City funds purchase of 2.54 acres for Lenox Rd. park

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AtlantaCity Councilman Howard Shook announced today the unanimous approval oflegislation to fund the purchase of approximately 2.54 acres of land inBuckhead to create a new public park on Lenox Road.

Theproperty, which is located within walking distance of thousands of residencesin the Pine Hills neighborhood and the densely populated Lenox Road corridor, hasmature stands of bamboo and a creek running through it.

Howard Shook

Initialdevelopment will be limited to demolition of an existing residential structure,removal of debris and measures necessary to make the site safe and secure. Thepark will eventually undergo a master planning or visioning process, includingcollaboration with the community in order to map out future uses andstewardship. 
“I’dlike to thank Mayor Reed and Parks Commissioner George Dusenbury for this $1.17million-dollar investment,” said Shook, who sponsored the legislation. “This isa huge step forward in our effort to have everyone in Buckhead live or workwithin a 10 minute walk to a park.”

“Purchasing the property on Lenox Road is consistent with the city’s goals ofgreenspace acquisition, preservation and park expansion,” said CommissionerDusenbury. “This acquisition also will move Council District 7, the districtwith the lowest inventory of parkland, one step closer to goals provided in thedistrict’s new greenspace plan.”
Dusenburyadded, “Mayor Reed’s administration, the Office of Parks and the Atlanta CityCouncil is committed to working with the community to collaborate on the park’sdesign.”
TheConservation Fund (TCF), a national non-profit organization aimed at savingsome of America’s special places, purchased the approximately 2.54 acres ofland in Buckhead at 3162 Lenox Road to create the new park. TCF has agreed tosell the property to the City for an amount that does not exceed fair marketvalue. The city’s purchase price, closing costs, environmental due diligencecosts, and site cleanup costs are estimated to be $1.17 million. 

Funding for the 3162 Lenox Road property will come from the city’s Park ImpactFee North Fund. In addition to Park Impact fees, Public Safety Impact andTransportation Impact fees will fund the additional infrastructure, includingparkland.