Brookhaven names 33 acres of Greenspace near PDK “Ashford Forest Preserve”

Name recommended by the North DeKalb Greenspace Alliance

Brookhaven, GA, Feb. 27, 2017 – The City of Brookhaven has rechristened the 33 acres of greenspace near PDK airport acquired from Dekalb County in April 2017.  The new name for the tract of land between Clairmont Road and Skyland Drive is Ashford Forest Preserve.

Ashford Forest Preserve was offered by the North DeKalb Greenspace Alliance Inc., a nonprofit 501c3 formed by a group of citizens concerned about conserving natural resources in the community. The North DeKalb Greenspace Alliance Inc. has been a longstanding advocate for protecting and preserving the natural beauty of greenspace areas, especially this tract of land.  The Alliance’s Board of Directors voted to recommend “Ashford Forest Preserve” to the Brookhaven City Council.

“We are moving forward on the work to ensure that the property is safe for all residents to enjoy, and this begins with a competitive bid process to perform the remediation and order signage” said Brookhaven Mayor John Ernst.  “It’s appropriate that we give this park its name first.”

The tract of land was originally designated as a “crash zone” for a now-decommissioned runway for DeKalb-Peachtree Airport, originally part of the World War I military training facility Camp Gordon.  The property is flush with mature trees, a stream, wildlife and native plants.

The Brookhaven City Council purchased the land for $5.7 million from DeKalb County government.  Brookhaven financed the property acquisition through a 20-year loan with a $500,000 loan forgiveness grant at a 0.89 percent interest rate provided by the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA), providing the best available financial mechanism to secure and preserve this property.  As part of the agreement, the City must preserve the land for greenspace and cannot sell it for development.

“We delivered on our promise to the dedicated citizens in this community who have been lobbying for years to have this land preserved,” said Brookhaven City Council Member John Park.  “Brookhaven is now solely responsible for the future of this priceless urban forest, and the real work is about to begin.”

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Media Contacts:
Burke Brennan
Director of Communications
404-637-0709
Burke.Brennan@BrookhavenGA.gov