Dozens of townhomes to replace former hospice center in Brookhaven

A shuttered hospice center is on track to be redeveloped into dozens of townhomes in Brookhaven.

On Tuesday, the Brookhaven City Council rezoned about 4.7 acres along Park Vista Drive to permit a 63-townhome development project. The developer, Atlanta-based Minerva USA, LLC, said the vacant hospice center had been for sale since 2018. A proposal to the city added that the facility was not able to overcome “the increasing popularity of in-home care alternatives.”

Before the rezoning ordinance passed, majority of the discussion centered around sidewalks and whether they needed to be on both sides of internal roads. Earlier in February, the Brookhaven Planning Commission voted 3-2 to recommend requiring sidewalks on both sides of the streets, but the developer and neighbors voiced their opposition Tuesday.

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“I think we’re totally happy with the single-sided sidewalks,” Brian Davidson, a Minerva representative, said. “All the neighborhoods around us either have no sidewalks internally or on one side, so I think this will be plenty for the pedestrian nature of this community.”

Davidson added that additional sidewalks would push the boundary of the townhomes closer to the neighboring Brookhaven Woods Townhomes. Several Brookhaven Woods residents spoke during the virtual meeting to encourage the City Council to omit the extra sidewalk requirement.

“With the addition of the sidewalk amendment, we would be in a fishbowl,” resident Sharon Safriet said. “It would negate weeks of negotiations between Minerva and Brookhaven Woods.”

The rezoning ordinance unanimously passed without the additional sidewalks.

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The 63 brick townhomes will each have a two-car garage, and an amenities center is planned for the site. The developer will also improve the crosswalk at Lenox Park Boulevard and Park Vista Drive as part of the project.

The developer’s plans did not include information on when construction will begin or the expected price of the townhomes.