Dunwoody has approved a $2.3 million plan to revitalize part of its historic heart and provide a boost to the retail and office properties along Village Parkway.
The City Council voted 5-2 this week to adopt a proposal that would convert the street from four lanes into a two-lane avenue with bike lanes, sidewalks and landscaping designed to invite more pedestrian traffic. The proposal also calls for eliminating the center median.
“I believe this is a game-changer for Dunwoody Village,” Ken Wright, president of eHealthcareIT and former mayor, said. “We need places where mothers can come out and walk their strollers, where anybody of any age can walk safely.”
But resident Joe Hirsch criticized the City Council for moving forward with a plan he said isn’t been fully formed. He said the council is spending a fortune on an undeveloped idea that promises to create “a new feeling” for a section of town.
“Don’t spend money without a real plan,” he said.
Councilwoman Adrian Bonser raised the same objection when she voted to delay the project, adding that the businesses along the route have not even been polled as to whether they would donate easements or right-of-way.
Councilman Terry Nall also proposed a delay, saying he didn’t think the city had found the most economical way to improve the street. He said he was not prepared to give up a median for dedicated bike lanes.
About half the cost for the project will be funded through state and federal grants.
Dunwoody Village Parkway is a four-lane thoroughfare running in an arc from Mount Vernon Road to Chamblee Dunwoody Road. The city first began studying improvements to the stretch eight years ago, seeking ways to calm traffic and promote the area.
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