DeKalb County commissioners allocated Tuesday about half a million dollars toward a trail extension that will connect nearby neighborhoods to North DeKalb Mall — the long-struggling retail center that’s now poised for a dramatic redevelopment.
Commissioners Steve Bradshaw and Jeff Rader dedicated a total of $498,970 of discretionary funding to cover the design and engineering phases of a two-mile extension of the South Peachtree Creek Trail. The project would connect Medlock Park and its surrounding neighborhoods to the mall site.
“Within a year,” Rader said in a news release, “these shovel-ready plans will be ready to receive available construction funding fulfilling an important commitment by DeKalb County to area residents who supported the rezoning of the aging mall.”
Under that rezoning, which was approved in May, developer Edens hopes to convert the 77-acre mall property into a multi-use destination complete with 1,700 apartments, 100 townhomes, a grocery store and a 150-bed hotel. Current plans call for the existing AMC movie theater to be preserved.
A press release said the PATH Foundation would provide “full professional services” — including landscape architecture, engineering, permitting, bidding and contract administration — for the trail extension.
Future plans in the area also call for the South Peachtree Creek Trail to be extended from the mall to Valley Brook Road, and from North Druid Hills Road to Druid Hills Middle School.
“This path connection will be a tremendous addition to DeKalb County’s trail system,” Bradshaw said. “I am pleased to have partnered with Commissioner Rader to provide funding to get this much-needed trail in place.”
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