Boundaries set for Tucker and LaVista Hills
Georgia lawmakers set boundaries Friday between the proposed cities of LaVista Hills and Tucker with a map that splits the lucrative commercial area surrounding Northlake Mall.
The shared boundary between the two potential municipalities is “set in stone” and won’t be changed during next year’s legislative session, said Rep. Buzz Brockway, R-Lawrenceville, the chairman of the DeKalb County Cityhood Subcommittee.
The map can be adjusted to allow for Brookhaven's annexation of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and Executive Park, as well as other potential annexations such as a movement in Druid Hills to join the city of Atlanta.
The subcommittee voted 3-1 to approve the compromise map.
“I hope that this map allows both groups to move forward, understanding that they didn’t get everything they wanted,” Brockway said.
Leaders of both cityhood movements said they would push for the Georgia General Assembly to sign off on the maps.
Mary Kay Woodworth, the co-chairwoman of LaVista Hills Yes, wants to move ahead with cityhood but said dividing Northlake Mall along LaVista Road would cause problems for policing and land use planning.
Frank Auman, a leader of Tucker 2015, said the map isn’t ideal but it provides the area with a path toward cityhood.
Rep. Howard Mosby, D-Atlanta, voted against the map because he wanted the possible cities to go through the normal legislative process rather than having a subcommittee decide.
“We’re trying to solve these issues with a hammer rather than letting the communities work it out,” Mosby said.
About the Author
Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.
