Brookhaven Buys 33-Acre Tract From DeKalb for Nearly $6M

BROOKHAVEN, GA -- The city of Brookhaven's bid to purchase a 33-acre tract of surplus land at Peachtree DeKalb Airport for $5.7 million has been approved, DeKalb County said Tuesday.

The measure, voted on in December by Brookhaven's City Council, was passed unanimously by county commissioners.

“It is a reflection of our collaboration with Brookhaven to give them something that they needed and give us the opportunity to release the latent value of the property to fund other improvements,” Commissioner Jeff Rader, whose District 2 contains the property, said in a news release.

Read more: Brookhaven OKs plan to buy 30-acre tract for 'green oasis'

Brookhaven officials envision the heavily wooded parcel as green space, which was in harmony with DeKalb's ideas for the land, which became available in recent years when it was decommissioned by the airport.

Local communities are looking at parcels in their areas and seeking ways to preserve them as urban sprawl continues to bring cranes and asphalt trucks onto the main thoroughfares of their neighborhoods.

Residents in nearby Pine Hills in Buckhead recently acquired land for green space in their neighborhood. The Friends of Pine Hills "aim to facilitate a careful approach and visionary green space design that fits appropriately within our neighborhood, and provides a natural and passive Park area for all to enjoy" Joe Santifer, the group's founder, said in a news release.

The new Brookhaven property is located at 2951 Skyland Drive.

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