners Jeff Rader and Kathie Gannon, who were determined to reverse years of helter-skelter development in DeKalb County, and had the foresight to initiate this innovative planning process. Similar thanks are due to Jim Durrett and the Livable Communities Coalition, which managed the process and raised the funds to pay for it. Finally, we would like to thank Debbie Schneider, whose invaluable guidance kept all of us focused on achieving workable proposals for the County. Executive 01 Summary his is a blueprint for the future of a 688-acre section of DeKalb County, Georgia – an area called, for the purposes of this report, TBriarcliff–North Druid Hills. The blueprint is the culmination of an iterative, six-month planning process unique for its openness and its level of public participation and collaborative spirit. The process has involved civic leaders, property owners, elected officials, public servants, and the general public. The results reﬂect the input of everyone involved.

Alex Garvin & Associates (aga) has taken a Public Realm Approach, focusing on how to improve the public realm – that is, the streets, parks, and other public spaces. It is here that the people of DeKalb County encounter one another, shop, do business, walk, and play. aga has focused on the public realm because it is the fundamental element in any community – it is the skeleton around which ev- Alex Garvin & Associates (aga) erything else grows – and therefore provides the most has taken a public realm approach, leverage to capture and guide private investment in focusing on how to improve the public interest. the parks, streets, sidewalks, and other public places. aga approached this challenge opportunistically – 10 that is, it did not limit itself to what DeKalb County ought to do, but instead considered all of what the County can do. aga looked for opportunities that can be financed and implemented within a reasonable period of time. The test of planning must be the real result on the landscape and the quality of people’s experience of that landscape. There is no point in making theoretical recommendations that can never happen. And by the same token, there is no sense passing up a good opportunity in favor of something that, while perhaps desirable, has little chance of happening. a new public realm for dekalb county /// executive summary alex garvin & associates, inc. 11 The new public realm for for The new public realm figure 1.1 Briarcliff–North Druid Hills. alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// executive summary 12 Actions Implementation 6 9 4 8 5 3 3 2 2 7 1 1 A new, completesidewalkandbikelanenetwork aspartofthenewroad A newnetwork ofstreetstoprovidemotoristswithmoreroutes A 63%expansionofKittredgePark–from32.6acresto52.9 tain andoperate thenewpublicrealm tomain- The creation ofanew Community Improvement District (cid) construction ofthenewpublicrealm The establishmentofaredevelopment authority tooversee designand improvements The creation ofa tofinancenewpublic Tax Allocation District(tad) publicrealm: of ahigh-quality Regulations governing various aspectsoflargepropertiesintheinterest New exitlanesfromI-85 of multipleusergroups(motorists,pedestrians,andbicyclists): Four newstreettypesdesignedwithanemphasisonmeetingtheneeds network North DruidHillsRoads throughout thearea,therebyeasingtrafficloadonBriarcliffand central publicspace Roads intoaroundabouttoimprove trafficflowandtocreate anew, The conversion oftheintersectionBriarcliffandNorthDruidHills Hills Roads–intoboulevards linedwith900newtrees The conversion oftwo majorurbanarterials–BriarcliffandNorthDruid tivities withinit Improved publicaccesstotheparkandopportunitiesfor desirableac- + + + + + + + + + +

The spacingoftrees The preservation ofexistingtrees Drainage andlandscapingfor newparkinglots Setbacks ofnewbuildingsfromexistingresidentialproperties The spacingoftallbuildings Building heights Boulevard Residential Street Park Drive Retail Street a new public realm for dekalb county /// executive summary alex garvin & associates, inc. 13 The proposed intersec- The proposed figure 1.2 tion at the center of Briarcliff–North Druid Hills. Public Realm 02 Framework Introduction he public realm comprises those areas of cities, suburbs, and towns that are open and accessible to the public. These areas Tinclude not only a community’s parks, squares, and public buildings, but also its streets. The public realm is in essence a city’s “living room.” It lends character to a community and is often what we remember most about a city after having visited there. How would we remember London without its bustling streets, full of tourists and businesspeople alike? How would we remember San Francisco without its sidewalks climbing up steep hills?

The public realm works best when it provides for diverse uses and activities. For example, streets are conduits for movement and circulation, but the best streets in the world are also pleasant places along which to walk and to socialize. A great public realm can also bolster the local economy by providing a setting for a variety of activities from concerts to commerce.

By contrast, roads in most dispersed areas generally only carry automobiles. Bicycling and walking are not taken seriously, partly because they are not viable ways of getting around – everything is too far apart. It is 14 nearly impossible to shop on foot along a suburban road because the stores are set back too far from the road’s edge and placed too far from each other.

Most planning in the past 70 years has not recognized the importance of the public realm or even understood how it functions. Instead, many communities are planned so that all of their uses are set apart from each other: there are separate areas for stores, offices, homes, recreation, and industry. So if you work in an office park, you cannot walk to a local sandwich shop to buy lunch – you must drive to the nearest shop because it is either too far, too unpleasant, or too inconvenient to walk. a new public realm for dekalb county /// public realm framework alex garvin & associates, inc. 15 A well functioning public A well figure 2.1 comfortablyrealm accommodates and walking, uses: cycling, many socializing. even alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// public realm framework 16 Public Realm Planning andthe cmuiy life. community and providethesettingfor the development alongthem will changethenature of Hills andBriarcliffRoads character ofNorthDruid Changing thefunctionand ga emphasized the publicrealmabove allelseinitswork in ga and bigroads. hoods that areisolated aroundthembylongdistances fromeverything What resultsarestreetsthat areonlyfor automobiles andneighbor- to maketheir pressure offtownandcityofficialsfromthinkingcreatively abouthow Malls areamajorfacetofsuburbanlifethat have, inasense,takenthe listen toaband. Many peoplegotheretoshop, eat, catch amovie,seefriends,andeven uses cancoexistanddependoneachotherfor anattractive experience. choosing activitiestohost.Mallsareprimeexamplesofhowmultiple cations, choreographingshoppers’experiencesfromstoretostore,and Mall developers canbequitecreative whenitcomestodecidingstorelo- A successfulshoppingmallisanalogoustoapublicrealm. tions ofdifferentdestinations. surefire ingredientsofasuccessfulpublicrealm:peopleandcombina- proximities contributingtoagreat publicrealm.Theygenerate the and amovietheater closetorestaurants areexamplesofinterdependent to theoffice,adrugstoreclosehomes,publicparkschool, ferent usesanddestinations incloseproximity. A sandwichshopclose public realmsupportsandissupportedbycomplexcombinations ofdif- destinations aroundit–thehomes,shops,offices,schools,etc. Agreat parks. Itworks bestwhenitinteractswiththedifferentusesand The publicrealmismorethanjustaphysical layout ofsidewalksand A pedestrians, rather thananeighborhoodasset. few with lotsofcarsand very Hills Roadis:aregionaltraffic artery it is–stripretailfrontedbyparking lots–because ofwhat NorthDruid iswhathoods. Thedevelopment alongNorth DruidHillsRoadnearI-85 located byhighways; smallshopsservewalkablepedestrianneighbor- drives; retailstoresliealongwell-traveled arteries;warehousesare allowed, theusesthat developers canbuild,orthedesignandmaterials development, attempting toimposeconditionsonthelevel ofdensity DeKalb. Thisisnotthestandardpracticeinplanningtoday. Itis far morecommonfor plannerstofocus onregulating private streets realm andbuildsaroundit:finehouseslineleafy realm. Private development respondstothepublic The framework for allprivate development isthepublic negative impactonit. tions enhancethepublicrealmandprevent any regulate private propertyonlyinsofarasthoseregula- report beginwithpublicrealmimprovements and of buildings.Instead,therecommendations inthis moreinterestingfor peopletolive onandtovisit. alex garvin & associates, inc. 17 to be ought An active street is for is for street An active to. But planners are most effective when they find things that when they find things that But planners are most effective to. happen; and in Briarcliff–North Druid Hills, as in many places, happen; and in Briarcliff–North Druid Hills, as in many ought Wise investments of both time and money in the public realm by local Wise investments workings of the are generally far more efficient than the governments can demolish and rebuild their properties market. Developers private controls public land. The based on their own priorities, but the public properties, than private public realm remains in place much longer every couple of decades. Thus, repeated which are often redeveloped are shaped by public realm decisions made de- of development waves cades before. out how things to work often, planners apply formulas Too figure 2.2 – it also just circulation than more supports social and economic activ- WA. Seattle, Avenue, First ity. “needs analysis” – and then shake – a technique commonly known as as behave doesn’t the world when, invariably, their heads in dismay it can the quality of can improve this means seizing on opportunities that AGAlife. Consequently, examined the existing conditions of the public realm in search of such opportunities. The Planning 03 Process Background he impetus for this study came from three large property owners in Briarcliff–North Druid Hills expressing interest in Tredeveloping their sites. The Sembler Company, a Florida-based retail developer, optioned the 79-acre Park at Briarcliff housing development and inquired about purchasing the adjacent 30-acre County Board of Education property. Its plan was to build a 109-acre, mixed-use development, replete with over one million square feet of new retail and 3,700 new apartments and townhouses. hrpt, the owner of Executive Park, had also expressed interest in redeveloping its property. Later, the Pattni Lodging Group announced plans to transform the BellSouth Tower at the North Druid Hills Road exit from I-85 into a hotel.

In response to this series of impending redevelopments, County Com- missioners Jeff Rader and Kathie Gannon wanted to ensure that any independent plans would actually progress as part of a coherent whole, rather than as isolated, unrelated pieces. The Commissioners were also determined that the planning process be collaborative rather than con- frontational and that the general public and community leaders would remain involved throughout. They therefore asked the Livable Com- 18 munities Coalition – a non-proﬁt, member organization whose mission is to promote quality growth in the metropolitan Atlanta region – to hire Alex Garvin & Associates (aga) to lead a six-month public planning process that could result in a master plan for these properties and the area around them.

Charting the Course ga worked with the Commissioners and the Livable Communi- ties Coalition to develop a proactive process that provided for A genuine public input while also capturing the value of private development and shaping that development for the public good. a new public realm for dekalb county /// the planning process alex garvin & associates, inc. 19 A local resident A local resident asks Mr. Garvin a question. asks Mr. figure 3.2 (bottom) Jim Durrett, Commis- Jim Durrett, figure 3.1 (top) figure 3.1 Commissioner Gannon, sioner Rader, Alex Garvin left to right) (from and questions writ- take turns answering by participantsten on note cards at a public meeting. The public meetings were opportuni-The public meetings were AGAties for to engage local residents directly. alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// the planning process 20 1 See Appendix A for alistofpartici- expressed interest inredevelopment. haveof afew oftheseproperties The ownersandpotential Hills includesseveral large properties. figure 3.3 development. capturing andshapingprivate uine publicinputwhilealso process that providedfor gen- alition todevelop aproactive the Livable Communities Co- sioners RaderandGannon worked withCommis- aga pants ineachgroup. Executive ParkDrive Board ofEducation Children’s Hospital Briarcliff–North Druid Briarcliff–North BellSouth Tower Park atBriarcliff Executive Park I-85 Sheridan Road at any pointduringtheproceedings,sothat intheend,therewould be fairness andopenness.First, everyone would knowwherethingsstood guide theprocessinordertoestablish theatmosphere andcourseof andtheCommissioners alsocodiﬁedthreefundamentalrulesto aga committee,describedbelow.advisory through theprocess,Commissioners alsoestablishedatechnical local communityleaders¹;andinputfromthepublic. About midway property ownersinBriarcliff–NorthDruidHills,publicofficials, and sis ofexistingconditions;inputfromthreestakeholdergroups –major analy- required for theproposalscamefromthreemajorsources:aga’s Briarcliff Road in thedevelopment. Theopinionsand knowledge many partiesaspossiblewhohadavested interest missioners would have toconsiderinputfromas andtheCom- that for suchaprocesstosucceed,aga openly andinclusively aspossible,itbecameclear Because oftheCommissioners’ desirestoproceedas participation. ing allpartieswithvested interestsandinviting their Charting thecoursefor thisprocessinvolved identify- Kittredge Park/ Audubon Tract North DruidHillsRoad North a new public realm for dekalb county /// the planning process alex garvin & associates, inc. 21 Scope of Work Scope of Guiding Principles guiding principles for property development for

public realm framework public realm guiding principles public realm. The local resident’s reactions immediately immediately public realm. The local resident’s reactions hroughout aga’s in DeKalb, the input hroughout six-month engagement ﬁrst and foremost consider the public interest in the form of the in the form consider the public interest ﬁrst and foremost from the stakeholder groups and the public established the course groups and the public established the from the stakeholder phase given The topics studied in any work. of each phase of its

adequate tree cover adequate natural drainage natural clean water clean air circulation alternatives for each transportation mode each transportation for alternatives circulation easy access to and from regional transportation routes, namely I-85 easy access to and from regional transportation mass transit and bicycle alternatives to private motor vehicles to private alternatives mass transit and bicycle recreation opportunities for all ages opportunities for recreation universal pedestrian access universal streets safe for pedestrians at all hours of the day pedestrians at streets safe for

+ + + + + + + + + + showed the affinity between this approach and what they had come this approach and what the affinity between showed the that rose to say prepared to discuss. Individual after individual inadequate; opportunities were sidewalks, transit, and recreation environment degraded. Four traffic was congested; the vehicular owners spoke large property on the public realm before months focused two process, Throughout the six-month redevelopment. about plans for deﬁned public objectives: principles emerged that meets the requirements of a 21st century a public realm that Creating community

A T no surprises for anyone. Second, no single interest group would have have group would no single interest Second, anyone. for no surprises serious con- be final without no decisions would And third, power. veto public and the stakeholders. both the general of input from sideration sometimes spilled over into the following phase, but the process phase, but the process into the following sometimes spilled over follows: generally occurred as develop background research; Conduct public begin design process for and analysis; site inventory Conduct realm Establish Establish the future of the area a vision for Create public action for Make recommendations agaIn its work, differences among multiple interests. aimed to resolve politically and financially fea- The resulting proposals had to be both sible, reconciling the large-property owners’ financial targets with the public realm. in a great to result redevelopment any need for AGAAlex Garvin explained that first meeting, the very t would Ameliorating the environment Ameliorating 1 1 2 2 3 5 4 6 alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// the planning process 22 2 The Countyownstwocontiguous Public Process An Informed Proposals Analysis and as thesinglewholeofKittredge Park. will refer tobothpiecesofproperty the sakeofbrevity, thisdocument and the Audubon Tract (30acres). For Kittredge Park(2.6properties: acres) ga compiled acompleteGeographicInformation System( ga E A due toseveral reasons:thenumberofparticipants,stamina all respond thoroughlyandcompletely tothenewinformation presented During themonthlypublicmeetings, itwasdifficult forparticipantsto interest. least,thisreportwillrefutethelastsuggestion. At thevery velopment that wasalready a “done deal”andwould ignorethepublic ning processitselfwasafraud, meanttopave theway for unbridledde- school propertyfor development. Someeven suggestedthat theplan- quality oflife.OthersobjectedtotheSchoolBoard’s willingnesstosell to theirneighborhood,thuschangingitscharacteranddegrading its opment onthegroundsthat itwould bringmoretrafficandpollution Not surprisingly, someofthesepeopleopposedany significantdevel- the Livable Communities Coalition expressedawidevariety ofviews. and The peoplewhospoke aga at themeetingsandwhowroteemailsto to thequestionsandcommentsthat followed. ments. Mr. theCommissioners, andMr. Garvin, Durrettwould respond sioners andMr. Durrettwould openthefloortoquestionsandcom- mostrecentwork todate, andoncehe hadfinished,theCommis- aga’s School opentoallwhowishedattend. wouldAlex Garvin present very month,JimDurrett,theexecutive directoroftheLivable this specieswhilealsoensuringpublicaccesstogreenopenspace. Kittredge Park.Thisprofessorofferedexpertguidanceonhowtoprotect the area, star-vine”( “bay a professorat University pointedoutthat Emory arareplantnative to Various localresidentsalsoprovidedinvaluable assistance;for instance, and otheragenciestodiscusstechnicalissuesseektheiradvice. partment of Transportation, theDeKalbCounty PlanningDepartment, Division ofDeKalbCounty’s PublicWorks Department,theGeorgiaDe- the Transportation (marta), Rapid Transit Authority ropolitan Atlanta therefore collaborated withofficialsfromtheMet- State agencies.aga guidance ofexperiencedprofessionalsrepresentingrelevant County and work, ascomprehensive asitwas,couldnotsupplantthe But aga’s Allocation Districts. the legalrequirementsfor Community Improvement Districtsand Tax Park², researchingsoiltypesanddrainageproperties,studying property ownershiprecords,reviewingdeedrestrictionsonKittredge scenarios undercurrentzoning.Othertasksincludedexamining and designingstreetconfigurations andexaminingpossiblebuild-out analyzing demographicdata. The Communities Coalition, andCommissioners JeffRaderand Kathie Gannonranalargemeetingat theKittredgeMagnet database andmapofBriarcliff–NorthDruidHillsthe surrounding territory for thepurposesofexaminingand surrounding territory Schisandra glabra gis da tabase aided aga inresearching tabase aidedaga ), thrives inaravine in gis) a new public realm for dekalb county /// the planning process alex garvin & associates, inc. 23 The homepage of the figure 3.4 Briarcliff–Northwebsite. Druid Hills – purports to promote public participation, but runs participation, to promote public – purports charrette involved, and the time constraints of the meetings. Thus it was crucial Thus it constraints of the meetings. and the time involved, to ponder aga’s able to take time residents to be for and presentations planning exer- typical public meetings. (The issues between related cise – the roughshod over the necessity for sustained, careful, and informed sustained, careful, and informed the necessity for roughshod over lo- a long period of time.) This provided by the public over consideration the at opportunity to respond more thoughtfully cal residents with the insight to guide aga greater present even next meeting and to during of its work. iteration the following aga meetings between work studies and other preparatory performed issues, so technical of concerns and to solve to address the multitude to the public. This is the meaningful information it could then provide and respond with informed well the community could stay only way often did not emerge answers definitive so, concerns. Even relevant series of questions and recom- from these meetings, but more often a aga arose that as part of the follow- mendations then investigate would againg month of work. and changes answers could then return with process and the addressed those questions and recommendations, that itself. repeat would open and continuous Another mechanism used to keep the process After (http://www.briarcliffnorthdruidhills.org). was a project website every public meeting, aga the posted the slideshow it had presented at alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// the planning process 24 and theirneighbors. dents wanttoachieve for themselves fit inwiththequalityoflife thatresi- could identifyways for theplanto community leadersbecausethey figure 3.5 Participation Stakeholder aga metregularly with aga would notsupportit.The communityleadersspokefromapolitical perspective –theplanmustbefinanciallyfeasible for them,orelsethey tradictory, points ofview. Thepropertyowners spokefromaneconomic These threegroupsrepresented different,thoughnotnecessarilycon- feedback. throughthelocalagencycultures,andtheycouldprovidetechnical aga of allrelated initiatives –past,present,andplannedtheycouldguide aware aga proposals; andtheagencyofficialsbecause theycouldmake political processandcanwork ortosupportandinform tostymie the done onit;thecommunityleadersbecause they areparticipantsinthe owners because theycontroltheirlandandthus muchofwhat canbe proposed couldhappen:theproperty ensuring that anything that AGA theless criticaltotheprocess.)Thesestakeholders were essentialto were lessregularthantheothertwo setsofmeetingsbutwere never- B usuallymetwiththree eforeeach publicmeeting,aga responsesandpostedthemonthewebsite. in emails–alongwithaga’s piled thesequestionsandcomments–thosefromthemeetings com- to expresstheirthoughtsandconcernsaskquestions.aga presentation aboutthepublicrealm,andasectionfor citizens web-only submitted. The website alsoincludedacalendarofpublicmeetings, ing, whichincludedanswers toany writtenquestionsthat hadbeen public meetingonthewebsite alongwithafullrecordofthemeet- County agencyofficials.(Themeetingswiththeofficials stakeholder groups:communityleaders,propertyowners,and a new public realm for dekalb county /// the planning process alex garvin & associates, inc. 25 aga also met regu- figure 3.6 larly with major property owners in Briarcliff–North Druid Hills to ensure that the plan would be financially doable. and therefore feasible, with the major property owners as they developed developed with the major property owners as they perspective – the plan must fit in with the quality of life that residents that the quality of life plan must fit in with – the perspective the agency And neighbors. and their themselves for want to achieve a func- would not support viewpoint – they provided a technical officials plan. tionally deficient Commis- planning process, the six-month through About midway a technical advisory committee created sioners Rader and Gannon from the area who had professional experience comprised of people and – architects, landscape architects, development with planning and intermediary of the committee was to provide an planners. The purpose and in turn could clarify complex issues that the community for body process. community concerns into the still unaddressed bring any proposals to these groups Meeting with and presenting ideas and enabled aga the public before mistakes to hear opinions and to catch conversations more substantive It also made possible presentations. setting. be possible in a large public than would AGA’s and changed a Briarcliff–North Druid Hills evolved proposals for the entire course of the process, sometimes as a result deal over great as a result of suggestions from sometimes of ongoing analytic work, to stakeholder observations. the public, and sometimes in response aga also worked their plans for their respective properties, but with two in particular: properties, but with two their respective their plans for Their plans hrpt, the Sembler Company. Park, and owners of Executive alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// the planning process 26 ants; andanewpark. enough parkingfor theten- office, housing,andretail; walkable streets;integrated requirements –anetwork of What emergedmeteveryone’s temporary watertemporary overflow asusable whilesimultaneouslyserving andabsorb on eachsideofthecreekwill be setasidetofilterrun-off first presented.Consistent withCounty andState regulations, 75feet creek, therebyexpandingthe roleofthecreekfromwhat Semblerhad toproposeextendingKittredgeParkalong the civic leadersledaga ing creekandlakeintoitsproposeddevelopment. Discussionswith From thestart,SemblerCompany hadalsoincorporated theexist- meetings. street widthsthat hadalready been discussedat several ofthepublic North DruidHillsRoads.Sembleralsoagreedtoacceptthe moremodest so that storeswould facetheproposedboulevards onBriarcliffand on theinteriorofsite.TheSembler Company thenadjusted itsplan North DruidHillsRoadsbyplacingentrancestoretailand offices only ings intoastreetsystemfor thenorthernportionofsite.Thisarea Early Semblerproposalsintegrated retail,office,andapartmentbuild- future changingtastesandmarkets. current situation byprovidinga on allsides,buttheparticipantsbelieved itwillgreatly improve the tenants; andanewpark.Gettingtothisresultrequiredcompromises streets; integrated office,housing,andretail;enoughparking forthe What emergedmeteveryone’s requirements–anetwork ofwalkable ceptional publicrealm. wasdeterminedtocreate anex- tenants toanewExecutive Park.aga wantedaplanthat would attract hrpt different siteconfigurations. andtheirarchitectstoexamineanumberof worked withhrpt aga and apartmentbuildingstotheside.Over thefollowing fewmonths, suburban shoppingcenter– retail,alargeopenparkinglot, “big-box” showed arelatively typical initial designproposaltheysharedwithaga proposedtoredevelop theproperty.tive tenants. The To that end,hrpt provide thelively, mixed-useenvironment soughtbymany prospec- buildings areoldandneedexpensive repairs;andthepropertydoesnot in metro Atlanta, isoutmoded.Officedemandhasbeendeclining;the Executive Park,thefirstsuburbanofficepark In theopinionofhrpt, ing thecollaborative nature oftheprocess. evolved significantlyover thecourseofthisperiodaswell, demonstrat- appeared toturntheirbacksonBriarcliffand member complainedthat theproposedbuildings Company presenteditsinitialdesigns,anaudience During thepublicmeetingat whichtheSembler planned for thesouthernportionofsite. taining anexistingcreekfromaresidentialenclave was separated byanarrowlinearopenspacecon- public realm framework toaccommodate a new public realm for dekalb county /// the planning process alex garvin & associates, inc. 27 The Evolving The Evolving See pgs 56-61. 3 Planning Process park public realm public realm

that will reverse the relentless deterioration of the environ- the relentless deterioration will reverse that not be what any individual participant expected when the individual any not be what document presents proposals that can be implemented. It may can be implemented. It may proposals that document presents

and connect the new parkland all the way to Kittredge Park.³ to Kittredge parkland all the way and connect the new

process began, but it includes choices upon which the participants includes choices upon which the participants process began, but it will process that a planning agreed. More important, it has initiated As President are adopted. continue long after these recommendations “Plans are useless, but planning is once put it, Eisenhower Dwight D. the planning for Likewise, it is important to realize that indispensable.” Briarcliff–North Druid Hills will continue. has started is Hills that for Briarcliff–North Druid The planning process and thoughtful approach to development a more open, collaborative, characterized the has heretofore Second Growth that than the erratic the on creating focused neighborhood. This new process has framework ment and the quality of life in the area. A parkland. agaparkland. to the expanded public access maximizing also advocated a 60-foot-widepark by requiring sidewalks and – replete with Park Drive side of the creek and Park and on each – bordering Kittredge bike lanes south with the to the residential enclave to connect the new parkland and Company to the north. When the Gables mixed-use development hrpt the extension of the creek, suggested installing sidewalks along aga the property to accommodate proposed purchasing additional planning process, this the collaborative of s a result drives Existing 04 Conditions

Introduction he atlanta metropolitan region has been growing rapidly and has become steadily more prosperous, and DeKalb County is Tno exception. According to Census Bureau estimates, the population of DeKalb County grew from 665,000 in 2000 to 723,000 in 2006.

This growth has shown no signs of slowing. Recent studies indicate that the population within a ﬁve-minute drive of Briarcliff–North Druid Hills is projected to increase from 60,946 in 2006 to 64,951 in 2011, and the median household income is projected to increase from $67,836 to $86,285.

The market conditions at play in Briarcliff–North Druid Hills have created demand for additional housing and office space, which will result in an increase in density. Development has surprisingly kept pace. 28 Developers have been acquiring land and demolishing old houses, run- down residential complexes, and office buildings, DeKalb County can either allow replacing them with bigger and more modern office the greater congestion – or it buildings and higher-density housing – apartment can take the steps that will take buildings, single- and multi-family townhouses, advantage of the positive po- and detached, single-family houses on small lots. tential of population growth. There has been a similar boom in retail development, with new shopping centers appearing everywhere. And in order to respond to these foreseen changes and to help maintain and even improve this area’s high quality of life, DeKalb County Commissioners Rader and Gannon, the Livable Communities a new public realm for dekalb county /// existing conditions alex garvin & associates, inc. 29 Drive-in retail- figure 4.4 (bottom) figure 4.4 (bottom) ing on North Druid Hills Road. Office buildings at Execu- figure 4.3 figure 4.3 Park. tive Loehmann’s Shopping Loehmann’s figure 4.2 Center. Drive-In retailing figure 4.1 (top) (top) figure 4.1 Road. along Briarcliff alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// existing conditions 30 and asteadyriseinproperity. marked byrapidpopulationgrowth region isaneconomic powerhouse, figure 4.5 lic realm. come thebasisfor anewpub- lems ofSecondGrowthtobe- It isquitefeasiblefor theprob- The Atlanta metropolitan The Atlanta such suddengrowth.Thethings that oncemadesuburbanlifeso attrac- thenewautomobiles tocarry andpeople thatill-equipped arepartof places tolive. Instead,theseareasbecomenoisy, congested,busyplaces overgrown suburbs–theynolongerarequiet,convenient, peaceful to driving. Areas experiencingSecondGrowthcanbecome,inessence, tion, likewalking,bicycling, orpublictransportation, asalternatives infrastructure that allows residents tochoosemodesoftransporta- large lots.Many suburbanareasintheUnited States arenowexperi- tobuildsmallbuildingsonrelativelyThus, itbecomeslesscost-effective was oncecheaplandbecomesincreasinglydesirabletomorepeople. market forces may provideanimpetusfor moredevelopment, andwhat ties (FirstGrowth).Several years afteranareaexperiencesFirstGrowth, – startingwithfarmsorunusedlandturningintosuburbancommuni- sive, uniquewaves, sotoohave thefringesofcitieschangedover time vegetation takes over aclearedareaover alongperiodoftimeinsucces- Suburban development is “First Growth” urbandevelopment. Justas planned. new conceptionabouthowgrowthanddevelopment incitiescanbe Coalition, wantedtogive and people a & Alex Garvin Associates (aga) roads, andthelandscapetypicallyincludeslittle growing pains.Newtrafficbeginsto overwhelm The changesthat comewithSecondGrowthbring Growth.” encing suchawave ofdevelopment. Itis “Second a new public realm for dekalb county /// existing conditions alex garvin & associates, inc. 31 Multiple dwellings and Multiple dwellings figure 4.6 figure 4.6 the Second Growth town homes are and cover the tree that is replacing single-family houses that character- in development ized First Growth DeKalb County. tive are then gone, and a different lifestyle in a more city-like environ- tive ment emerges. (or Growth. If a local government These problems are inherent to Second an inevitable to ignore members of the community it serves) attempts solv- for a strategy increase – thereby failing to implement population proceed unchecked come with it – the growth will ing the problems that place to live. and will certainly result in an inharmonious Growth, DeKalb residents As in all suburban areas experiencing Second homes and will happen to their are beginning to worry about what County can either allow the usual results – greater quality of life. The of a fine neighborhood’s congestion accompanied by a deterioration of will take advantage quality of life – or it can take the steps that produce an improved growth to potential of population the positive trans- with more choices among residential, recreation, environment shopping, and employment opportunities. Second Growth portation, can that opportunity to change the landscape in ways represents a great For this to existed before. than what better lead to a quality of life even early Second Growth poses must be identified the problems that occur, a better carefully guided to create must be on, and the development focus on the to guide Second Growth is to The best way community. quality of the public realm, which enjoys a complex, symbiotic rela- development. tionship with private Increased density is more people per unit area, resulting in a greater alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// existing conditions 32 tree cover. parking areas are replacing dense homes withbigyards, andpaved County are replacing one-family complexes throughout DeKalb figure 4.7 Multi-story residential Multi-story an assetrather thanaliability. a PublicRealmFramework that willtransform inevitablegrowthinto superficial actions.Briarcliff–NorthDruidHillsmustberetrofitted with will leadtothat improvement. Thiscannotbedonethroughminimal, quality oflife.Thisproject’sobjective hasbeentodeviseastrategy that qualityoflife,butasanopportunityforcommunity’s improvingthat be thoughtofdifferently:notasaninevitabledeterioration inthe public interest.ButSecondGrowthinBriarcliff–NorthDruid Hillsmust Too often, SecondGrowthproceedswithoutany largervisionofthe more andthetrafficpressurehas yetanothersafety valve. transportation network, thentheoptionsfor residentsincreaseeven or visitaneighbor. Ifthisisdeveloped handinwithanewpublic to drive acartogetcartonofmilk,buy atoothbrush,gethaircut, residentneed designed andcompletelyconstructed,nolongerwillevery the area.Ifinfrastructuresfor walkingandbicycling arecarefully bicycling canbecomemoreattractive ways for residentstogetaround one anotherthanbefore, andthisinturnimpliesthat walkingand different kindsofhousing)inanarea,theywillnaturally becloserto stores,offices,retail,andhousing(and tion. Iftherearemoregrocery number ofhousesandbusinessesrequiredtoaccommodate thepopula- a new public realm for dekalb county /// existing conditions alex garvin & associates, inc. 33 The State of Georgia (left) The State of Georgia Druid Hills: Background figure 4.8 The loca- and DeKalb County (right). tion of Briarcliff–North Druid Hills is on the right. marked in red Briarcliff–North County boundaries Major roads DeKalb County

the county, just northeast of Atlanta. It consists of approximate- Atlanta. It just northeast of the county, of North Druid Hills ly 688 acres surrounding the intersection

Road and Briarcliff Road, both significant arteries servingRoad and Briarcliff Road, both significant the sur- four creating other obliquely, rounding area. The roads intersect each quadrants. uneven One of the primary is its set of assets of this part of DeKalb County Running along connections to nearby major destinations. convenient the northern boundary of Briarcliff–North Druid Hills is I-85, which The area is about Atlanta about six miles away. connects to Midtown Roads from Buckhead, three miles via North Druid Hills and Roxboro a regional sub-center with millions of square feet of office and retail space. Briarcliff–North Druid Hills is also about three miles via Briarcliff head- Road and Clifton Road from Emory and the national University (cdc), and Prevention Disease Control quarters of the Centers for both major employment centers. The center of the area addressed by aga’s includes a neigh- proposals a large, free- borhood shopping complex anchored by Loehmann’s, store, and automobile-orientedTarget retail serving standing traffic on North Druid Hills and Briarcliff Roads. There is a substantial amount one-story Park and in the at Executive of office space buildings along of which are part of the Children’s Circle, many Tullie Road and Tullie Briarcliff, a 1017-unit the south is the Park at To Healthcare System. Authority Housing apartment complex owned by the DeKalb County riarcliff–north druid hills lies in the northwestern part of the northwestern hills lies in druid riarcliff–north B alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// existing conditions 34 Briarcliff–North DruidHills. Briarcliff–North figure 4.9 Aerial photographof a new public realm for dekalb county /// existing conditions alex garvin & associates, inc. 35 North Hills Road Druid Board of Education Board Briarcliff Road Briarcliff BellSouth Tower I-85 Hospital Children’s Executive Park Executive Sheridan RoadTract Audubon Park / Kittredge Executive Park Drive Executive Study map of Briarcliff– figure 4.10 North Druid Hills used in this report. alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// existing conditions 36 regional destinations. Hills iscentrallylocatedamongmajor figure 4.11 The PublicRealm 3 2 1 North DruidHillsRoad North Briarcliff Road Interstate85 North DruidHillsRoads North Intersection ofBriarcliff and Roadways Regional destinationroutes 1.0 milebuffer 0.5 milebuffer Briarcliff–North Druid Briarcliff–North Midtown T (especiallytotheeast,south,andwest). surrounding territory plexes dominate theoutskirtsofBriarcliff–NorthDruidHillsand houses,townhouses,andapartmentcom- Detached, single-family naturalming pool,aparkinglot,and30-acre area. countyparkconsistingoftwo baseballfields,apublicswim- a 2.6-acre South oftheschoolsandeastParkat BriarcliffliesKittredgePark, Board ofEducation hasannounceditsintentiontomove them. Education. Thethreeschoolsareall County-wide specialtyschools.The three schoolsandafootball stadiumownedbytheDeKalbBoardof under thetermsofagroundlease. To theeastofthoseapartmentsare drivers, bicyclists andbuscommuters,elderlycouplesoutfor astrollin truck cases, thepublicrealmserves everybody: dogwalkersanddelivery environments that theydemand onlyminorimprovements. Inthese borhoods, likeDruidHills,are pleasedenoughwiththeirrespective On theotherhand,residents ofothermetropolitan Atlanta neigh- the planningprocessdemandedactiontoimprove thissituation. there isnospaceallocated for bicycles. Many peoplewhoparticipated in sidewalks, andwiththeexceptionofatiny stretch ofBriarcliffRoad, elseafterwards,ifatand everything all;inmany places,thereareno Buckhead for itsresidentsorvisitors.Itaccommodates motorvehicles first exists for theconvenience ofpeoplepassingthroughthearea,not he publicrealmin this part ofDeKalbCountycurrently 1 0.5 miles 1.0 miles 3 Emory 2 I-85 Parkway Mountain Stone a new public realm for dekalb county /// existing conditions alex garvin & associates, inc. 37 As North Druid Hills figure 4.12 the new traffic Road demonstrates, that comes with Second Growth suburban roads. overwhelms the park and young married couples out jogging, regional motorists on the park and young to school. The oppor- downtown, and teenagers on their way their way realm to Briarcliff–North Druid tunities exist to bring this kind of public Hills and all other areas like it. of the charac- Hills exhibit several The arteries in Briarcliff–North Druid carry the few major roads that teristics typical of suburban sprawl. The lots, promi- traffic are lined with parking majority of automobile vast motorists, and buildings set nent retail signage geared toward passing from grass to sculpted varies far back from the street edge; landscaping and lines and telephone cables hang above; collections of plants; power throughout. other miscellaneous signs and structures are scattered past houses with varying densi- way their Neighborhood streets wend ties of trees. Sidewalks sometimes appear (and then disappear) along both the arterials and the neighborhood streets, but in most places they are absent. alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// existing conditions 38 1 open space parks, recreation, and DruidHills. Briarcliff–North parkland compriseslessthan5%of figure 4.13 gram.” 391-1-4: “Georgia Greenspace Pro- Resources Administration ofNatural Rules ofGeorgiaDepartment I-75 Publiclyaccessible . Chapter Piedmont Park ly thedriveway ofademolishedday care center),andoneintheMerry There arecurrentlytwo accesspoints–onefromKittredgePark(former- Since itsacquisition,nothing hasbeendonetothe Audubon Tract. fields andswimmingpools. park’s usefor “active recreation” –thisbarssuch facilitiesasformal ball land that canbedeveloped withauxiliarybuildingsandprevent the placed aseriesofdeedrestrictionsonitthat limittheamountofpark- and the Arthur M.BlankFamilyFoundation. Theselleroftheland by DeKalb’s 2001ParksBondIssue,theGeorgia GreenspaceProgram,¹ as the Audubon Tract, adjacenttoKittredgePark,usingfundsprovided In 2005,DeKalbCounty acquiredanadditional30acresofland,known andBoulevard Crossing. Quarry the cityandhasalready acquiredtwo majornewparksat theBellwood a 23-mileBeltlineEmeraldNecklaceencirclingthecentralportionof of Atlanta decidedtoremedy thesituation. Itapproved thecreation of 16% ofMinneapoliscomprisepubliclyownedparkland.In2005,theCity By contrast,20%ofthelandsurfaceSanFrancisco, 18%ofBoston,and devotes atinytopublicparkland–lessthan5%. portionofitsterritory Like mostofmetropolitan Atlanta, thissectionofDeKalbCounty 0.5 miles 1.0 miles Kittredge Park I-85 Expressways Roadways Parks 1.0 milebuffer 0.5 milebuffer DruidHillsRoads North Intersection ofBriarcliff and a new public realm for dekalb county /// existing conditions alex garvin & associates, inc. 39 Most people are unaware unaware Most people are figure 4.14 park the only Park, that Kittredge of the intersection withing a mile North and of Briarcliff Hills Druid their use. for is available Roads, Hills neighborhood. Set in the middle of a quiet residential street, Hills neighborhood. Set in the middle of Tract is Audubon access point lacks sufficient parking. The the latter aside from a from all major roads and entirely unadvertised invisible is underused and As a result, it small sign on North Druid Hills Road. unkempt. and privately is developed much of this part of DeKalb County Too Thus the goal owned to acquire as parkland easily and inexpensively. and more open provide greater existing parkland, should be to improve access to it, and make sure it is preserved and maintained environmen- all ages. facility for tally and as a recreational most of the existing parkland in the area is inacces- Unfortunately, sible. The main part of the park is tucked behind the three schools and In public to passersby. stadium, making it virtually invisible a football such a park surprised to learn that meetings, some local residents were standing in the auditorium they were existed despite the fact that even from the feet away of Kittredge Magnet School, which is about 1,000 base- Despite the large size of the greenspace, only the two park itself. ball diamonds, a public swimming pool, and a parking lot behind the school are used heavily. alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// existing conditions 40 Roads. DruidHillsandBriarcliff North Kittredge Parkisnot visiblefrom figure 4.15 The densetree cover of there itpassesunderBriarcliff Roadthroughaculvert, runsbetween an particularly overgrown withkudzuandotherinvasive vegetation. From Beyond thelake,creekflows outtoBriarcliffRoad,whereitis Briarcliff. anybody whowantstovisitmustcomethroughthegates totheParkat residents oftheapartmentcomplex,butlakeisaprivate facility– of grasswithpicnictablesontheother. Thisareais well usedbythe pathway andisflankedbyahealthclubononesideanopenstretch a spotwhereitflows intoasmalllake.Thelakeissurroundedby munity, butisinaccessible toallbutthehighlyintrepiduntilitreaches through awooded areawithintheParkat Briarcliffresidentialcom- Peachtree Creek–alsoflows alongsideExecutive ParkDrive. Itpasses The creekthat toSouth runsthroughKittredgePark–atributary kudzu, andwisteria. they areovergrown withaggressive invasive speciessuchasprivet, habitat for arare,endangeredplantspeciescalledthebay star-vine, forest, someofwhichisoldgrowth. Although thesewoods includea recently demolished.Therestofthearearemainslargelycovered with center,Kittredge Parkonceheldahouseandday-care bothwere a new public realm for dekalb county /// existing conditions alex garvin & associates, inc. 41 Sidewalks circulation The creek running The creek figure 4.17 figure 4.17 and Park is eroded Kittredge through and species, with invasive overgrown shows signs of neglect. any- The old paths in Kittredge The old paths in Kittredge figure 4.16 figure 4.16 slowly disappearing under Park are new growth. where; the automobile is accommodated above any other form of trans- other form any above is accommodated where; the automobile Jewish for the large Orthodox This is a particular problem portation. who are precluded by their in and around the area lives that population exposed The many on the Sabbath. motor vehicles faith from operating lines” – “desire strips of earth in the grass alongside the roads – the blocks are quite long the area’s Also, sidewalks. local demand for reveal underused parking lot and an office building, and continues between and continues between underused parking lot and an office building, steep banks to Sheridan Road where, strewn with trash, it relatively and then disappears into another Park Drive, continues along Executive which takes it across to the other side of I-85.culvert, of auto- the movement come to equate have we In many communities, But the residents of Briarcliff– of people. mobiles with the movement North Druid Hills want other options: they want to walk, ride bicycles, commuting or running for mass transit, whether and use convenient At the same time, vehicular exercise or religious reasons. errands, or for for people in the neighborhood. traffic in the area is also a concern The collection of sidewalks in Briarcliff–North Druid Hills is nothing fragments all in random – sidewalks are scattered close to a network walk residents cannot easily or safely the area. Consequently, over alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// existing conditions 42 proper sidewalk. and signalsanunmetdemandfor a tive ofacommonsightinthearea Drive –a “desire line”–isrepresenta- in thegrassalongExecutive Park figure 4.18 Bicycle Lanes A well trodden footpath about beingstruckbyacar. Inpractice,however, cyclists whoentrust are supposedtoprovideasafe spacefor peopleto ridewithoutworrying white paintasbeingreserved for bicycles. Intheory, thesebicycle lanes stripofasphaltroadwayfive-foot-wide that hasbeendelineated with In DeKalbCounty, asinmuchofthe UnitedStates, abicycle laneisa cyclist. situation tendstoannoymotorists,slowtraffic,andendangerthe or drive inthenextlane,whichmay containoncomingtraffic.This cyclists intovehicular traffic;thisthen forces carseithertoslowdown ous option.Theroadways’ inadequate shouldersandparkedcars force poles, andstreetsignsmakethemanunviable andsometimesdanger- and thepresenceofobstaclessuchasnewspaper dispensers,power of sidewalks,thepooraccesstheyprovide,presencepedestrians, clists have thechoiceofeitherroadway orthesidewalk.Thescarcity ous endeavor. Ifthereisnospaceallottedexclusively for bicycles, cy- cyclists. Cycling inasuburbanareasuchasthisisparticularlydanger- The difficultiespedestriansfacearenothingcomparedtotheplightof off oflocalroutes. infrastructure would inturngrowfurtherandmay helptakesomecars and perhapseven encouraged. As aresult,thedemandfor goodwalking infrastructure were available, peoplewould feellesshinderedtowalk, crosswalks arenotadequately marked.Butifasafe,pleasantwalking between intersections–toolongfor pedestrianstocrosssafely–and a new public realm for dekalb county /// existing conditions alex garvin & associates, inc. 43 The lone bike lane – Vehicular Traffic Vehicular Concentration of Concentration of figure 4.20 as an orange line – is only shown here is no There a quarter of a mile long. network that safely comprehensive accommodates cyclists. As demonstrated by the figure 4.19 do sidewalks the area’s lines, red not comprise a fully interconnected network. their safety to the protection offered by bicycle lanes are taking notable bicycle their safety to the protection offered by lanes as extensions of driving these bicycle risks – most motorists treat are often not respected as fel- lanes or as extra parking spaces. Cyclists interlopers. The result can low occupants of the road and are considered cyclists. be extreme peril for is just a single, quarter-mile In all of Briarcliff–North Druid Hills, there But it leads bicycles. stretch of Briarcliff Road equipped to accommodate it is completely ignored by the worse, from nothing to nowhere. Even the space as an extension of their treat cars, trucks, and buses that motorway. became clear from residents’ detailed analysis began, it before Even problem in the area. traffic was a major and immediate complaints that When the effects of Second Growth become more prominent in Briar- worsen if the area cliff–North Druid Hills, the traffic problems will only the coming to accommodate strategy does not adapt its development volume of traffic the causes: changes. The problems stem from two types: regional and local) of two primarily by the combination (caused of the road connectivity in the area, which concentrates and the nature two most traffic onto Briarcliff and North Druid Hills Roads, the area’s main arterials. system in I-85 is the most dominant element of the transportation Briarcliff–North Druid Hills and provides access to a large portion of alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// existing conditions 44 2 arteries. congestion onthesealready crowded has noalternative buttoexacerbate Road, thevehicular traffictheycarry DruidHills either Briarcliff orNorth I-85. Sincemost streets terminateat Hills Roadcomingfrom andgoingto figure 4.21 See Figure 4.22. Traffic Druid onNorth routes for detourswhentrafficisheavy orwhenthereisanaccident. This arterialsystemprovides noflexibility. Therearenosimplealternate their occupantsontothesetwo sameroads,furtherincreasingtheload. development hascontinuedthispattern streetsthat ofdead-end force traffic as wellasalmostalllocaltraffic. Moreover, virtuallyallrecent connectivity. Thus,thetwo roadsmust accommodate regionalthrough- North DruidHillsRoadorBriarcliffRoad.Inother words, thereislittle even tomostofthedestinations withinthearea–mustuseeither within Briarcliff–NorthDruidHillswhowantstotravel elsewhere –or area areshortstreetsleadingtodeadends.Theresultofthis isanybody of NorthDruidHillsandBriarcliffRoads.²Mosttheother roadsinthe confirm that trafficisbyfarthemostconcentrated at theintersection The trafficcountscollectedbytheGeorgiaDepartment of Transportation must passthroughthisintersection. south. Thus,drivers goingtoandfromany ofthesemajordestinations tain ParkwayUniversity andthe totheeast,andwithEmory (suchasMidtown)tothewest withStoneMoun- and areasalongI-85 regional traffichub. Itconnectsshoppingand workplacesinBuckhead The intersectionofBriarcliffandNorthDruidHillsRoadsservesasa between regionalandlocaltraffic,therebycloggingthesearterials. area viaBriarcliffandNorthDruidHillsRoads,resultinginconflicts entrance rampsaredestinations, drawingregionaltrafficthroughthe the area’s residentsand visitors.Byextension,thehighway’s exitand CDC to the a new public realm for dekalb county /// existing conditions alex garvin & associates, inc. 45 The sizes of the Briarcliff Road Briarcliff North Druid Hills Road 31 January 2006 4:00pm–6:00pm vehicles 8,436 figures 4.22 (a–c) show the distributions of arrows going straight, traffic turning left, each direc- and turning right from alongside The numeric figures tion. numbers the total each diagram are the that pass through of vehicles intersection during the hours shown. Inc.) Traffic, Georgia (Source: 31 January 2006 11:00am–1:00pm vehicles 7,336 31 January 2006 7:00am–9:00am vehicles 7,505 alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// existing conditions 46 3 Distances are measured infeet, rounded tothenearest 10feet. mile. feet (1.5miles)fromeachotheronaverage, makingfor .66crossingsper the threeroadsthat nearBriarcliff–North DruidHillsare8,005 crossI-85 Another way tolookat it: thereare2.85crossingspermile.Bycontrast, stretch, allwithin1855feet(.35 miles)fromoneanother, on average. Midtown/Ansley ina7420-foot Park,five roadscrossI-75–I-85 (1.4-mile) Hills andthat ofMidtown/Ansley Parkarealsodemonstrative. Along Other differencesbetween theroadnetwork ofBriarcliff–NorthDruid North DruidHills. rather thanconcentrated ontwo mainarteries,ashappensinBriarcliff– traffic jams. Also, the vehiclesaredispersedthroughoutthenetwork have moreoptionsfromwhichtochoosetheirroutesandthuscanavoid Traffic flows moreeasilythroughthisneighborhoodbecause drivers a morefinelyarticulated andcomplete,connective network ofroads. point tothelackofconnectivityinBriarcliff–NorthDruidHills:itboasts Atlanta’s urban-styleMidtown/Ansley Parkprovidesatellingcounter- ping periodsbecause thereisnooutlet. Traffic canbuildupeasilyduringrushhour, weekends,orheavy shop- oa 16,010 0.66 7,420 8,005 8,590 7,420 2.85 Number ofCrossingsPerMile 1,855 2,070 Average DistanceBetween Crossings Total 1,680 North DruidHillsRoadtoClairmont 1,880 Lenox RoadtoNorthDruidHills 1,790 Number ofCrossingsPerMile Average DistanceBetween Crossings Total Ferst Drive NWtoNorth Avenue 10th StreetNWtoFerstDrive NW 14th StreetNWto10th 17th StreetNWto14th Comparison ofMidtown/Ansley ParkandBriarcliff–NorthDruidHills³ Stretch of I-85 alongBriarcliff–NorthDruidHills Stretch ofI-85 Stretch of I-75–I-85 inMidtown/AnsleyStretch ofI-75–I-85 Park a new public realm for dekalb county /// existing conditions alex garvin & associates, inc. 47 Traffic flows more easily flows more Traffic figure 4.23 Park than Midtown/Ansley through Briarcliff–North Druid Hills because dispersed throughout are vehicles network that offers drivers a street for routes of alternative a variety traffic jams. avoiding Regional arteries Dead-end streets Interconnected local streets Interconnected Midtown/Ansley ParkMidtown/Ansley Briarcliff–North Druid Hills alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// existing conditions 48 Public Transit Inappropriate RoadDesign Curb Cuts traffic. conflicts between localandregional DruidHillsRoadsleadto and North figure 4.24 The curbcutsonBriarcliff Curb cut not provide frequent service tothesestationsnot providefrequentservice orconvenient connections Buckhead –2.5milesaway. Thebusroutesthat runthroughtheareado trainstopsareat Lindbergh Station andat Lenox Station in est MARTA dense enoughtosupportfrequent,convenient Thenear- transitservice. Current development patterns inBriarcliff–NorthDruidHillsarenot vehicles, theslower thetrafficandlessefficientroad. slow-moving vehicles: therefore, ironically, thefasterindividual distances between fast-movingvehicles aregreater than thosebetween pauses rather thanalittlemoreslowlyandsmoothly. Further, the ing speed,thetrafficmoves inquick spurtspunctuated byenervating signals aretimedfor thepostedspeedlimitrather thantheprevail- this roomfor error, reactbyincreasingtheir speeds.Because traffic is that thisbuffergives motoristsroom for error. Butmotorists,seeing posted speedlimit.Thisisdoneintheinterestofsafety–thinking typically designedtoaccommodate trafficthat moves fasterthanthe posted speedsrather thanactuallyprevailing speeds.Modernroadsare Worse yet, thetraffic lightsalongNorthDruidHillsRoadaretimed for and severely increasingtheriskofaccidents. across traffictogetlocalstoresandoffices,blockingother vehicles, Vehicles constantlyusetheseaccesspointstoturninto, turnoutof, and pendent businessesthat lineBriarcliffandNorthDruidHillsRoads. The situation isexacerbated bycurbcuts for allthe automobile-de- Briarcliff Road North DruidHillsRoad North a new public realm for dekalb county /// existing conditions alex garvin & associates, inc. 49 Vehicles using the curb Vehicles figure 4.25 cuts conflict with the moving traffic on North Druid Hills Road. Until recently, Emory ran a shuttle called Until recently, CDC. CDC. the “Cliff Bus” to the area. “Cliff Bus” the the bus stops in the area provide little to no route or schedule Also, no except those who have discouraging use by everyone information, by bus is currently not a very viable or attractive Travel other choice. transit option. to nearby destinations, and the buses face the same traffic congestion and the buses face the same to nearby destinations, cars do. that run through Briarcliff–North four bus routes that There are currently as every runs as often 15 Druid Hills. Of these, only one, Route 16, often than every peak times. Routes 8 and 47 run no more 30 minutes at students on service when Route 8 provides extra for minutes (except for and Route 33, the only direct connection to the shopping school days), runs every 47 is the 40 minutes. Route Lindbergh Station, and transit at of most bus runs for provides access to Buckhead, and that only bus that problems with this its length along the I-85 access road. There are two route: it is lined with stores and small businesses, not residences; and it is on the opposite side of I-85 from Briarcliff–North Druid Hills. These to local residents. inconvenient factors make the route incredibly two MARTA Druid Hills runs no direct bus route from the Briarcliff–North area to Emory and the alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// existing conditions 50 Issues Environmental T creeks. the creeksinthispartofmetropolitan regionareclassifiedas303D classified bysection303Dofthe FederalCleanWater Act. Infact,all tection Divisionasacreekthat as ispollutedduetourbanrun-off, Peachtree Creek,whichislisted bytheGeorgiaEnvironmental Pro- ofNorth There arelessvisibleissuesas well – this creekisatributary tered bytrashanddebrisinmany parts.) the banksofcreekareerodedanddeteriorating. (Theyarealsolit- the creekishigherbecause itissteadilyfedby groundwater. Instead, into thecreekdoessoslowlyandgradually. Furthermore, thelevel of most oftherainisabsorbedintoground,andwhat raindoesflow a creekfluctuate relatively andrainy littlebetween dry periodsbecause arcliff andExecutive Park.Inanundeveloped setting,water volumes in visibleinthecreekthatThe impactis very runsthroughthePark at Bri- ecological health. rates. Theresultsarepolluted,erodedwaterways andgenerally poor of water may dumpdirectly intolocalwaterways unfilteredandat high sewer system. After largestorms,theresultsareworse –largeamounts with pollutantssuchastireresidueandoil–drainsintothestorm of therainwater surfaces–typicallyloaded courses offtheimpervious tant natural processfor maintaininggroundwater supplies.Therest Consequently, littlewater very filtersintothegroundwater, animpor- acres, or4.7%ofthearea.) Hills. (Bycontrast,KittredgeParkandthe Audubon Tract addupto32.6 – oftheareaand44%western portionofBriarcliff–NorthDruid surfaces. Parkinglotsalonemakeup139ofthetotal688acres–or20% roads. Thisequates to81%coverage ofthetotallandareainimpervious prised of111acresparkinglots,52buildings,and42 proximately fewtrees,butisalsocom- 254 acres –notonlyhasvery Unfortunately, thecommercialcoreofBriarcliff–NorthDruidHills–ap- carbon dioxide, andtrapdustparticulate matter. attractive, providehabitats for birdsandothersmallanimals,absorb stormwater, maketheareavisuallyappealingandgenerallymore absorb (thereby reducingtheuseofelectricityfor air-conditioning), many reasons:theyprovideshade,lower theambienttemperature least in the single-family housingareas. least inthesingle-family Trees arebeneficialfor extensive treecover, andthispartofDeKalbisnoexception–at he atlanta metroareagenerally enjoys awonderfully a new public realm for dekalb county /// existing conditions alex garvin & associates, inc. 51 The extensive figure 4.27 (bottom) DeKalb County is network of creeks as a recep-polluted and serves largely cleaned If it were garbage. tacle for component it could be a healthy up, while si- ecosystems, of DeKalb’s a wonderfulmultaneously providing recreation. passive setting for The impervious figure 4.26 (top) surfaces in Briarcliff–North Druid account for in red, shown here Hills, 81% of the total area. Intersection of Briarcliff and Intersection of Briarcliff North Druid Hills Roads Waterways Roadways Expressways alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// existing conditions 52 Conclusions T is always well maintained.Thenexttwo chaptersaddresstheseissues. must beaway ofpaying for thenewpublicrealmandaway toensureit it definition,rather thanintrudinguponit.Justasimportant,there cert –any newbuildingmustcontributetothepublicrealmandgive This publicrealmandany newdevelopment mustbecreated incon- a justplacetopassthroughontheway toanotherdestination. public realm–aplaceinwhichpeopleenjoyspendingtime,rather than means findingways tocreate abetterfunctioningandmoreattractive that providesalternate routesfor pedestrians,cyclists, andmotorists.It for drainage,permeability, andtreecover; andarealnetwork ofstreets with anewpublicrealm:improvements totheparksystem;standards Addressing theseproblemsmeansidentifyingways toretrofitthearea hazards. Thesecharacteristicsallpointtoadeficientpublicrealm. combined withaninsufficientnumberoftrees,creates environmental parkspace;andtheamountofpavedaccessible, high-quality surfaces, and cyclists, therebyputtingthemindanger;thereisnotenough traffic jams;thereisnoadequate infrastructuretohandlepedestrians roads insufficienttohandlethetrafficfluctuations, leadingtofrequent experiences problems:thelackofatrueroadnetwork makesthe in andaroundthispartofDeKalbCounty because theareaalready he prospectofnewdevelopment isunsettlingtosomeresidents a new public realm for dekalb county /// existing conditions alex garvin & associates, inc. 53 The public realm of The public realm figure 4.28 Briarcliff–North Druid Hills consists of traffic arteries and parking lots that accommodate trucks and automobiles headed to such drive-in Chick-fil-A, as MacDonald’s, retailers It accommodates region- Target. and provides a place rather than al traffic, can enjoy. community residents The 5 Plan

0Introduction he original guiding principles that AGA laid out at the first public meeting – creating a public realm that meets the require- Tments of a twenty-first century community; and ameliorating the environment – are reflected in the proposals described in this chapter. These proposals are varied, and, taken together, will dramati- cally transform the area and introduce a whole new quality of life. They are as follows:

1 Major improvements to Kittredge Park, including a large extension, better public access, and remediation 2 An entirely new, interconnected circulation network to provide more options for local trips. This circulation network includes: + A new, complete sidewalk network + A new, complete bicycle network + Four new types of roads, all of which emphasize shared use among motor vehicles, pedestrians, and bicycles + The transformation of Briarcliff and North Druid Hills Roads into boulevards lined with 900 new trees + The conversion of the intersection of Briarcliff and North Druid Hills Roads into a roundabout 54 + New exit lanes from I-85 + New express and local bus routes 3 Workforce housing 4 Regulations governing large properties

As explained more fully in the following chapter, DeKalb County will create a redevelopment authority whose sole purpose is to implement these changes. This redevelopment authority, equipped with the necessary powers, will be financed by a Tax Allocation District (TAD). Also, a Community Improvement District (CID) will maintain and operate the public realm amenities – it will carry out all aspects of day-to-day main- a new public realm for dekalb county /// the plan alex garvin & associates, inc. 55 The new public realm of The new public realm figure 5.1 Briarcliff–North Druid Hills. alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// the plan 56 New Parkland A BetterPark figure 5.2 Park. terminate inanewpondatExecutive of Kittredge Parkalong thecreek will The 20.3-acre extension An extension of Kittredge Park ofKittredge An extension willrunalongthelengthof ittredge Park ittredge (consideredheretoincludethe Audubon Tract residents ofthearea. remains aconvenient, healthy, safe,andattractive environment for the regulations ofprivate development willensurethat thepublicrealm andlitterpick-up.tenance, suchastree-pruning Finally, anewsetof K their propertieswithinthisbufferzonetotheredevelopment authority, make thishappen,developers willbeaskedtodonate theportionsof current bufferadjacenttothecreekallway toBriarcliffRoad. To waterways, KittredgePark canbeextendedat little costalongthe very County andState regulations requirea75-foot bufferoneachsideof Kittredge Parkfromtheat Briarcliffshouldberemoved. Since for redevelopment, thebarbedwirefencethat currentlyseparates If thesoutheasternquadrantofBriarcliff–NorthDruidHillsisacquired increase of62%. represents a20.3-acre park–an expansionoftheexisting32.6-acre at anew, publiclyaccessiblepondinExecutive Park.Thenewparkland parking lot,andextendupthesideofExecutive ParkDrive toterminate creek. West ofBriarcliffRoadnewparklandwillreplaceanunderused the creek,aswell asrestoringthelandandimprovingaccesstoit. described inthepreviouschapter)isanunder-utilizedassetto the community. AGA recommends extendingtheparkalong the community. AGA alex garvin & associates, inc. 57 Kittredge Park will grow by Kittredge Park will grow 62 percent. On the Avenue Foche in Avenue On the which will be responsible for commissioning its design and supervising commissioning which will be responsible for either include the existing its construction. The expanded park should their relocation. pool and ball field or provide sites for will authority After construction, the redevelopment park the new transfer management responsibility for to the CID.over The large-property owners will continue through the CIDto fund operations levy. extension should roughly correspond to The boundaries of the park’s buffer alongside the creek. This natural the boundaries of the tree cover will be oppor- There should be accessible to people where appropriate. picnic paths, for pedestrian walks, bicycle tunities within the buffer In other places where the features. of recreational tables, and a variety the entrance to the park, through pipes, such as at creek currently flows use of best makes that approach to the landscape – one an alternative and soils – will through vegetation filtration water practices in natural be appropriate. to purchase the parking lot authority will have The redevelopment across Briarcliff Road to allow the park to continue to Sheridan Road. should ask HRPT the County Also, Properties and Gables Residential to is adjacent to the creek for that Park Drive land along Executive donate at a new The creek will terminate a walkway. the purpose of creating HRPTpond that as part of its redevelopment. expects to create figure 5.3 as in almost every city around Paris, the most fashionable the world, facing premiere found are residences parkland. alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// the plan 58 Attracting Park Visitors Restoration Preservation and proper restoration andmanagement. figure 5.4 The creek isinneedof in Briarcliff–NorthDruidHills. Itshould,instead,betheprideof ParkKittredge andpracticallyinvisible asset isanunder-utilized University isthemostobvioussuchpossibility.the process–Emory There areseveral potentialpartnersin theregionthat canhelpguide wonderful volunteer and educational opportunitiesfor localresidents. diation oftheexistingparklandandextensionwillalsoprovide to create views, orplantingnew trees,shrubs,andflowers. Thereme- whether bycreating additionalopenfields,openinguptheunderbrush These restoration effortswillbecomeopportunitiestoimprove thepark, thetic non-local)species. by aggressive invasive plantspecieswithappropriate native (orsympa- Briarcliff residentialcommunity;andreplantingallareasovergrown reconfiguring andrestoringthelakeinwhat iscurrentlytheParkat forts, suchasrestoringthedamagewroughtbyerosionalongcreek; redevelopment authority willalsohave toundertakeremediation ef- forest andsuchuniquefeatures asthebay star-vinehabitat. Thenew preserve theland’s currentlyexistingassets,particularlythenative In improving andextending the park, thefirstprioritywill beto a new public realm for dekalb county /// the plan alex garvin & associates, inc. 59 Public access to the creek Public access to the creek figure 5.5 should be restored. neighborhood. Community ownership of parks is a crucial ingredient of ownership of parks neighborhood. Community attract and success. Kittredge Park should therefore their preservation to will have authority At the same time, the redevelopment more use. deed restric- Tract’s Audubon and the spirit of the adhere to the word the impact of new on guiding and minimizing tions, and should focus visitors. can make authority the redevelopment improvements There are many restore the existing authority should visitors. The to the park to attract public use; build new walking clearings in the park as open fields for and biking trails to allow access throughout; add new signage in and users how to find the park and how to get will inform near the park that night. will make the park safer at around it; and provide lighting that Good management and maintenance of the park will be crucial to ensure its continued success. The CID these functions. will perform “Friends of Kittedge Park” – community-based group – a an active Also, to the residents of could further increase this tremendous asset’s value Briarcliff–North Druid Hills. alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// the plan 60 1 For more information aboutthe see pg68, “Park Drives.” characteristics oftheseroads, please Improved Access sense ofplace. improving safety andcreating a development andactivity, thereby two edgesoftheparkwillattract figure 5.6 The drives bordering on and valuable addresses.The park drives, incombination withthesenew drives opposite thepark,because theywillbecomeextremely desirable assumesthat buildingswilleventually linethesideofpark AGA for maintenancepersonnelandtheirvehicles.¹ there were adesignated parkinglot.Thedrives will also provideaccess ing bycarwillhave many moreoptionsfromwhichto choosethanif park extension,theparkingwillbemuchmoreflexible–visitors arriv- these drives willbordertwo sidesoftheexistingparkandmost park –quiet,attractively planted,suitedtowalkingandcycling. Since The parkdrives aredesignedtocreate apubliclyaccessibleborder for the Drive –canprovidebothparkingandaccessalongtwo sidesofthepark. conditions inthearea.Instead,oneofnewroadtypes–Park surfacewillhelpimprovein theamountofimpervious environmental solely toservetheparkwould becounter-productive, sinceadecrease come bycar, theywillneed placestopark–butbuildingparkinglots streets andbeeasilyaccessibleonfoot, bybicycle, andbycar. Ifpeople ParkKittredge willonly succeedifitisvisiblefromthesurrounding a new public realm for dekalb county /// the plan alex garvin & associates, inc. 61 Improved access to Improved figure 5.7 combined with ap- Park, Kittredge will make the activities, propriate and enjoyable. park safe People walking, on bicycles, People walking, on bicycles, and driving along the park will increase safety within the will inte-park. The park drives with the rest of the park grate the area, guaranteeing access to everyone. buildings and the improvements to the interior of the park, will add buildings and the improvements making it safer. more people looking into the park, thereby it is not possible to line all of Kittredge Park and its Unfortunately, Kittredge Park is bordered on the eastern extensions with a park drive. and southern edges by single-family residential neighborhoods, so it is not feasible to provide major additional access on those sides without disrupting pedestrian the existing neighborhoods. However, and Biltmore Drive entrances from Nantahalla Court will allow residents from those neighborhoods to access the park directly. two on will be inappropriate The new park drives other edges of the park. Steep slopes preclude motor western edge of the Kittredge Park. traffic along a short section of the Road, additional street intersections the lake and Briarcliff Between Everywhere impede the flow of traffic. else, the redevelopment would will build a park drive. authority alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// the plan 62 Network The Circulation 2007. figure 5.8 new boulevards North DruidHillsRoad, North prioritize localtraffic.This separation willallowbothtypesoftraffic to will separate thesecentralroadways roads,which fromlocalservice The centralroadways willprioritizeregionalmotortraffic.Theislands roads, bikeways, andsidewalks. roadway flankedonbothsidesbylandscaped islands,localservice 50 feetwiderthantheexistingarteriesandwillconsistof a central will transform theentirearea.Theboulevards willbeapproximately boulevards. ThisconversionCounty willberebuiltasbroad,tree-lined North Druid HillsandBriarcliff Roads withinthispartofDeKalb as aningredientofthepublicrealmandqualitylife. tion asameanstoanend,rather thananendinitself;otherwords, by automobile. Thisbroaderdefinitionshouldalsoconceive ofcircula- people conveniently, whetheronfoot, bybicycle, bypublictransit,or stand tobenefitfromabroaderdefinitionofcirculation: asmoving ing thequalityofpublicrealm.Briarcliff–NorthDruidHillswill I t isquite common to define “circulation” narrowly:as very moving motorvehicles rapidly. Thisdefinitionhassetmany communities onanimpossiblequest,whileincrementallydegrad- a new public realm for dekalb county /// the plan alex garvin & associates, inc. 63 Transforming Briarcliff Briarcliff Transforming figure 5.9 figure 5.9 and North Druid Hills Roads into that separate tree-lined boulevards traffic vehicular local and regional and include ample sidewalks and bike lanes will turn these arteries into desirable destinations and ease congestion. Nine hundred trees will be planted on North Druid Hills and Briarcliff Roads. reach their destinations more rapidly and safely, and will prevent a ma- and will prevent more rapidly and safely, reach their destinations new The of congestion – their interference with one another. jor cause curb cuts in the central, regional no driveway also contain boulevards any inter- reducing traffic accidents and thereby significantly roadway, the intersection, and increasing ruption of traffic headed to and from traffic capacity. at each bus stop, will widen The central roadway the thereby narrowing the dividing island between and the service road, to accom- central roadway The trees in the planted buses pulling out of the traffic flow. modate the traffic and buildings, filtering islands will serve as buffers between natural addi- some of the noise and dust of the traffic and providing a tion to the sidewalks and bike lanes. Nine hundred 900 trees will shade the new Briarcliff and North Druid Hills Boulevards. The servicevery roads will be different from the central roadways. Bounded on the outside by a protected bike lane and a pedestrian side- users – not just motorists. types of several walk, they will accommodate for a place to park, All traffic will be strictly local: motorists looking pe- to Kittredge Park. on their way destrians walking to a store, and cyclists alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// the plan 64 congestion and connectivity tions untothemselves. are destina- OR, Street inPortland, figure 5.10 Great streets, like Yamhill Vehicular traffic is the issueaboutwhichresidentsofBriarcliff– it illustrates clearlythepower very ofanarticulated network. Ruin: An Introduction toSprawl andHowtoCure It The diagramtotheright,derived from DomNozzi’s book, outside theneighborhood. nect destinations withintheareaandprovideaccesstodestinations for motorists,andtheresultisanoverload onthefewroads that con- nowhere buttothehousesthatstreetslimit options lineit.Dead-end streetmay begenerouslyproportionedfor– adead-end cars,butitleads A streetderives mostofitsvalue fromthenetwork towhichitconnects lack ofatrueroadnetwork. on BriarcliffandNorthDruidHillsRoadsresultsdirectlyfromthearea’s meetings andonthepublicparticipation website. Thetrafficcongestion North DruidHillsexpressedthemostconcernat themonthlyopen , ispurelyhypothetical. But The Roadto a new public realm for dekalb county /// the plan alex garvin & associates, inc. 65 B Here, there are 184,756 routes from A to B. routes from Here, there are 184,756 Twenty routes from A to B. routes from Twenty There are two routes from point A to point B, only point A to point routes from two There are and right. moving down A to B. Six routes from B B The The B A A A A Source: Dom Nozzi, Dom Nozzi, Source: figure 5.11 figure 5.11 An Introduction to Sprawl Road to Ruin: and How to Cure It. alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// the plan 66 and bicyclelanes. new networkwillcontainsidewalks figure 5.12 networks sidewalk andbikelane All newstreet typesinthe encourage walkingandbiking asmeaningfulalternatives todriving. partoftheneighborhood. Onlysuchanextensiveevery network will will create acomprehensive walkingandbiking network connecting walk andbikelaneinitsdesign because, taken together, thenewroads incorporates abroadside- newstreettypedescribedonpgs68–71 Every restaurant, orexercise. rands, visitthedoctor, attend gotodinnerat religiousservices, alocal a convenient way tovisittheirneighbors,go to thepark,runquicker- networks mustbeascompletepossible–to provideallpeoplewith more funthandrivingacar. That iswhy bothpedestrian andbicycle more convenient, lessexpensive, healthier, moresociable,or simply tation, thereasonsfor theirpopularityarenumerous:theyeasier, In places wherewalking andbikingarecommonforms oftranspor- a new public realm for dekalb county /// the plan alex garvin & associates, inc. 67 This separated bike lane four road types road four figure 5.13 and pleas- is safe Austria, Vienna, in Such a system in Briarcliff–Northant. Druid Hills will make cycling a viable on short local residents option for trips. , Only extensive sidewalk and Only extensive will offer networks bicycle to and encourage alternatives driving. residential streets residential , boulevards .) Each of them contains a dif- park drives . (The previous section on the improvements . (The previous section on the improvements park drives , and Comprehensive, safe networks for biking and for safe networks Comprehensive, But overnight. cannot be created walking generally be Hills is likely to Druid much of Briarcliff–North future. Thus, every in the foreseeable redeveloped the redevelopment is developed time a large property sidewalks and protected bike will include authority it builds. road that new lanes on any lanes that AGAThe bicycle are like recommends Amsterdam, and oth- Vienna, those in Copenhagen, the sidewalks run between er European cities: they the bike lanes Moreover, and the on-street parking. door to open (about a car for are all wide enough with- to pass by comfortably three feet) and a cyclist Other design out hitting or being hit by the door. height differential are possible, such as a variations the bike lane and both the sidewalk and the between road bed. will not replace driving as and walking Bicycling this part the predominant means of getting around but the existence of genuine bike of DeKalb County, will provide residents with choices they lane and sidewalk networks and conve- offer health, economy, currently do not enjoy – choices that nience. balances of activities and func- Different streets possess different four main types of roads, have tions. Briarcliff–North Druid Hills will each with its own character and purpose: to Kittredge Park introduces the retail streets retail ferent mixture of the same basic elements – vehicle – vehicle ferent mixture of the same basic elements lanes, on-street parking, sidewalks, protected bicycle lanes, and street trees and landscaping. alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// the plan 68 Park Drives figure 5.14 (top) andfigure5.15 (bottom) 4 3 2 1 Tree pits protrudingintotheparkinglanesat regularintervals notonly speeds constraints, therebyencouraging motoriststodrive at appropriate to accommodate newtrees,butalsotocreate theperceptionofperiodic One separated bikelaneontheparkside Sidewalks onbothsides One laneineachdirection;on-streetparkingonbothsides the following: is toprovideaccessparkland.Otherfeatures ofthe theirpurpose,inpart, site oftheparkland. As discussedonpgs60–61, wide The 60-foot park drives borderparkland;buildingslinethesideoppo- park drives include a new public realm for dekalb county /// the plan alex garvin & associates, inc. 69 residential streets figure 5.16 (top) and figure 5.17 (bottom) and figure 5.17 (top) figure 5.16 are 60 feet wide and will be lined on both sides with residential streets residential accommodate new trees, but also to encourage motorists to drive at ap- at new trees, but also to encourage motorists to drive accommodate periodic constraints they perceive speeds because propriate buildings. These streets include: light traffic will be relatively bike lane, since bicycle One two-way Sidewalks on each side serve all of the buildings The Tree pits jutting into the parking lanes at regular intervals not only to regular intervals pits jutting into the parking lanes at Tree 1 2 3 alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// the plan 70 boulevards figure 5.18 (top) andfigure5.19 (bottom) 4 3 2 1 A centralroadway for regionaltrafficandslower-moving accessroads, Ample sidewalksandbikelanesbothsides Hills Roadsinto Please seeadescriptionofthe conversion ofBriarcliffand North Druid with on-streetparking,for localtraffic Four rows oftreesandotherplantings interrupting othertraffic Bus stopsthat allowbusestopickupanddropoffpassengerswithout vehicular trafficincludethe followingcharacteristics: The boulevards , whichare148feetwide,separate localfromregional boulevards onpg62. a new public realm for dekalb county /// the plan alex garvin & associates, inc. 71 retail streets retail figure 5.20 (top) and figure 5.21 (bottom) and figure 5.21 figure 5.20 (top) . Their characteristics include: are 114 feet wide, and are designed to accommodate and are 114 feet wide, and are designed to accommodate retail streets retail for shoppers on one side of the street to look across and see merchandise for in the shops on the opposite side Protected bike lanes, serving both directions Four lanes of automobile traffic – two in each direction traffic – Four lanes of automobile large numbers of pedestrians Wide sidewalks to accommodate encourage more bustle, more traffic, and more pedestrians than the streets residential The Angled parking to serve the stores in the parking area, spaced widely enough regular intervals pits at Tree 1 2 3 5 4 alex garvin & associates, inc. 72 Appropriate Lane Widths balanced streets Today, newstreetsareoftendesignedwith12-foot lanes,thestandard feature narrower vehicular travel lanes. hood. Consequently, thefour newroadtypesdescribedonpgs68–71 of trafficaccidents,andare unrelated tothesurroundingneighbor- waste valuable space,encourage carstodrive toofast,increasethe risk ment suchasBriarcliff–North DruidHillsbecause suchwidelanes trucks quickly, but itdoesnotmakesenseinamorecrowded environ- sense for ahighway inopencountry, wherethepurposeistomove width usedfor thefederalInterstate Highway System.Thismay make under “Sidewalks andBikeLaneNetworks.” bike lanesarealsocrucialelements;thesediscussedon pgs66–67, street parking,andtrees. Ample sidewalksandsafe,convenient uses besidesmovingvehicular traffic: appropriate lanewidths,on- help tipthebalanceofBriarcliff–NorthDruidHills’roadstowardother accommodating muchmorethancirculation. Threemainelementswill torists movingfrompoint A topointB, theyaregreat publicspaces, communities. Notonlydotheyservepedestrians,cyclists, andmo- the publicrealm;great streetsplay avariety ofcomplexrolesinour Streets aresome of the mostpervasive andimportantelementsof parked carsandvehicular traffic. bite inacafé, strolling, aswell asfor people windowshopping, having a that amelioratetheenvironment for one inDecatur, have room for trees figure 5.22 Somestreets, likethis a new public realm for dekalb county /// the plan alex garvin & associates, inc. 73 Street Trees Street Omaha and other cities On-Street Parking On-Street figure 5.23 trees, street in planting invested have absorb storm- which filter the air, and moderate shade, provide water, ambient air temperature. are , the two in- , the two park drives boulevards and the residential streets residential are also 10 feet wide, since these are busy streets that since these are busy streets that are also 10 feet wide, ’ service road lanes also are nine feet wide for the same rea- ’ service nine feet wide for road lanes also are retail streets retail boulevards The widths of vehicle lanes are intended to move traffic at speeds that at speeds traffic to move lanes are intended vehicle of The widths Thus, on the their contexts. for are appropriate ner lanes within the central roadways are 10 feet wide – wide enough feet wide – wide enough are 10 within the central roadways ner lanes a suit- which is 35 miles an hour, at about traffic move to smoothly in the central outer lanes (The two regional roadways. able speed for lanes The buses more easily.) feet wide to accommodate are 11 roadways on the The significant traffic. will have – there is already more than enough off-street parking in enormous – there is already on-street parking serves a number of functions. parking lots. However, their people to leave Providing places to park on the street encourages the street and suggests a cars, get out, and walk around – it enlivens change in character to a more street-oriented, walkable setting. By con- to people driving to and parking trast, off-street parking is better suited a separation Parked cars also create individually. every destination at realm, protecting people on traffic and the non-vehicular between from moving cars. and sidewalks bicycles They absorb carbon dioxide The impacts of trees are widely understood. provide shade, soak up stormwater, and pollutants, trap particulates, help The new street trees will ambient temperatures. and moderate Briarcliff–North Druid Hills, and restore some of the extensive beautify Atlanta metropolitan region an made this part of the once greenery that especially appealing place to live. intended to be slow and quiet; consequently, they have nine-foot lanes. they have and quiet; consequently, intended to be slow speeds. at moderate will encourage motorists to drive The narrow lanes The by pedestrians son, since the service are intended to be dominated roads not cars. and bicyclists, At first glance, on-street parking might seem redundant for this area seem redundant for At first glance, on-street parking might alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// the plan 74 without theunderpass. study ofbuildingtheroundabout figure 5.25 neath theroundabout. Druid HillsBoulevard willpassunder- figure 5.24 The Roundabout Two lanesoftheNorth aga recommends further recommends further aga (Figure 5.24)andonewithout (Figure5.25). Although theroundabout Two roundaboutdesigns arepresentedhere:onewithanunderpass space. addition, theinteriorofroundaboutwillbeanew, centralpublic – aswell asbikeandpedestriantraffic –safelyandefficiently. In roundabout willbeanimportantsteptowardhandlingvehicular traffic them willimprove trafficflow. Still,converting theintersectionintoa to gothroughthisintersection,siphoningoffeven asmallfractionof Druid HillsRoads,andalthoughthemajorityofvehicles may continue available for motoriststoavoid theintersectionofBriarcliff andNorth M anycomplaints about traffic congestioninthearea center ontheintersectionofNorthDruidHillsandBriarcliff Roads. Thenewnetwork ofstreetswillmake newroutes a new public realm for dekalb county /// the plan alex garvin & associates, inc. 75 The intersection of Briar- figure 5.26 cliff and North Druid Hills Roads will This be converted into a roundabout. new configuration will ease vehicular and pro- safety, improve congestion, vide a new destination in the area. points out, usdot) usdot) Low Moderate High Public Acceptance of Roundabouts Public Acceptance Before ConstructionBefore After Construction 29% 3% 59% 42% 12% 55% with an underpass is the primary proposal, AGA strongly recommends be roundabout with no underpass, which would of the further study to construct. much less expensive typically resist new roundabouts in the United States Communities they confuse them with “modern roundabouts”) because (known as as people become familiar older traffic circles. But across the country, A New about them. positive with roundabouts, they are increasingly public opinion found survey of Transportation Department of State York the following: the roundabout is one of three types of circular intersections. The other are neighborhood traffic Americans are familiar, with which most two, circles, which are on local streets and are very small, and old-style ro- prior to the 1960s and United States common in the taries, which were characteristics: Roundabouts exhibit the following still exist today. As the United States Department of Transportation ( Transportation Department of As the United States alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// the plan 76 into aroundabout. DruidHillsRoads Briarcliff andNorth conversion oftheintersection figure 5.27 Before andafterthe 4 3 2 1 Traffic flows moreconsistently Vehicles enteringthecircleare “channelized,” orguidedwith physical Vehicles inthecirclehave therightofway –vehicles enteringthecircle roundabout’s risingpopularity, saying that they: Hampshire, Texas, andotherstates. The ing. Theyareusedin Colorado, Mississippi, New Florida,Maryland, The numberofmodernroundaboutsintheUnitedStates isgrow- efficiency because ofshorterdistancesbetween vehicles The circle’s radiusisdesignedtoslowtraffic down,therebyincreasing features suchasbollardsortrafficislands yield 1 ans, children,andimpairedpersons; Reduce crashseverity for pedestriansandbicyclists, includingolderpedestri- USDOT sums upreasonsfor the a new public realm for dekalb county /// the plan alex garvin & associates, inc. 77 and from I-85 and from Improved Access Improved to

elimination of the bump-outelimination where the north-bound exit sary: (1) new turn-off the (2) Park Drive; lanes into Executive

Reduction of All Crashes: 39% Reduction of All Injuries Resulting from Crashes: 75% Reduction of Injuries Resulting from Crashes: 89% Reduction of Serious and Fatal Provide more time for all users to detect and correct for their mistakes or their mistakes and correct for all users to detect time for Provide more mistakes of others; and and less severe; Make collisions less frequent novice users. safer for Make the intersection Provide more time for entering drivers to judge, adjust speed for, and enter a for, to judge, adjust speed entering drivers time for Provide more traffic; gap in circulating Allow safer merges into circulating traffic; merges into circulating Allow safer 2 3 5 4

6 ajor improvements in access to and from I-85 are neces- in access ajor improvements M of the ramp from I-85 reaches North Druid Hills Road; (3) the conversion I-85 service service; two-way road north of North Druid Hills Road to Drive. Tullie and (4) a new street leading to the service road from HRPT, this is interested in redeveloping Park, the owner of Executive zon- will require rezoning, and the new office park. This redevelopment to the public improvements ing requirements should be based on the including the construction of a pair of realm described in this chapter, new turn-off lanes from I-85. These new turn-off will lead directly lanes allowing motorists from the I-85 Park Drive, off-ramp onto Executive Park and toward points south of the Briarcliff– heading into Executive North Druid Hills intersection (such as Emory and the CDC) the to avoid “bump-out” Trust the in front of the Sun Also, intersection entirely. east. to smoothen traffic traveling Bank will be eliminated its owner property, Tower the BellSouth of As part of the redevelopment road through the property to allow the construction of a new will have Road to the I-85 road. The current underpass access Tullie connecting and made more ac- will be improved Way, Valley under I-85, near Cliff throughout the en- vehicles As a result of these improvements, cessible. tire northeastern quadrant will be able to enter onto I-85 northbound, quadrant and motorists from I-85 northbound will be able to reach that – all without touching North Druid Hills Road or its intersection with Briarcliff Road. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety provides more specific in- Safety provides more specific Highway for The Insurance Institute Institute analyzed 23 intersections In 2001, the about safety. formation the conversions that roundabouts, and found into converted were that reductions: led to the following alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// the plan 78 2 Appendix Ffeatures more information aboutBRT. Public Transit way roads roads. totwo-way new trafficlights, andchangingone- I-85 includenewconnectingroads, figure 5.28 Workforce Housing Access improvements to Proposed trafficlight traffic New two-way traffic One-way Two-way traffic New roadway Road toberemoved Existing roadway government programsorfromnon-profitagencies.Thisisrarely spectrum. Theusualsolution isasubsidy –fromfederalorstate build at prices that areaffordabletothelower endoftheeconomic A s the population ofDeKalbCountygrows andbecomes connect localdestinations. The newlocalbusrouteinBriarcliff–NorthDruidHills(Figure 5.30) will it ismuchcheapertobuildandoperate thanarailtransitsystem.² ence delays, therebymakingitanattractive alternative todriving. Also, routes even doesnotexperi- have signalpriorityat intersections.BRT buses, andstations wherepassengerspay before boarding.SomeBRT usesdedicated lanes,low-floor route.BRT a BusRapid Transit (BRT) recommendsstudying thepossibilityofconverting therouteinto AGA regional destinations: LindbergStation University. andEmory express busroute(Figure5.29)willconnecttheareatotwo major regional, expressbusroutewillserveBriarcliff–NorthDruidHills.The ties for moretransitmay growwiththem. A newlocalanda transit system,pocketsofgreater densityareevolving, andopportuni- public contend, toodispersedtosupportaheavily used,large-scale W ellrun transit routes that attract userswillease I-85 increasingly diverse, therewillbemore demandfor housing at every pricepoint.Privateevery developers are increasinglyunableto While the Atlanta regionasawholemay be,assome automobile congestionintheareagenerated bylocaltrips. ot ri il odBriarcliff Road DruidHillsRoad North a new public realm for dekalb county /// the plan alex garvin & associates, inc. 79 Existing roadway Road to be removed New roadway traffic Two-way One-way traffic New two-way traffic traffic light Proposed A new local bus route A new local bus route A new express bus route bus route express A new Public Realm Protecting the the Protecting figure 5.30 bus route will connect to the express passengers at two points and provide with easy access to local destinations. figure 5.29 destinations. regional will link major North Druid Hills Road Road and Briarcliff intersection Emory University 1.0 miles 1.0 miles 0.5 Briarcliff Road Briarcliff

I-85 North Road Druid Hills he quality of life in any community is determined by the of life in any he quality quality of its public realm. But the quality of that public realm is quality of its public realm. But the quality of that of the graciousness of its sidewalks, the utility not just a matter

Lindberg Station Lindberg T reliable, because so little money is available from these sources. To the To from these sources. available so little money is reliable, because there are funds remaining after all necessary infrastructure degree that TAD been made, have improvements should be used to write revenues housing. down the cost of workforce of its bikeways, the attractiveness of its street trees, or the charm of its the attractiveness of its bikeways, parks. The public realm is also affected by the character of the buildings alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// the plan 80 3 See Appendix E. SeeAppendix 4 3 2 1 ments willoverpower theirneighborhood.Consequently, thezoning publicmeeting, residentsexpressedconcernthatAt every new develop- land. include parallelparking,sidewalks,andbicycle paths liningany park- earlier inthischapter. ParkDrives that Itrequires the60-foot-wide The zoningoverlay district providesthepublicaccesstoparksdescribed less than200feetapart. ence ofstreetswiththeboulevards byrequiringthat thesestreetsbeno peak hours.Thezoningoverlay districtalsoprevents toomuchinterfer- this providesalternative routes,andwillhelprelieve congestionduring requires streetstointersecttheboulevards at anaverage of750feet; from BriarcliffandNorthDruidHillsRoads.Thezoning overlay district Currently, automobiles andbicycles mustenterandexitlocalstreets use buildingsnottoexceed240feet. buildings, withresidentialbuildingsnottoexceed210feetandmixed- the righttodevote upto8%ofpropertieslargerthanﬁve acrestotaller quently, thezoningoverlay districtalsoprovidespropertyownerswith much, andwould precludeagreater variety ofbuildingtypes.Conse- 688 acresofBriarcliff–NorthDruidHills would limitdevelopment too at sixstories.However, rigidlymaintainingthat height over theentire of thepublicrealm.Theproposedzoningoverlay limitstheirheights The buildingsframingroadsandliningpublicparksaffectthecharacter properties Does notovershadow theoccupantsofexisting,adjacentsmall-scale Provides sufficientaccesstoadjacentpublicparks rather thanconcentrate traffic Provides enoughaccesspointsfromexistingpublicroadstodiffuse Provides anappropriate framefor thepublicrealm the publicrealmbyensuringthat newdevelopment:³ recommendsaregearedtowardshapingandprotecting tions that AGA in theway ofnoticeablepublicbeneﬁt.Instead,thefollowing regula- arbitrarily limitingpropertyowners’optionswithoutprovidingmuch generally regulate what canbebuiltonprivate property, sometimes This isnottheapproachtypicallytakenbybuildingregulations, which developments. private development, thepublicrealm,andexistingresidential report alsoincludesregulations toguidetherelationship between new the ways inwhichtheyinteractwithoneanother. Consequently, this that encloseit,theactivitiesthat takeplaceonthoseproperties,and a new public realm for dekalb county /// the plan alex garvin & associates, inc. 81 The Briarcliff–North Conclusion figure 5.31 Druid Hills plan includes a buffer be- single-family existing, tween homes and buildings taller than 35 feet. tions, please see the full, proposed proposed please see the full, tions, district in the zoning overlay text for Appendix E. For more detail about these regula- For more 4

Boundary of single-family properties residential single-family setback from properties400-foot residential

he guiding principles established at the very ﬁrst public at he guiding principles established

meeting have shaped all these proposals. They require a public shaped all these proposals. meeting have all at pedestrians safe access for provides universal, realm that T overlay district provides specific setback requirements for construction setback requirements for district provides specific overlay on properties abutting one-family residential areas. In addition to the nothing district specifies that setback requirements, the zoning overlay single-family 400 feet of any taller than six stories can be built within property zoned R-A5, R-A8, R-100, R-85, R-75, R-60, or R-50.⁴ hours of the day; recreational opportunities for all ages; mass transit all ages; opportunities for recreational hours of the day; expanded circulation motor vehicles; to private alternatives and bicycle opportunities within the area; and easy access to and from regional will be planted trees 3,000 time, more than routes. Over transportation alone. in Briarcliff–North Druid Hills, 900 on the new boulevards will be strictly limited and accompanied by addi- Impervious paving to the tional planted areas to absorb run-off. All these improvements a much im- and healthier environment area will guarantee a safer, who visits anybody but for residents quality of life, not only for proved this community. 0Implementation6

Introduction t has been nearly a century since Daniel Burnham and Edward Bennett produced The Plan of Chicago, the ﬁrst comprehensive plan for Iany American city. Since then master plans have been issued for virtually every city in the land. Very few, however, have been implemented.

There are many reasons plans do not become reality. Often, the reason is that property owners are unwilling to take the recommended actions or that they are unprepared to pay for recommended actions – or else no- body is empowered to carry them out. Other times, plans do not become reality because there is insufficient public support.

The planning process in Briarcliff–North Druid Hills began with large property owners who wanted to change things and public officials who were insistent that any changes had to be of beneﬁt to the community. 82 The public and most stakeholders were involved in every step of this process; among those who participated were the owners or potential owners of Executive Park, the Park at Briarcliff and the adjacent Board of Education properties, the BellSouth Tower, Loehmann’s Shopping Center, and Children’s Health Care. Consequently, AGA took into account what these and other large property owners are willing to do as well as what they will do if – and only if – the County requires them to do so. The planning process also involved virtually every County agency that will have to be involved in carrying out any recommendations for Briarcliff–North Druid Hills. As a result, AGA also took into account what they will and will not be willing to do. Phase 1 Phase 2

Phase 3 Complete figures 6.1–6.4 The improvements to Briarcliff–North Druid Hills’ public realm will occur in three phases, resulting in a dramatic transformation. alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// implementation 84 Finance Allocation District andTaxAuthority Redevelopment Capital Costs: improvements tothepublicrealmbe$135–$185million. estimatesvenient thecostofthesecapital andattractive place.AGA make Briarcliff–NorthDruidHillsahealthier, safer, andmorecon- & Garvin Associates recommendsactionsfor DeKalbCounty that will Owners willcontinuetomakechangesthearea. Accordingly, Alex is already underway. apartments. Currentactivityclearlydemonstrates that SecondGrowth property toGablesResidential,whichisusingthesitebuildmore Properties Trust, theownerofExecutive Park,hassoldaportionofthe recommendations areimplemented. or notAGA’s Already, HRPT differentplaceevenfact, itwillbeavery five years fromnow–whether Briarcliff–North DruidHillswillnotbethesame20 years fromnow. In Because ofwhat somelargepropertyownersarealready planningtodo, T DeKalb County, the maximum life span of a TAD is25years. DeKalb County, themaximumlifespanofa TAD jurisdictions continuetocollect revenues at their originallevels. In fundthose improvements, andthetaxing enues fromoutsidethe TAD to pay for newinfrastructurewithin the Therefore, notaxrev- TAD. used (1)topay for capitalimprovements and (2)topay offbondsissued theadditionalrevenues are increase inpropertyvalues withinthe TAD, at thetimeofformation Iftaxrevenues growfroman ofthe TAD. into thetaxingjurisdictions’budgetsat thesameamountcollected any increaseintaxrevenues. Existingtaxrevenues continuetoflow isaphysical areadesignated tofunddevelopmentments. from A TAD as a Tax Allocation tofinancethesecapitalimprove- District,or TAD, issuing authority toimplementthepublicrealm improvements, aswell rezoning –DeKalbCounty create aredevelopment authority withbond off, fromtheadditionaltaxrevenue. pation ofthat revenue.onthebondswillberetired,orpaid Debtservice projecting theprobablestreamofrevenue andissuingbondsinantici- use theseprojectedadditionaltaxestofinancetheimprovements by erate higherrealestate taxrevenues. Theredevelopment authority will real estate values withintheredevelopment areatorise,andthusgen- these capitalimprovements, investment inthepublicrealmwillcause there willbeopportunitiesfor State andFederalfundingtosupport development potentialthat thecapitalimprovements willspur. While The obviousway tofinancecapitalcostsistapintothetremendous pick-up, security, etc. operating costs–thetreepruning,streetlightmaintenance,trash new trees,theparkrenovations, andsoforth; andmaintenance AGA recommends that,AGA before anything else–even any necessary struction ofnewroads,bikelanes,andsidewalks,theplanting mendations: thecapitalcostsofnewinfrastructure–con- here are two main financial components to AGA’s recom- here are mainfinancial componentstwo toAGA’s a new public realm for dekalb county /// implementation alex garvin & associates, inc. 85 The proposed Briarcliff- The proposed figure 6.5 Allocation NorthTax Druid Hills District. pounded annual growth rate, with a total 7,213.5% rate of appreciation. of appreciation. rate with a total 7,213.5% pounded annual growth rate, of the district’s creation: creation before annual rate The estimated 6.9%. TAD,Area and Princeton Lakes Redevelopment which has benefited has appreciation Total from a 152.9% compounded annual growth rate. the district’s creation: before annual rate The estimated been 10,246.5%. 10.8%. TADs Mall/Columbia Avondale There are two County: the in DeKalb TAD Drive TAD. and the Kensington/Memorial Drive While there is no has drive Mall/Columbia Avondale measurable history Kensington, for The Livable Communities Coalition recently published a study on recently published a study Coalition Communities The Livable TADs 27 Georgia’s cities – in 1999. Four – the first of which was created TAD issued Atlanta, East Point, and Marietta – have Acworth, bonds. In Atlanta metropolitan region, they include: the TAD–Perry/Bolton,Area and Atlanta Redevelopment which Northwest in property has recently seen a 21.2% compounded annual growth rate there has been 199.7%. The annual appre- appreciation Total valuation. 10.8%. the district’s creation: there before rate ciation Atlantic Steel TADAtlantic Steel a 65.4% com- which has enjoyed (Atlantic Station), 1 2 3 alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// implementation 86 1 Any fundsremaining aftercapital 1 District (CID) Community Improvement Operations Costs: Maintenance and workforce housing. the constructionofaffordable and improvements willbedevoted to In DeKalbCounty, a Improvement Districthasreleasedstudies onparking. enue tofund “the Buc,”afreetransitshuttle.The AtlantaDowntown CIDhasusedpartofitsrev- for trafficandpedestrians.TheBuckhead CID, for In Atlanta, tation, security, andgeneralmaintenanceoperations. excess oftheirnormalrealestate canincludesani- taxes.Theseservices within adefinedareathroughanagreed-uponannualassessment in allows theparticipantstopay for providedincommon services A CID self-taxing districtcalleda “Community Improvement District,”orCID. recommends that commercialpropertyownersintheareaform a AGA through aself-imposed,self-regulated mercial propertyinaprescribed areavote tocreate it. owners controlling75%ormore ofthetotalassessedvalue ofcom- timing ofthoseimprovements. ments is$135–$185million,dependingontheimprovements andthe As showninthetablebelow, thetotalestimated costoftheimprove- vidual properties. the creek,willbetimedtocoincidewithredevelopment ofindi- Kittredge Park.Otherimprovements, suchastheparkextensionalong roundabout, andimplementingamasterplanfor theimprovement of ing BriarcliffandNorthDruidHillsRoadsintoboulevards, creating the transform- properties inthearea:improvingaccesstoandfromI-85, firstrevenues willpay for improvements thatTheTAD’s willbenefitall proposed development willgenerate $16millionintaxesperyear. enormous. Forexample,theSemblerCompany isprojectingthat its of Briarcliff–NorthDruidHills.Thepotentiallevel offundingcouldbe covering theentire area recommendsthecreation ofasingle TAD AGA nual rate is9.0%); itstotalappreciation hasbeen345.3% estimated an- seen a20%compoundedannualgrowthrate (thepre-TAD oa $135–$185 $50–$60 $5–$10 $15–$20 $15–$25 $40–$50 $10–$20 Total I-85 Access Improvements Street, Pedestrian,BikeNetwork Boulevards Utility Lines Burying New Parkland Kittredge ParkImprovements Estimated PublicRealmImprovement Costs(inmillions)¹ example, hasdevoted mostofitsfunds toimprovingconditions CIDs have CID is f performed avariety offunctions.ThePerimeter ormed when50%ormoreofthe property ad valorem realestate tax,and CIDs are funded a new public realm for dekalb county /// implementation alex garvin & associates, inc. 87 and I-85 DeKalb DepartmentWorks of Public which State Road 42, will acquire includes North Druid Hills Road from and Briarcliff Road, I-85 to Briarcliff NorthRoad from Druid Hills Road on Department the Georgia from south, as partTransportation of a road of swap. Prior to this property the acquisition, The Boulevards, The Boulevards, 2 the Roundabout, the Roundabout, Bicycle Networks The Park Network The Pedestrian and North ROW on ROW on will be responsible for their mainte-will be responsible for CID

$10 – $20 million. The extension of the park will require $10 – $20 million. The he new boulevards will require a 48–50-foot will require expansion of the he new boulevards he installation of new sidewalks and bicycle lanes will be the of new sidewalks and bicycle he installation improvements outlined in the previous chapter is estimated at at outlined in the previous chapter is estimated improvements existing Briarcliff and North Druid Hills Roads rights-of-way (ROWs). AGA acquire by condemnation the County proposes that responsibility of the redevelopment authority and will be paid for and will be paid for authority responsibility of the redevelopment TADout of The revenues.

acquisition of the creek that currently flows through the Park at the Park at through flows currently that acquisition of the creek Executive the Gables development, Athletic Club Northeast, Briarcliff, Road. Park, and the parking lot on Briarcliff AGA the current and future property owners will donate assumes that creek buffers and 75-foot the two land along the creek to accommodate 60-foot rights-of-way (ROWs), Park Drive the two if and when they obtain the necessary rezoning and proceed with their proposed develop- Briarcliff to purchase the land between County will have ments. The will contribute the remaining and Sheridan Roads. Other developers of the park Property acquisition and design and development property. will be paid out of $25–$40 million and extension will total an estimated proceeds. tad Druid Hills Road between Briarcliff Road and Holly Lane should be Briarcliff Druid Hills Road between the north side as is.² acquired on the south side of the road, leaving cost of the acquisition, design, and construction of the The estimated au- and roundabout is $50–$60boulevards million. The redevelopment all construction, with financing from the thority will be responsible for TAD. The CID and roundabout. the boulevards will maintain authority will also acquire the land necessaryfor the The redevelopment 25 feet on either side of Briarcliff Road, from the southern edge of the Briarcliff to Childerlee Lane, and 25 feet on either side of North Park at A 50-footDruid Hills Road, from I-85 to Briarcliff Road. nance. The previous plan chapter establishes the dimensions of nance. The previous plan chapter establishes retail, and mixed-use sidewalks and bike lanes adjacent to residential, buildings. T T K their governing boards are comprised of nine members. Two of these Two members. are comprised of nine boards their governing County; of DeKalb authority governing appointed by the directors are area. Of owners in the elected by the property are seven the remaining voting electors present and by a majority of one is elected those seven, by the per elector; the other six are elected with one vote a caucus, at (or per $1,000 with one vote present and voting, majority of electors fraction thereof) value. of assessed taxable property County-owned. is already The cost of the ittredge park alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// implementation 88 Next Steps Staging The RoadNetwork the orderinwhichtheyarelisted: this inmind,we recommendthat thefollowing five actionsbetakenin evolution byoutliningtheframework for that changetooccur. With factors. Thebestplansarethosethat areready toaccommodate future in circumstances,marketdemand,priorities,andcountlessother Hills, butonlyastartingpoint. A planwillalways evolve duetochanges llnewroads androad improvements, withtheexceptionof lanestobe$5–$10million. cost oftheturn-off AGA estimates thetotal lanes. willmaintaintheturn-off CID tion. The willfinanceacquisitionandconstruc- the newlanes.Here,too, the TAD andExecutive lanesbetween ParkDrive, I-85 andwillinstall turn-off P T A lanningisanongoingprocess–therenosuchthingasa development ofthenorthernpartBriarcliff–NorthDruidHills. public investment inthesouthernportionofareawillprecede by Children’s Healthcare, Loehmann’s, and Target. Consequently, long before thepossibleredevelopment ofthepropertiesnowoccupied projections. However, itisclearthat several propertyownerswillact densities, andlanduseswillreachthepropertyowners’current private development willproceed,norisitclearwhetherthesizes, and creating theroundabout. At thistimeitisnotevidenthowquickly transforming BriarcliffandNorthDruidHillsRoadsintoboulevards, structure investments willconsistofimprovingaccesstoandfromI-85, agreement with the CID tomaintainthemaspublic agreement withtheCID ownership oftheroadstoDeKalbCounty, whichwillenterintoan built bytheredevelopment authority. The authority willconvey dimensional requirementsoutlinedinthepreviouschapterandwillbe opment oftheadjacentproperties.Theroadswillhave tomeetthe Step 1. The DeKalb County Commission (withapproval of theBoard starting pointfor futureplanningeffortsinBriarcliff–NorthDruid redevelopment proceeds. As explainedabove, theinitialinfra- recommended inthepreviouschaptercanonlyberaisedif fixed plan.Theproposalsinthisdocumentprovideanimportant boulevards and the turn-off lanes between I-85 andExecutive lanesbetween boulevards I-85 andtheturn-off he moneyneededtomakethemajorcapitalimprovements Park Drive, willbeimplementedsimultaneouslywithredevel- bonds. ensure themaximumpossible incrementavailable toissue the basepropertytaxlevels areaslowpossible.Thiswill ated, ifat allpossible,before theendoffiscalyear, sothat analysis, aswell shouldbecre- aslegalpreparation. TheTAD implement them.Thiswillrequirefinancialandeconomic public realmproposalsandaredevelopment authority to topayof Education) for therecommended establishesthe TAD ROWs. a new public realm for dekalb county /// implementation alex garvin & associates, inc. 89 impact studies of the public realm improvements in order for in order for improvements of the public realm impact studies and to reviews and State regional, County, them to satisfy the and amendments to such as rezoning actions qualify for Regional Atlanta and the Plan Transportation DeKalb County Program. Improvement Transportation Commission improve- Program to reflect the transportation Improvement and to State improvements Also, 5. ments outlined in Chapter and Federal review. to State Federal roads are subject it adopts AGA’s realm and the public proposals to improve for the basis rezones the area. This rezoning will become in Briarcliff–North Druid Hills. The all future development as possible should enact the rezoning as rapidly Commission of and the creation the infrastructure improvements because the CID depend on it. and a master plan all public realm improvements studies for work will include establishing more Kittredge Park. This for out design details, and specifying exact dimensions, working must be used to construct the roads. How- that the materials carrydesign the authority out this it is essential that ever, in accordance with the principles laid and engineering work it continue to advocate out in the previous chapter and that to these principles. conformity strenuously for realm improvements. to begin on sidewalk it will allow work important because along and minor improvements remediation repairs, and for the creek and in Kittredge Park. step 2. The redevelopment authority commissions environmental environmental authority commissions redevelopment The step 2. Transportation Commission amends the Atlanta Regional The step 3. TAD, the created has Commission Once the DeKalb County Step 4. authority commissions engineering The redevelopment Step 5. authority begins to implement the public The redevelopment Step 6. This is the cid. to establish Property owners in the area vote Step 7. 90 figures 6.6 (left) and 6.7 (right) Briarcliff Road can be retrofitted with a public realm that will transform this regional traffic artery from a place that is avoided by anybody who is not in a car, into a pleasant destination for many outdoor activities.

91 07 Conclusion hen we step out onto a street, the public realm sur- rounds us. It pervades our experience of a place and provides Wthe framework around which all other development occurs.

What is happening in DeKalb is happening across the country. But DeKalb now has a particular opportunity in the inevitable progress of suburban Second Growth. It can become the proving ground for a new model of planning in the twenty-ﬁrst century. A prototype for all communities, it will show how to build great communities from proliferating sprawl that has left a legacy of problems on the American landscape. The problems of sprawl must be solved if DeKalb County is to avoid even worse problems that will accompany the coming Second Growth surge.

The inspiration for this approach comes from the public realms of the world’s great cities. The expanded park system, bustling sidewalks, safe bicycle network, hierarchy of connected streets, roundabout, better connections to I-85, improved transit service, are are grafted, retuned, and tailored to the speciﬁc requirements of DeKalb County. They are not just copied from other places, but made to ﬁt the goals and process of development here for the residents of this neighborhood.

This collaborative, public process is also a prototype for a different kind of planning, in which the public, the developers, and city officials work together from the very beginning for the good of all. It demonstrates 92 that common ground and common goals can be the best foundation for planning in the twenty-ﬁrst century. The public realm is the physical manifestation of this process. But it is not enough to dream and plan together. The ﬁnancial framework must also be in place to make that public realm.

Should DeKalb implement these proposals, the entire country will see an example of how Second Growth can become an asset to a community, how the quality of life directly relates to the quality of the public realm, and how insight into and forethought about public infrastructure can transform a suburb into a great place. a new public realm for dekalb county /// executive summary alex garvin & associates, inc. 93 Axonometric view of the Axonometric figure 7.1 Briarcliff–North for new public realm Druid Hills. alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// appendix a 94 A Commissioner JeffRader, District2 Commissioner KathieGannon, District6 Jim Durrett, Livable CommunitiesCoalition Stakeholder Groups Appendix a new public realm for dekalb county /// appendix a alex garvin & associates, inc. 95 Pete Abernathy, Chick-Fil-A Pete Abernathy, John Baldwin, CHOA Authority Housing Sterling Bethea, DeKalb Plaza, Regency Doug Clyburn, Loehmann’s Company The Sembler Duffy, Heather Company Jeff Fuqua, The Sembler Doug Harrington, CHOA Marvin Properties Isenberg, Piedmont Lewis, DeKalb Board of Education Crawford Bill McGahan, HRPT Lodging Group Pattni Pattni, Vippin Lodging Group Pattni Harish Pattni, HRPTJohn Sullivan, Craig Williams, QuikTrip Association Civic Sheffield Josiah Benator, BZALiz Beyer, Larry Danese, PC Graham Lenne, Sheffield Glenn Hills Jewish Organization Toco Allan Scher, Park Gene Schmidt, LaVista Park Condos Executive Wright, Danny Merry Hills Flo Wolf, Larry Fonts, Chairman Liz Beyer Don Broussard Gary Cornell Larry Danese Debra Edelson Bob Hughes Kelman Paul Dan Reuter Eddie Rhinehart Gene Schmidt Barry Williams Wright Danny Residents Committee Committee Committee Business and Business and Property Owners Technical Review Review Technical alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// appendix b 96 31 May 2007 15 April2007 14 March 2007 B capitalize onopportunities. it haddrawnupsincethepreviousmeetingtoaddressproblems andto sented aseriesofinitialschematic proposalsfor thepublicrealmthat pre- input,AGA Drawing uponthepreviousanalysisandpublic’s Public RealmFramework issues facingthispartofDeKalbCounty. presentedananalysisofthemain dents, andcommunityleaders,AGA and discussionswithlocalpropertyowners,publicservants, localresi- Proceeding fromtwo monthsofsitevisits,reviews ofmapsanddata, Inventory andAnalysis andtheCommissioners. AGA questions of are importanttothem. At theendofmeeting,participantsasked thenaskedparticipantstoprovide examplesofdestinations that AGA encourage environmentally responsible, “green” development. circulation withinitfor multiplemodesoftransportation, and(3)to Framework, (2)toenhanceaccessBriarcliff–NorthDruidHillsand the planningprocess.Theseprinciples were (1)tocreate aPublicRealm analysis ofBriarcliff–NorthDruidHillsandthat would ultimately guide laidoutthebasicplanningprinciples that would underpinthe AGA Guiding Principles Schedule ofPublicMeetings Appendix a new public realm for dekalb county /// appendix b alex garvin & associates, inc. 97 27 June 2007 27 June 2007 06 September 2007 Property Owner Plans Based on feedback from the public and from the stakeholder groups, Based on feedback from the public and AGA a revised master plan to the public. presented Proposed Master Plan and Property Regulations AGA, from the public, presented preliminary feedback incorporating area. the study proposals for Master Plan and Property Regulations Final The major property owners in Briarcliff–North Druid Hills presented The major property owners in Briarcliff–North their properties. their current plans to develop alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// appendix c 98 2. 1. (Choose allthat apply.) Why doyou walk? cant distance(over 1/4 mile)? How oftendoyou walkasignifi- C Total Respondents:202 #1 Public Survey Appendix Sipdti usin 4 198 17% 12% 2% 26% 33 33% 23 90% 51 3 66 179 (Skipped thisquestion) Total Respondents 29% Other (pleasespecify) 57 2 No otherway togetaround 200 Get towork/school 39% Run errands/shop 19% Religious reasons 78 14% Exercise/pleasure 38 27 (Skipped thisquestion) Total Respondents day Every A fewtimesaweek Once ortwiceaweek Less thanonceaweek Response Response Response % Total Response % Total a new public realm for dekalb county /// appendix c alex garvin & associates, inc. 99 Total Total Response % Total Total Response % Total Response % Response Response Response Don’t own a carDon’t Less than one a dayOne to threeFour to sixMore than six RespondentsTotal (Skipped this question) 10 0 5% 0% 87 73 27 197 44% 5 37% 14% Exercise/pleasureRun errands/shopGet to work/school to get aroundNo other way Other (please specify) RespondentsTotal (Skipped this question) 73 2 13 14 91% 13 3% 16% 18% 16% 122 80 NeverLess than once a monthA couple times a month or moreOnce a week Every day RespondentsTotal (Skipped this question) 41 22 21% 7 11% 126 4% 63% 200 2 4 2% .) et cetera How many driving trips do you driving trips do you How many make in a day? the store and back is two To (Note: then dinner then trips; to work home is three; If you bike, why do you bike? do you bike, why If you apply.) all that (Choose How often do you bike? How often do you 3. 5. 4. alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// appendix c 100 8. 6. 7. (Choose allthat apply.) more often? What prevents you frombiking (Choose allthat apply) about thispartofDeKalbCounty? What isyour strongestconcern (Choose allthat apply.) more often? What prevents you fromwalking oa epnet 172 30 54% 93 41% 10% 45% 70 50% 18 77 (Skipped thisquestion) would changethat 86 Total Respondents I justdon’t liketoandnothing No safeorconvenient placetopark No pleasantway orplacetodoso No convenient routes Safety No convenient destinations ocnen 2% 5 197 26% 3 51 29% 48% 12% 58 24% 36% 28% 31% 94 24 38% 48 71 55 62 (Skipped thisquestion) Total Respondents 67% 132 75 15% Other (pleasespecify) 175 89% No concerns 30 Would likecommunitytobemoreattractive 56% Lack ofrecreational opportunities Lack ofplacestobike 110 Lack ofplacestowalk Lack ofthingstodo Lack ofgoodconvenient placestoshop Housing prices 38 164 Lack ofpublicparksandotheramenities 58% Pollution Crime 95 Traffic: Safety 38% Traffic: Congestion 14% 38% 63 20% 23 62 (Skipped thisquestion) would changethat 32 Total Respondents I justdon’t liketoandnothing No safeorconvenient placetopark No pleasantway orplacetodoso No convenient routes Safety No convenient destinations Response Response Response 38% 13 527% 45 Response % Total Response % Total Response % Total a new public realm for dekalb county /// appendix c alex garvin & associates, inc. 101 Total Total Response % Total Response % Total Total Response % Total Response % Response Response Response Response 1-10 minutes10-15 minutes minutes15-20 20-30 minutesMore than 30 minutes RespondentsTotal (Skipped this question) 21 65 8 58 11% 36 35% 31% 188 14 4% 19% 1-10 minutes10-15 minutes minutes15-20 20-30 minutesMore than 30 minutes RespondentsTotal (Skipped this question) 122 48 3 15 63% 6 25% 194 2% 8% 8 3% Less than once a weekOnce a weekA few times a weekEvery day RespondentsTotal (Skipped this question) 6 140 3% 35 72% 195 18% 7 14 7% YesNo RespondentsTotal (Skipped this question) 10 192 103 89 54% 46% How far do you typically drive to typically drive How far do you major purchases? shop for How far do you typically drive to drive typically How far do you groceries and other basic shop for needs? How often do you or someone in How often do you family go shopping? your Have you or anyone you know been know you or anyone you Have over in a traffic accident involved the past year? 9. 11. 12. 10. alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// appendix d 102 1. Please rate thefollowing recommendations regardingtheproposedroadnetwork. (Skipped thisquestion) Total Respondents odajcn oKtrdePr 7 9 7 %1%1893% 118 12% 8% 17% 29% 27% Road adjacenttoKittredgePark onaot3%1%2%8 8 2 94% 120 18% 8% 20% 16% 32% Roundabout ieakntok6%2%6 %2 2 98% 124 2% 2% 6% 24% 64% Sidewalk network iyl ewr 4 8 4 %3 2 95% 121 3% 6% 14% 28% 44% Bicycle network diinlsre ewr 5 1 1 %5 2 95% 121 5% 3% 11% 31% 45% Additional streetnetwork diinlte oe ln od 0 2 %3 %1094% 120 2% 3% 7% 22% 60% Additional treecover alongroads olvrswt evc ae 7 2 7 %9 2 94% 120 9% 9% 17% 22% 37% Boulevards lanes withservice D per question. Note: Percentagesbelowarecalculated basedonthetotalrespondents Total Respondents:132 Public Survey #2 Public Survey Appendix ieLk eta Dislike Neutral Like like Strongly dislike Strongly epneResponse% response Total 127 5 a new public realm for dekalb county /// appendix d alex garvin & associates, inc. 103 6 10 122 126 Total Total response Response % Total Total response Response % Strongly Strongly dislike Strongly Strongly dislike 63% 21% 7% 2% 2% 120 95% 56% 21% 11% 5% 2% 120 95% 40% 18% 6% 3% 4% 90 71% 55% 22% 7% 5% 3% 116 92% 45% 18% 21% 5% 5% 118 94% Strongly Strongly like Like Neutral Dislike Strongly Strongly like Like Neutral Dislike Trees in parking lotsTrees 62% 19% 11% 3% 0% 116 95% Improved access, landscaping, and access, Improved Park management of Kittredge Local public transit loop shuttle 30% 30% 24% 6% 3% 113 93% Extension of Kittredge Park to Briarcliff Extension of Kittredge along the stream bed and beyond Total Respondents Total (Skipped this question) The 75-foot buffer on each side of the buffer on The 75-foot streams in the Park extension Walk/bike-ways within the buffer areas Walk/bike-ways along the streams in the park extension Playgrounds within the buffer areas within the buffer Playgrounds along the streams in the park extension Total Respondents Total (Skipped this question) Please rate the following recommendations regarding the proposed park and open space opportunities. regarding recommendations the following Please rate Please rate the following additional recommendations from the proposed public realm plan. from the proposed additional recommendations the following Please rate 2. 3. alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// appendix d 104 4. 6. 5. What priority and4beingthelowest. priority and6beingthelowest. What communityfacilitiesshouldbepartoftheplan?Pleaserankonascale1to6withbeinghighest Please rate the proposed 400-foot distance between single-family housesandanyPlease rate distancebetween buildingsover single-family theproposed400-foot five stories. ie5 9 %1%1%8 066% 80 8% 10% 15% 9% 19% 5% (Skipped thisquestion) Total Respondents Fire oie2%1%1%7 %2 764% 77 2% 3% 7% 12% 12% 28% Police irr %1%1%1%9 0 763% 77 10% 9% 12% 16% 10% 7% Library uioimapihae 1 1 %1%1%1%7 64% 77 16% 10% 10% 6% 11% 11% Auditorium/amphitheater acr etr3 %1%9 6 9 562% 75 19% 16% 9% 10% 5% 3% Daycare Center (Skipped thisquestion) Total Respondents tdu 2 0 3 4 259% 62 14% 56% 13% 59% 10% 59 58% 62 22% 40% 61 2% 13% 2% 17% 2% 12% 30% 1% 18% 10% 26% (Skipped thisquestion) Total Respondents Stadium Open CampusHighSchool 63% Kittredge MagnetSchool DeKalb Schoolfor the Arts 76 8% 17% 10% 7% 7% 13% Senior CitizensCenter 0-otbfe 2 2 4 0 %10794% 6% 10% 14% 22% 42% buffer 400-foot new schoolfacilitiesshouldbepartoftheplan?Pleaserankonascale1to4,withbeinghighest n w he orfv six five four three two one ieLk eta Dislike Neutral Like like Strongly n w he four three two one dislike Strongly epneResponse% response Total epneResponse% response Total epneResponse% response Total 121 114 105 11 18 27 a new public realm for dekalb county /// appendix d alex garvin & associates, inc. 105 27 26 19 105 106 113 Total Total response Response % Total Total response Response % Total Total response Response % Strongly Strongly dislike uniform varied one two three four Strongly Strongly like Like Neutral Dislike (Skipped this question) Atlantic StationPerimeter CenterDowntown DecaturMidtown Atlanta Respondents Total 5% 11% 52% 14% 12% 14% 5% 27% 19% 7% 29% 21% 29% 21% 3% 76 79 15% 85 68% 80 71% 76% 71% Building heights 13% 82% 108 96% Eight percent of land area limitEight percent of land 37% 21% 21% 6% 10% 101 95% (Skipped this question) Total Respondents Total Total Respondents Total (Skipped this question) Please rate the proposed 8% of land area limit on buildings taller than six stories. area limit on buildings taller than six the proposed 8% of land Please rate Do you think building heights should be uniform or varied? heights should be uniform think building Do you What vision for development in the quadrants do you feel most comfortable with? Please rate in order of pref- with? Please rate feel most comfortable in the quadrants do you development vision for What least favorite. and 4 being your favorite erence from 1 to 4 with 1 being your 7. 8. 9. alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// appendix d 106 10. 12. 11. Other comments. structure improvements there? isimplementedinthearea,shoulditincludesurroundingneighborhoodsandbeusedtomakeinfra- If a TAD and otherimprovements inthearea? discussed above) withintheDistrict. Tax beusedtofundinfrastructure rates arenotincreased.Shoulda TAD areaareusedtofundinfrastructureandothercapitalexpenses(includingthose new development inthe TAD A Tax isapublicfundingmechanismwhereadditionaltaxrevenues collectedfrom Allocation District(TAD) (Skipped thisquestion) Total Respondents (Skipped thisquestion) Total Respondents A oicueadt udsronignihohos 4 2 0 96% 96% 102 109 32% 28% 64% 68% toincludeandfundsurroundingneighborhoods? TAD Tax AllocationDistrict (Skipped thisquestion) Total Respondents e no yes e no yes epneResponse% response Total epneResponse% response Total 113 106 19 26 response Total 59 73 a new public realm for dekalb county /// appendix d alex garvin & associates, inc. 107 alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// appendix e 108 Section 27-729.2 Section 27-729.3 Section 27-729.1 E b a a Implement thepoliciesandobjectives oftheDeKalbCounty Compre- in establishingaPublicRealm Overlay Districtisas follows: The purposeandintentofthe DeKalb County Boardof Commissioners Statement ofIntent. areas, andpublicbuildingsaroundwhichprivate propertyisdeveloped. of publiclyownedparkland,streets,sidewalks,bicycle paths, parking Public RealmFramework: ThePublicRealm Framework isthenetwork CIDs. redevelopment authorities, and ing suchquasi-publicagenciesas TADs, and libraries,that areownedandmanagedbyapublicagency, includ- sidewalks, bicycle paths, parkingareas,andbuildings,suchasschools Public Realm:TheRealmconsistsofallparkland,plazas,streets, Definitions &References. DeKalb County. districts orportionsofasshownontheOfficialZoningMap Theseregulations(“the District”). shallsupplantexisting zoning County BoardofCommissioners asa “Public RealmOverlay District” contained withintheboundariesofanareadesignated bytheDeKalb and buildingonany lotorportionthereofwhichisinwholepart development, use,alteration, height,density, parking,openspace, This divisionestablishesstandardsandproceduresthat applytoany Scope ofRegulations. Zoning Proposal Public RealmOverlay District Appendix a new public realm for dekalb county /// appendix e alex garvin & associates, inc. 109 High-Intensity Development Tier; and High-Intensity Development This tier extends into the District Tier. Low-Intensity Development adjacent single-family400 feet in straight line distance from any home. Each tier shall share some standards but also shall have its own set of Each tier shall share some standards but also shall have standards as further described herein. authority to The Director of Planning and Zoning shall be the final Boundaries. District and sub-areasThe boundaries of a Public Realm Overlay within those areas shall be established via a Zoning Map amendment approved by the Board of Commissioners. hensive Plan 2005–2025. hensive rights-of-way ownership of public County’s Using the properties as and devel- private in order to shape a superior public realm create leverage, interest. opment in the public traffic and motor vehicle flow of pedestrian, bicycle, the Improve within the area itself. bicycle-oriented a pedestrian- and Provide for Dis- in the environment trict. of residential, commercial, office, mixture Encourage a compatible uses. cultural and recreational is shared among different uses. Provide parking that of it toward the total inventory Maximize on-street parking and count parking spaces throughout the District. access and reduce con- a grid of connected streets to improve Construct gestion. recreation and passive active Provide publicly accessible open space for development. and as an encouragement to desirable private seniors housing. housing and/or force Guarantee the provision of work (1) A Public Realm Overlay District may be divided into two tiers: be divided into two District may A Public Realm Overlay (2) j i f c c e a b g b d h Section 27-729.4 alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// appendix e 110 Section 27-729.5 Section 27-729.6 b a (1) ment Tier. District Development Regulations Applicable toLow-IntensityDevelop- development violate therequirementsdescribedinSection27-729.9 in whichamajorityofthepropertylies.However, innoinstancemay be developed inaccordancewiththeregulations applicabletothe Tier the standardsofDistrict.Propertywhichstraddlestwo tiersshall ship iswithintheDistrict,thenalloftractshallbesubjectedto District anditstiers,ifany. Ifany partofatractundercommonowner- determine whetherapropertyislocated withintheboundariesof Development Approval After PublicRealmDistrictIsDesignated. designation. to zoningmapamendmentsshallbefollowed inapprovingsuchinitial of theproceduressetforth inChapter27, Division1pertaining Article V, authorized bytheowner(s)ofpropertytobedesignated. As such,all the DirectorofPlanningandZoning,orbyway ofaPetitionfiledor official actionofthePlanning Commission,byrecommendation from introduced byoneormoremembersoftheBoardCommissioners, by proved bytheBoardofCommissioners pursuanttoaproposedordinance The initialdesignation ofaPublicRealmOverlay Districtshallbeap- Designation ofaPublicRealmOverlay District. Procedures. designate for redevelopment. ter,” or Center,”“Town orsuchareasastheCounty Commission may by theDeKalbCounty Comprehensive Plan2005–2015as “Regional Cen- Public RealmOverlay Districtsmay belocated onlyinareasdesignated Comprehensive LandUsePlanConsistency. District firstisadopted. heard orapproved bytheBoardofCommissioners unlesssuch tion ofaPublicRealmOverlay District.However, itshallnotbe may bepursuedsimultaneouslywithan Application for Designa- applications. SuchaSLUP filing andtheconsideration ofsuchSLUP other requirementssetforth inChapter27, Division 2in Article V, shallbesubjecttoalloftheproceduraland plicant for suchaSLUP contiguous acreslocated inaPublicRealmOverlay District. An ap- required priortothedevelopment or redevelopment offive ormore shallbe Properties: Large-Scale A SpecialLandUsePermit(SLUP) a new public realm for dekalb county /// appendix e alex garvin & associates, inc. 111 Boarding and breeding kennels Storage yard for damaged automobiles or confiscated automobiles or confiscated damaged automobiles Storage yard for Tire retreading and recapping Adult entertainment establishment Adult service facility Go cart concession Heavy repair shop and trade show Heavy Pawn shops Heavy construction contractor Heavy Crematorium

Small-Scale Properties: Development or redevelopment of a tract of or redevelopment Properties: Development Small-Scale which is less District Realm Overlay within a Public land located of the by way allowed in size shall be contiguous acres than five Ar- in Chapter 27, Process contained Permit Administrative Special must said development that ticle V, 3; provided, however, Division District of the Public Realm Overlay to the requirements conform herein. set forth + + + + + + + + + + District Development Regulations District Development of Public Realm Applicable to Entirety District. Overlay District Public Realm Overlay Any Acreage Requirement: Minimum Uses. District except: the Public Realm Overlay Residential Buildings which are more than 20 stories and exceed 210 Residential Buildings which are more than of customaryfeet in total height, exclusive rooftop equipment such as (grills, gazebos, gardens, etc.), shafts and rooftop amenities elevator District. in the Public Realm Overlay are prohibited anywhere 20 stories and exceed 240 feet Mixed-Use Buildings which are more than of customaryin total height, exclusive rooftop equipment such as elevator shafts and rooftop amenities (grills, gazebos, gardens, etc.), are District. Realm Overlay in the Public prohibited anywhere of Buildings which exceed than six stories in total height, exclusive shafts and rooftop ame-customary rooftop equipment such as elevator nities (grills, gazebos, gardens, etc.), are prohibited in the Low-Intensi- District. Tier of the Public Realm Overlay ty Development All uses allowable elsewhere in the zoning ordinance may be placed in in the zoning ordinance may All uses allowable elsewhere (2) c a a b d Section 27-729.7 Section 27-729.8 alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// appendix e 112 b c (4) (5) (3) (2) (1) Road Systems: bike andpedestrianpaths. maintenance for thebenefitofpublic,hardscapeamenities,and of DistrictPropertyOwners’ Association whichrequiresitscontinued subjected toamandatory Community Improvement orsomeotherform space created byadeveloper anddedicated totheCounty orotherwise easements created bythepropertyownerwithrightsofpublicuse,new space shallconsistofparklandownedbytheCounty, conservation must beaccessibletoandcapableofusebythegeneralpublic.Thispark Park Space:WithineachPublicRealmOverlay Districtany parkspace rated orpubliceasements. byexistingrights-of-way must containaminimumoffive acresofland.Thislandmay besepa- Realm for purposesofmanagementandmaintenance with publicstreetsandparksisconsideredtobepartofthe Public Open space(whetherhardscapedorlandscaped)that iscontiguous future propertyownersonnoticeofthisdevelopment restriction. device mustberecordedinDeKalbCounty deedrecordstoputall under whichallsuchlandshallbeprotectedandmaintained. Such ent aspartofany buildingpermitapplication alegalmechanism Overlay District,thedevelopers ofany propertythereinshallpres- With respecttothePublicRealmspacecreated inaPublicRealm the BoardofCommissioners. proposed development) andotheritemswhichmay berequiredby restrooms, kiosks,fountains, sidewalksandhardscaping(withthe Board ofCommissioners andlikewisemay includebenches,public used for recreational orentertainmentpurposesasallowed bythe Public realmspacealsomay includepublicspacewhichmay be 20 feetinwidth. and shallcontainwalkways ofapermeablesurfacenotgreater than application, approved aspartofany SpecialLandUsePermit(SLUP) record, shallbepruned,plantedwithin-filllandscapingperplans Park space,unlessotherwiseprohibitedbyexistingrestrictionsof sioners. Nobuildingshallbeconstructedwithinthisroad. supersede thisrequirementifapproved bytheBoardofCommis- tem ortoallowconnectivitythebalanceofdevelopment will 27-729.9(c) and729.10(3).However, themandate tocreate agridsys- than 12%,with “Park Drives” or “Creek Roads”asdefinedinSection Park spaceshallbelined,totheextentgradechangeisless a new public realm for dekalb county /// appendix e alex garvin & associates, inc. 113 Boulevard: Street with minimum right-of-way Street with of 148 feet, to Boulevard: paths bicycle sidewalks on both sides, 7-foot consist of 12-foot direction of 17 feet; bus on both sides, one service in each drive lanes additional travel pull out lanes; and a minimum of two a total of a 148-foot use in either direction, for vehicular for shall contain an 8-foot wide Boulevards multi-use roadway. lanes and service drives; the travel landscaped strip between the service lane wide landscaped strip between and a 4-foot parking is provided on the service Parallel path. and the bicycle lanes. lanes, but prohibited on the travel lane bicycle sidewalks on both sides, a 7-foot consist of 14-foot angled parking in lanes of 17 feet of rows on one side, four traffic each 10 feet vehicular total lanes for 6 inches, and four by 24 feet least 9 feet at in width. Landscape islands measuring every 11 parking spaces. shall separate Retail Street: Street with right-of-way of 114 feet, to consist on path bicycle sidewalks on both sides, a 7-foot of 14-foot strip of angled parking on both sides, four one side, a 17-foot center in each direction; and a 4-foot lanes, two 10-foot travel least landscaped median. Landscape islands measuring at every 11 parking spaces. 9 feet by 24 feet shall separate Center Street: Street with minimum right-of-way of 104 feet; lane, two bicycle sidewalks, one 7-foot 14-foot to consist of two 6-inch of angled parking in a 17-foot strip on either side rows center land- lanes of 15 feet, and one 4-foot travel of street; two least 9 feet by scaped median. Landscape islands measuring at every 11 parking spaces. 24 feet shall separate right-of-way Street with minimum of 60 feet, Park Drive: Town Center Drive: Street with right-of-way of 149 feet, to Center Drive: Town to include the following features: pedestrian lighting, crosswalks, pedestrian lighting, features: the following to include Pedestrian zones waste receptacles. landscaping, and street trees, pedestrian materials appropriate in concrete or other shall be paved for and kept clear and unobstructed pavers such as stone or brick use of pedestrians, subject to encroach- the safe and convenient other street furniture. ments by benches and Dis- Streets within a Public Realm Overlay General requirements: are constructed provided the latter or private, be public trict may streets. Streets within public for specifications pursuant to County characteristics: the following shall have the development All streets within a Public Realm Overlay District shall be designed District shall be Overlay within a Public Realm All streets (c) (e) (a) (d) (b) (1) (2) alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// appendix e 114 (6) (9) (4) (8) (5) (3) (7) (g) (f) An interconnectednetwork ofneworimproved roadsshouldbecre- ways shallbea minimum widthof5feet.Wherenewlyconstructed sidewalks alongstreetstoeach structureentrance. All suchwalk- Safe andconvenient pedestrian pathways shallbeprovided from and unloadingpassengers parking. drivesService inBoulevard may rights-of-way beused for loading than anaverage of750feetalongaBoulevard. The separation ofroadsshallbenolessthan200feet.or, nogreater drivesand notfromservice inBoulevard right-of-way. Entrances tonewparkingareasmustbefrominternalroadways bordering onpropertiesoutsidetheOverly District. the Overlay Districthave noalternative buttoterminate at points roadsareallowed onlyinstanceswhereroadswithin leys. dead-end areprohibited.Exceptfor al- service Overlay District.Cul-de-sacs approval ofadevelopment inthis ated inordertoqualifyfor SLUP unless otherwiseagreedbythem. improvement, tion orcontributiontowardsmakingthenecessary shall beequallytreated dedica- intermsofrequiringright-of-way to thesestandards,theownersofeithersideexistingroad When existingroadswithintheOverlay Districtaretobeimproved public spacesfor usebyautomobile, cyclists, andpedestrians. The intentoftheseroadcharacteristicsistoconceive ofroadsas Townhome Drive: widthof60feet, Streetwithright-of-way side ofthestreetoppositetownhomes. travel greenspaceonthe lanes of10feeteach,anda30-foot sidewalkadjacenttotownhomes,twoto consistofa10-foot lel parkingspaces. described inSection27-729.9(d)(4) mustseparate 10paral- every travela 9-foot laneineitherdirection.Landscapeislandsas on oneside,parallelparkingspacesof7feetbothsides,and bikelane sidewalkoneitherside,an8-foot consist ofa10-foot of60feet,to Residential Street:Streetwithright-of-way must separate 11parallelparkingspaces. every rection. Landscapeislandsmeasuringat least8feetby24 travelthe streetnexttopark,anda9-foot laneineitherdi- park, arowofparallelparkingspaceson8feetoneside bikepath9-foot onthesideofstreetwhichadjoins to consistofone7-foot sidewalk,a sidewalkandone10-foot a new public realm for dekalb county /// appendix e alex garvin & associates, inc. 115 One (1) tree of at least 2.5 inches diameter at breast height for breast height for least 2.5 inches diameter at One (1) tree of at every eight spaces. every 3 inches of diameter at of one tree for a ratio replaced at breast height. which least a 10% landscaped area, Each lot must contain at in the parking regu- does not include the required edge buffer §14. This landscaped area Code in DeKalb County found lations dispersed throughout the lot. must be evenly facing row by from any Every row of parking must be separated a landscaped strip. in a contiguous row with- be parked No more than 11 cars may out landscaping. by a parking access lane, trees shall be Except when separated no further apart than 25 feet center to center. Any existing tree cut down to create the parking area must be existing tree cut down to create Any 10 feet. least 6 feet by landscaped island must be at Any retain, and infiltrate As a whole, the parking lot must treat, The following drainage standards apply to any surface parking lot: following drainage standards apply to any The sidewalks abut narrower existing adjacent sidewalks, the newly sidewalks, the newly existing adjacent abut narrower sidewalks transitional clear an adequate sidewalk shall provide constructed of pe- a safe facilitation purposes of providing the for zone width sidewalks. the adjacent flow between destrian traffic for at all intersections crosswalks articulated There shall be clearly District. the Overlay pedestrian access within any for or maximum parking requirements There are no minimum District. in the Overlay development different uses is required. Shared parking for sides by retail, least two at Parking structures must be wrapped on office, residential, or mixed-use structures. surface to any following landscape requirement shall apply The parking lot: (f) (c) (e) (a) (g) (d) (b) Parking (1) (2) (3) (5) (10) (4) d alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// appendix e 116 moderate ambientairtemperature. stormwater, provide shade, and the improve airquality, absorb trees, andlandscapingthatwould would have toprovide grassstrips, their sitewithasphalt. Insteadthey retailers, like Target, from covering Overlay Districtwouldpreclude large the proposed PublicRealmZoning The landscapingrequirements in figures e.1 (top) ande.2(bottom)

(b) (c) Boulevard right-of-way. No surfaceparkinglotmay beconstructedwithin65feetof areas. 2 feetat mosttoallowwaterplanting toenterthebio-swale ter Manual.Curbsinparkingareasshallhave openingsevery may beusedtomeetthestandardssetinGeorgiaStormwa- Georgia Stormwater Manual.Undergroundcisternsinswales that meetstherecommended standardssetinthe (bio-swale) Each landscapedareafunctionsasanatural filtration swale Georgia). 85% ofstormevents (thefirst1.2inchesofany stormevent in a new public realm for dekalb county /// appendix e alex garvin & associates, inc. 117 dbh), planted required within this buffer. dbh is dbh is along the paths/walkways at a minimum of 25 feet on center. at along the paths/walkways this buffer result in a Should retention of existing trees within spacing requirement, then the distance conflict with this 25-foot be a tree to be retained and a required new tree may between than 30%. by no greater varied at a perpendicu- to cross the stream and buffer Roads are allowed by the plans are approved lar angle, as are utilities, provided that not disturb sensitive These crossings may Commission. County wildlife habitat. rare and/or than trees equal to or greater hardwood Retention of healthy 12 inches amenity If such a pond is designed to become a water waters. be constructed to within 30 uses may the site, then allowed for be may feet of the top of the pond bank, and impervious paths the area as close as 20 feet from the top of the bank. However, building and the pond bank shall be landscaped and any between adjoins it. use which into the design of any incorporated or maintenance, land- stream remediation Responsibility for scape maintenance including replacement of required trees, and other needed paths/walkways/benches, maintenance of any In-fill landscaping in this buffer shall consist of trees with a In-fill landscaping in this buffer shall breast height ( diameter at minimum 2.5-inch than 20 feet in width (parallel to the stream bank). than 20 feet in width (parallel to the stream pursuant to a plan approved by the DeKalb County Roads and Roads by the DeKalb County pursuant to a plan approved Drainage Division. A detention or retention pond is not considered flowing, state A detention or retention pond is not considered flowing, state To place benches or other seating along walkways or paths. walkways along seating place benches or other To To clean, landscape, and maintain the buffer area. clean, landscape, and maintain the buffer To of permeable surface, not greater or paths install walkways To To improve and/or remediate the stream and bank, if needed, the stream and bank, if needed, remediate and/or improve To (i) (j) maintained from center line of any flowing waters existing on prop- existing waters flowing of any from center line maintained District. Realm Overlay erty within a Public follows: as within this buffer except allowed No encroachment is A 75-foot stream buffer (graded to allow natural drainage) shall be drainage) shall to allow natural buffer (graded stream A 75-foot (f) (c) (e) (a) (g) (d) (b) (h) Water Quality. Water (1) (2) e alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// appendix e 118 h g f i j a controlledfootprint intendedtominimizelight spillover. All outdoor other exteriorlightsshallbedirected inward anddownward andhave design intendedtominimize lightspillover. Exteriorlightpolesand height andshallbeofhigh-pressure sodium,metalhalideorsimilar Exterior lightpolesontheSubjectPropertyshallnotexceed 35feetin Lighting. ited. Blank wallsalong100continuouslinearfeetofany buildingareprohib- Buildings at GroundLevel. development iscomplete. will beplanted,andhowthedeveloper willmaintainthosetreesafter by the Tree ProtectionOrdinanceofDeKalbCounty, wherenewtrees space mustbecleared,howmany replacementtreeswould berequired which identifieswhereandwhat kindoftreesandotherexistinggreen within theOverlay DistrictmustsubmitadetailedLandscapePlan to secureapproval ofadevelopment Any Applicant whoseeks aSLUP Landscaping. ance withtheState FireMarshall’s Code. tions mustbeapproved bytheDeKalbCounty FireMarshallincompli- approval processsetforth in§27-845. All setbacksandbuildingsepara- during development. Setbacksmay beincreasedviatheadministrative be reducedbyupto10%accountfor engineeringchangesrequired processshallbeobserved.Thesesetbacksmay sented duringtheSLUP trict. Instead,thosesetbacksreflectedontheConceptual SitePlanpre- There arenominimumsetbackswithinthePublicRealmOverlay Dis- Setbacks. table, orothersimilargeologichydrologic conditions. such asconflictingstructuresorutilities,shallowrock,highwater that undergroundutilitiesarenotfeasibleduetophysical conditions, substations, iftheDirectorofPlanningandDevelopment determines Realm Overlay Districtexceptfor majorelectrictransmissionlinesand Underground utilitiesarerequiredfor allnewdevelopment inaPublic Underground Utilities. the issuanceofany certificate ofoccupancy. ment District/Mandatory PropertyOwners’ Association priorto buffer maintenanceshallbeplacedina Community Improve- a new public realm for dekalb county /// appendix e alex garvin & associates, inc. 119 AND There shall be an initial setback area of 30 feet from the property line abutting the external district to a building wall of three stories yards be used as private area may is less). This or 35 feet (whichever The opposite side of the three-storyor planted buffer. buildings No building greater than six stories or 75 feet (whichever is less) in than six stories or 75 feet (whichever No building greater height adjacent to the side which faces a residential property shall be erected within 400 feet of the property line. master planned development. Parts of the Property may be conveyed as separate tracts and to tracts and as separate be conveyed may Parts of the Property ownership structures under the owners with different separate zoning plan. of part of the property to different Should there be a conveyance shall remain appli- and variances owners, all zoning conditions regardless of what Property, portion of the conveyed cable to any Property. future person or entity owns the subdivided of part of the property to different owners shall not Conveyance nor the Development changes to the zoning plan for require any property lines which arise from The newly created variances. any are not required to observe setback, buffer or these conveyances as a the project for layout other requirements provided the building with the Site Plan. whole continues to comply substantially All development within a Public Realm Overlay District shall be a District shall within a Public Realm Overlay All development Public Realm Overlay District Development District Development Public Realm Overlay Low Intensity Applicable to Regulations Tier Development Only. external property line of the Overlay For a depth of 400 feet from any zoned R-100, R-85, property adjoins any District which immediately zoning district with detached resi- R-75, R-60 as any and R-50; as well dential units in R-A5 or R-A8. lighting shall be designed and located such that the maximum illumi- the maximum that such located be designed and lighting shall property lines the external foot-candles measured in initial at nation residential onto adjacent exceed 0.3 property shall not of the subject properties. of Property. Future Subdivision (1) (1) (2) (2) (3) (4) a k Section 27-729.9 alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// appendix e 120 Section 27-729.10 b c (3) amenities. opment intheLow-IntensityDevelopment Tier, exceptfor associated building Nonresidential usesarerestrictedtothegroundfloorofany residentialdevel- amenities. age finishedgradetoaverage roofpeak,exclusive ofelevator shaftsandrooftop Heights intheLow-IntensityDevelopment Tier shallbemeasuredfromaver- and similardevices. Districts, Community Improvement Districts, Transportation ManagementPlans developer contributionsandimprovements at itsownexpense, Tax Allocation ments withinthePublicRealmOverlay Districtincludebutarenotlimitedto The various mechanisms available for thefunding ofpubliccapitalimprove- Funding Mechanisms. whichever isless. posite sideofsaidstreet,abuildingnotallerthan35feetorthreestores, distancemaybuilt only50feetwide).This100-foot alsoinclude,ontheop- be at plantedbuffer, leasta30-foot andaResidentialStreet(whichmay be erected within100feetofthepropertyline.Withinthisfeet,thereshall No buildinggreater thanthreestoriesor35feet,whichever isless,shallbe stories or75feetmay beconstructedontheoppositesideofsaidstreet. must faceastandardResidentialStreet. A buildingofnogreater thansix AND a new public realm for dekalb county /// appendix e alex garvin & associates, inc. 121 alex garvin & associates, inc. a new public realm for dekalb county /// appendix f 122 F 4 3 2 1 Curitiba, Brazil,andMexicoCity, Mexico. ElMonteandLos in California (between Angeles), Bogotá,Colombia, This typeofsystemhasbeenimplementedaroundthe world, including detect approachingbusesandgive them priorityover othervehicles. buses for greater capacityandmorerecently, trafficsignalsthat can and unboarding.Thistypeofsystemoftenalsoincludesarticulated speed: (1)segregation fromothertrafficand(2)easyfastboarding boilsdowntotwo maincomponentsthat increasereliabilityand BRT to aminimum. boarding, similartosubway riders.Thisalsokeepstheboardingtimes systems theypay at thestation before fares uponboarding,onBRT Pre-boarding fare collection interiors ofthebuses.Thisfurtherspeedsupboardingandunboarding. platforms sothat thereisnogradedifferentialbetween themandthe Stations contend withstairs.Thisreducesboardingandunboardingtimes. Low-floor buses them morereliableandfasterthanregularbuses. Exclusive right-of-way exhibitsthefollowing characteristics: BRT service. much lower thanthoseassociated withsubway, lightrail,orheavy rail has gainedfavor inmany citiesbecause capitalandoperations costsare isactuallymuchmoresimilartorail.It fused withexpressbusservice, that, isatypeofbusservice whileoftencon- Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Information onBusRapid Transit (BRT) Appendix . The stops on BRT systemsareenclosed andhave elevatedBRT . Thestopson . Passengers entering and exiting BRT busesdonothave to . PassengersenteringandexitingBRT . BRT busesareseparate fromothertraffic,making . BRT . Whilepassengersonregularbusespay their a new public realm for dekalb county /// appendix f alex garvin & associates, inc. 123 Capacity Speed in MPH in Miles Approximate Travel in 30 Minutes Travel Approximate ModeSubway right-of-way)Light Rail (dedicated Light Rail (on-street right-of-way)Bus (dense city traffic) 15.0Bus (suburban streets) 7.5Bus (express) 30BRT right-of-way) (dedicated 15 5,000 Distance 2,500 15.0 4.0 15.0 ≥301.5 30 8 20,000 7.5 5,000 3 750 1,200 15 3,000

ALSO BY ALEX GARVIN AND ALEX GARVIN & ASSOCIATES, INC.

Guidebook: A Planning Toolkit for Nebraska Communities. New York, 2007.

Waterfront Opportunities for New York City. New York, 2006.

Visions for New York City: Housing and the Public Realm. New York, 2006.

The Beltline Emerald Necklace: Atlanta’s New Public Realm. Trust for Public Land, Atlanta, GA, 2004.

The American City: What Works, What Doesn’t. McGraw-Hill, New York, 2nd Ed., 2002.

Parks, Recreation, and Open Space: A 21st Century Agenda. American Planning Association, 2001.

Urban Parks and Open Space. Urban Land Institute, Washington, DC, 1997.

125

This book was written and designed by Alex Garvin & Associates, Inc.

Those who worked on this project and report include the following: Bo Crockett Alex Garvin Allan William Martin Nick Peterson Joshua Price Michael Singer Zakery Snider Anthony Weiss

Goil Amornvivat (of TUG Studio)

The typefaces used are Fedra Sans Alt and Fedra Serif B, designed by Peter Biľak at the Typotheque type foundry (http://www.typotheque.com).

It was printed by Tri-Lon Color Graphics, Inc. with a Xerox Docucolor 6060. The papers are 100# Mohawk Premium Neon White Text and 110# Mohawk White Cover. 127 lex garvin & associates is a planning and real estate consulting ﬁrm that specializes in the development of the public realm. A Operating internationally from New York City, AGA works at every scale – from small communities to metropolitan regions – to produce physically, ﬁnancially, and politically feasible plans that generate support from local residents, business leaders, developers, architects, and public officials. AGA works to improve the quality of the built environment and thus, the quality of life for communities’ current and future citizens.

Established in 2004, the firm has grown out of Alex Garvin’s individual practice of more than 40 years in planning, architecture, real estate development and public service. Alex Garvin & Associates specializes in an interdisciplinary, market-based approach to planning. Our firm offers a wide range of services to public agencies, private developers, and non-profit organizations in the following areas:

1 Public Realm Planning 2 Land Use Planning 3 Public Review 4 Urban Design 5 Site Selection Studies 6 Feasibility Analysis 7 Development Strategy Consulting 8 Public Realm Management