Type to search

New city: Briarcliff + Lakeside = LaVista Hills

Annexation and new cities Avondale Estates Decatur Metro ATL

New city: Briarcliff + Lakeside = LaVista Hills

Share

This story has been updated. 

The two groups behind the proposed cities of Briarcliff and Lakeside have announced a plan for a city that will combine both maps: LaVista Hills.

If approved by the General Assembly and voters, it will be DeKalb County’s largest city with 72,000 residents.

“Cityhood is about giving communities and citizens a choice,” Mary Kay Woodworth (formerly of Lakeside YES), said in a press release. “We have spoken at well over a hundred community meetings in the last two years, and we continue to listen and respond to what residents and businesses tell us and to community’s desires. We are thankful to our volunteers and appreciate the continued community support and input shaping the new city’s vision.”

The two groups tried – and failed – to reach an agreement with groups looking to form a city of Tucker. If the three could not reach an agreement, the state House Governmental Affairs Committee intended to form a five-member panel to draw up the maps ahead of the 2015 session.

The press release includes a quote from state Sen. Fran Millar that indicates he will support the LaVista Hills bill in the 2015 session.

“I’m happy to see that Briarcliff and Lakeside could meet the House Governmental Affairs committee imposed deadline and look forward to helping them with their bill when they get to the Senate,” Millar said in the release.

Woodworth and Allen Venet with the City of Briarcliff Initiative said they tried to work with Tucker to find a compromise.

“Make no mistake,” Woodworth said in the release. “The Nov. 15 deadline was handled with the utmost respect and urgency. Conversations started early and continued until the deadline, and we are disappointed that we were not able to reach agreement with Tucker, despite our best efforts.  Tucker’s claim they are remaining  ‘consistent with our borders’ reflects an unwillingness on their part to compromise, and more importantly, a refusal to acknowledge the desires of both residents and the business community.”

Venet said in the release that, “Tucker 2015’s decision to include all of the Northlake commercial and industrial businesses would not allow for two thriving cities. We believe that the larger community –  both inside and outside I-285 – have benefited from the Northlake business area for over 50 years, and that both LaVista Hills and Tucker should enjoy the benefit and the responsibility that comes with healthy business-community relations for the next 50 years.”

Here is the proposed map for LaVista Hills and the proposed map for Tucker.

LaVistaHills_8x11_P3

A map of the proposed city of Tucker, obtained via http://tucker2015.com/

A map of the proposed city of Tucker, obtained via http://tucker2015.com/

 

Tags: