Windsor Parkway path opponents vow to be heard at community meeting

A community meeting on Aug. 18 to discuss a multi-use path on Windsor Parkway may have attendees seeing yellow.

A citizen-led group is urging attendees to wear yellow shirts to show their opposition to the installation of the path, which they say will result in the removal of hundreds of mature trees.

According to Brookhaven’s website, the project “will convert the conventional minor-stop intersection at Ashford Dunwoody Road and Windsor Parkway into a single-lane roundabout with a 10-foot shared-use path on the east side of Ashford Dunwoody Road. Windsor Parkway between Ashford Dunwoody Road and Lanier Drive.”

A sidewalk will be built on the north side, a shared-use path on the south side, and a curb and gutter, the website said. It was one of the mid-term projects recommended in the Ashford Dunwoody Road Corridor Study adopted by the council in 2017.

Assistant City Manager Patrice Ruffin said at a June council meeting that the original price of about $4 million has increased to $7.3 million because of rising property values, which will affect right-of-way acquisition, and higher material and labor costs.

The group opposing the tree removal has again circulated a petition before the Aug. 18 meeting that has “gotten a massive response” in the last 36 hours, according to resident Del Ross.

Many of the respondents remarked that the removal of the trees would cause more damage to the area than the benefits of having a multi-use path.

“I believe that the removal of trees will not only decrease the beautification of Brookhaven but also increase the noise pollution,” one petition respondent said. “As a resident who lives on Windsor, my childhood memories consist of playing outside under the trees and during the fall, jumping into a pile of leaves with my friends and two siblings.”

Others suggested the installation of the paths would “will cause more danger for parents with small children and people walking their dogs.”

” The cyclists drive extremely fast and will just cause an accident on this path,” the comment continued. “This is a terrible idea. I am quite certain if this passes, your political career will be over.”

Related story:
• Opinion: Windsor Parkway project a test for the city and public

According to information about the announced meeting, topics will include an overview of the proposed project, including the roundabout, pedestrian and bicycle accommodations, stormwater improvements, right-of-way, tree impacts, project funding, and next steps.

Brookhaven officials have said a delay in the process could threaten matching funds committed to the project. According to the city website, the project “is included in the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) 2018 Transportation Improvement Project (TIP) funding. Preliminary Engineering (PE) is authorized with Federal funding of $595,680 secured with a local match of $148,920.”

The community meeting will be held on the 3rd floor of City Centre, 4001 Peachtree Road NE, on Aug. 18, at 6 p.m.

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