Saving suburban land
Government and nonprofit agencies have preserved numerous tracts of undeveloped land in the metro Atlanta area in recent years. Among them:
- Cobb County and the National Park Service bought the 95-acre Hyde Farm along the Chattahoochee River in 2008. The park service already has opened trails on its land. The county is preparing to open the farm to the public next spring.
- Sandy Springs bought 22 acres of land known as the Lost Corner Preserve on Brandon Mill Road in 2008 and added another two acres in 2012. The property has been used for a community garden and other activities. It's closed now while the city builds a new entrance and parking area and will reopen this fall.
- Sugar Hill bought 71 acres of wooded land along the Chattahoochee River earlier this year and plans to set aside 41 acres for preservation, nature trails and bike trails. The Trust for Public Land, which acquired the property and sold it to the city, plans to sell another 49 acres to the National Park Service.
- Gwinnett County and Peachtree Corners recently bought the Simpsonwood retreat from the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church. The county plans to preserve the 223-acre property along the Chattahoochee River.
Driving by at 45 mph, it’s easy to miss the stand of trees along Holcomb Bridge Road in Roswell, amid the strip malls and subdivisions.
But on a recent hike, L.W. Tucker saw things others don’t: a future park, a flash of history and a chance to save one of the city’s last large tracts of woodland. And he’s not alone.
The fast-paced development that transformed suburban Atlanta took a break during the Great Recession, but recovery is well under way. Some people are scrambling to preserve open spaces that could disappear as development picks up speed.
In recent years, cities from Sandy Springs to Sugar Hill, as well as counties like Cobb and Gwinnett, have spent millions to preserve large tracts of undeveloped land. Some fear their window of opportunity is closing fast.
“Development was stopped in its tracks because of the recession. Now there’s a lot of property that’s being bought up,” said Curt Soper, Georgia-Alabama director for The Trust for Public Land, which has worked with governments and neighborhood groups to preserve land.
“The good news is, there are parcels available (to preserve),” Soper said. “The bad news is, there’s a lot of competing buyers.”
One example: the 53 acres along the south side of Holcomb Bridge Road.
From the road, it’s an impenetrable tangle of trees and brush between East Roswell Park and Martin Landing Drive. But tucked inside are a small natural canyon and an abandoned road bed that might be the original route taken by the city’s founder, Roswell King.
“We’ve got deer, squirrels, hawks, raccoon, snakes – you name it, it’s all back here,” Tucker, a retired airline pilot, said during the hike last week.
In hopes of preserving the land, Tucker and his allies have launched the Seven Branches Legacy Project, named for the series of creeks on the land that feed a nearby lake and ultimately empty into the Chattahoochee River. The group – which includes two former City Council members – has collected about 2,000 signatures asking the city to buy the land from its four owners.
Tucker said the owners have received other offers but are willing to negotiate with the city. Based on the current asking price, it would cost Roswell about $5 million, he said.
Though the terrain makes developing the property a challenge, “somebody’s going to come in with the right offer,” said former City Councilman David Tolleson, a member of the Seven Branches group.
The group hopes Roswell will include the property in a 2016 bond referendum. Roswell Community Relations Manager Julie Brechbill said the city has been in contact with some of the property owners.
“Roswell takes great pride in its park system,” Brechbill said. “We have one of the best park systems in the state and the city is always interested in making it even better.”
It’s not the first time Roswell residents have fought to save undeveloped land. In the late ‘90s Tucker and others rallied the city and state to preserve 38 acres along the Chattahoochee River, which is now part of the city’s extensive riverside trail system.
The Trust for Public Land was involved in that project and is taking a look at the latest Roswell proposal. Soper said the organization has partnered with numerous local governments to preserve undeveloped land.
Earlier this year it helped Sugar Hill buy 71 acres along the Chattahoochee. It also worked with Sandy Springs on its 24-acre Lost Corner Preserve project, and it helped Cobb County and the National Park Service buy the 95-acre Hyde Farm along the river.
Some governments also are acting on their own to preserve open space. Earlier this year, Gwinnett County and Peachtree Corners spent $16 million to buy the wooded, 223-acre Simpsonwood retreat along the Chattahoochee.
Government officials say their constituents are passionate about preserving undeveloped land, but it’s sometimes tough to compete with private developers.
“We’re aggressively looking for opportunities to preserve as much as we possibly can,” said Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul.
Tucker credits Roswell for preserving as much as it has. But he thinks there’s more to do and said preserving the Holcomb Bridge property must be a priority.
“Once you’ve entered this property, you’ve entered another world,” he said. “We’ve got kids who don’t know what woods are. This is for my grandchildren.”
» VIDEO: See what Curt Soper says about efforts to preserve land along the Chattahoochee River in Sugar Hill
About the Author
