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All the more reason for these developers to set up on the Westside and Southside line. Why oppose TOD where rail exist?
MARTA is going to do TOD at Brookhaven, make no mistake. They need to monetize the vast amount of land that is sitting there not being productive, and Brookhaven is a great location for them. The issue is to what scale, and whether they will do this under the current zoning or to the scale that would require a rezoning, which is what they prefer.
Also, to clarify, storm water management (runoff) is Brookhaven's responsibility -- that responsibility was transferred over from DeKalb when the city was formed.
Also, to clarify, storm water management (runoff) is Brookhaven's responsibility -- that responsibility was transferred over from DeKalb when the city was formed.
Are there plans to upgrade capacities at all? If Brookhaven is running into this problem now, I can't think they would let it sit while the other northern areas densify and urbanize. The neighborhoods are probably not going anywhere, but there's certainly going to continue to be push along the main corridors.
Are there plans to upgrade capacities at all? If Brookhaven is running into this problem now, I can't think they would let it sit while the other northern areas densify and urbanize. The neighborhoods are probably not going anywhere, but there's certainly going to continue to be push along the main corridors.
The Brookhaven Comprehensive Plan specifies that infrastructure improvements need to be made to handle this type of development. However the city has yet to do an audit of what needs to be done. And there are also questions about who will pay for the improvements. Meanwhile things have been chugging along as if there is unlimited capacity. There are a couple of important feeder streams to the North Fork of Peachtree Creek in that area of the MARTA station so that needs to be addressed.
The good news is that Brookhaven Councilman John Park has asked the city to edit ordinances to better address the runoff and flooding issues. He talked about this at the Feb 22 town hall where the MARTA deferral was announced.
Last edited by wasel; 02-24-2016 at 02:31 PM..
Reason: added content
I'm a resident of Brookhaven (Ashford Park) and not exactly a fan of this project. The scope of the project is just too big in my opinion. Scale it back. Sure, put a hotel, some office, but the we do not need any more apartments in the area. They are trying to make it another Lindbergh.
Druid Hills and Dresden are both complete clusters already. Yes, Ptree is bigger, but have you been on it at rush hour? It already takes me 15 minutes for the final two miles home if I happen to be coming form Buckhead.
The area does not need more apartments. The number of units added along Dresden is staggering already and someone is trying to squeeze in more btwn Savvy and Apple Valley from what I understand.
Is the issue sewer or stormwater? It's not exactly adding any impermeable surfaces that would increase the burden on the stormwater system. What exists now is a bunch of impermeable parking lots which are as bad for stormwater as you can get.
I'm a resident of Brookhaven (Ashford Park) and not exactly a fan of this project. The scope of the project is just too big in my opinion. Scale it back. Sure, put a hotel, some office, but the we do not need any more apartments in the area. They are trying to make it another Lindbergh.
Druid Hills and Dresden are both complete clusters already. Yes, Ptree is bigger, but have you been on it at rush hour? It already takes me 15 minutes for the final two miles home if I happen to be coming form Buckhead.
The area does not need more apartments. The number of units added along Dresden is staggering already and someone is trying to squeeze in more btwn Savvy and Apple Valley from what I understand.
No more traffic please.
Where else is there a more perfect location to add medium density, than a transit station?
You cannot blame MARTA for DeKalb County and Brookhaven's decision to allow 100+ unit complexes on 2 lane roads. MARTA wants to build medium density development with DIRECT access to the transit station and blossoming retail district. This could create a downtown area for Brookhaven and concentrate trips on transit.
Is the issue sewer or stormwater? It's not exactly adding any impermeable surfaces that would increase the burden on the stormwater system. What exists now is a bunch of impermeable parking lots which are as bad for stormwater as you can get.
It's both.
Unlike an ordinary surface lot (which is not a good option either), a building has downspouts that funnel rootop water, at higher velocity, into specific ground areas. That makes it harder for the receiving surface to absorb the water.
Construction will cause huge land disturbances that will increase runoff.
The project calls for the relocation of Apple Valley Dr. to bring it in line with Standard Dr., which will take out pervious trees and foliage that have been there for decades.
Millions are allocated for streetscapes and sidewalks, which will add tons of concrete.
The higher number of parked cars will create a huge increase in contaminated runoff, which will make its way into the critical streams that are very nearby.
The sewer infrastructure was built for am R-100 neighborhood decades ago. Many miles of sewer upgrades will be required to support a huge number of apartments and offices. DeKalb doesn't have a handle on this...see below. An engineer posted the pipe diameters that are needed throughout the area but I can't remember off the top of my head.
The following are "to-dos" that have yet to be answered by MARTA in terms of a specific plan or solution. These FAQS are from MARTA's own presentation on CoUrbanize:
Where will the 1.2 acre storm water retention pond be relocated as it cannot be placed near a stream buffer?
The developer is in the preliminary phases of the design and is currently exploring options to bring the redeveloped site into compliance with current stormwater regulations. Any modifications to the existing stormwater management facility will be done in accordance with applicable local, state, and federal regulations.
Is there an underground storm water collection structure planned for the site? If so, have they been tested in the State of Georgia?
While nothing has been designed at this point in the process, any stormwater management facilities proposed on site will likely need to be below grade due to the density. here are several industry accepted underground storage systems that have been widely used throughout the state.
Will the developer pipe the existing Fernwood Park stream from the development site to Peachtree creek? If not, where will bioswales or stream monitoring stations be situated?
There are no current plans to pipe the existing stream. During construction, stormwater discharge will be monitored in accordance with the regulations outlined in the current edition of the Georgia Erosion and Sediment Control Manual.
Where will a new sewer truck line be located to transport sewer from the site to the Peachtree Creek trunk line?
The development team has reached out to DeKalb County requesting a capacity certification of what the existing sanitary sewer system will be able to accommodate. The location of system upgrades (if required) will not be determined until the capacity analysis has been completed.
Has DeKalb County accepted any liability for the new sewer demand from the development?
Not at this time, DeKalb County is currently evaluating the capacity of the existing system.
Has a Fernwood Park to Peachtree Creek Stormwater/Sewer Shed Environmental impact study be completed or started?
A hydrology study of the site will be prepared in accordance with City of Brookhaven and Georgia Stormwater Management Manual requirements. As part of that study, a 10% basin analysis will be performed. The 10% basin analysis is used to verify that the site will not be increasing the design year storm event discharge flow rate from the site but also at the point in the overall watershed where the site acreage comprises 10% of the drainage area.
How will the millions of dollars in cost for traffic, storm water and sewer improvements needed for such an enormous development?
Unfortunately, this development won’t be able to alleviate all of the existing issues plaguing this area. Our goal is to work to minimize the impact the development has on the surrounding community and not exacerbate these issues. To do this we will be working with the City, County and State authorities.
What are the plans to upgrade the water and sewer capacities?
The development team will work in conjunction with DeKalb County in an effort to ensure there is adequate capacity for the proposed development without creating an adverse effect on the existing systems.
----
Just to give you an idea of the scale of this density, here are comparisons of other MARTA TODs:
BROOKHAVEN: 15 acres
RESIDENTIAL SPACE
126 senior affordable apartments
560- 580 market rate units
EDGEWOOD/CANDLER PARK: 6.5 acres
RESIDENTIAL SPACE
395 apartments
GROUND FLOOR RETAIL SPACE
10,000 square feet
CULTURAL SPACE
20,000 square feet
PUBLIC SPACE
1/2 acre park
While Brookhaven has a 2x larger footprint than Avondale, the civic and office space is exponentially higher. All the community is asking is for this project to be scaled down to a more reasonable level given that it's nestled into a residential neighborhood with 2 lane roads.
BTW: MARTA has told us the project will only increase ridership by about 800-1000 per day at this station. So I guess all these people filling this 120-400K of office space will be driving.
Unlike an ordinary surface lot (which is not a good option either), a building has downspouts that funnel rootop water, at higher velocity, into specific ground areas. That makes it harder for the receiving surface to absorb the water.
Construction will cause huge land disturbances that will increase runoff.
The project calls for the relocation of Apple Valley Dr. to bring it in line with Standard Dr., which will take out pervious trees and foliage that have been there for decades.
Millions are allocated for streetscapes and sidewalks, which will add tons of concrete.
The higher number of parked cars will create a huge increase in contaminated runoff, which will make its way into the critical streams that are very nearby.
The sewer infrastructure was built for am R-100 neighborhood decades ago. Many miles of sewer upgrades will be required to support a huge number of apartments and offices. DeKalb doesn't have a handle on this...see below. An engineer posted the pipe diameters that are needed throughout the area but I can't remember off the top of my head.
The following are "to-dos" that have yet to be answered by MARTA in terms of a specific plan or solution. These FAQS are from MARTA's own presentation on CoUrbanize:
Where will the 1.2 acre storm water retention pond be relocated as it cannot be placed near a stream buffer?
The developer is in the preliminary phases of the design and is currently exploring options to bring the redeveloped site into compliance with current stormwater regulations. Any modifications to the existing stormwater management facility will be done in accordance with applicable local, state, and federal regulations.
Is there an underground storm water collection structure planned for the site? If so, have they been tested in the State of Georgia?
While nothing has been designed at this point in the process, any stormwater management facilities proposed on site will likely need to be below grade due to the density. here are several industry accepted underground storage systems that have been widely used throughout the state.
Will the developer pipe the existing Fernwood Park stream from the development site to Peachtree creek? If not, where will bioswales or stream monitoring stations be situated?
There are no current plans to pipe the existing stream. During construction, stormwater discharge will be monitored in accordance with the regulations outlined in the current edition of the Georgia Erosion and Sediment Control Manual.
Where will a new sewer truck line be located to transport sewer from the site to the Peachtree Creek trunk line?
The development team has reached out to DeKalb County requesting a capacity certification of what the existing sanitary sewer system will be able to accommodate. The location of system upgrades (if required) will not be determined until the capacity analysis has been completed.
Has DeKalb County accepted any liability for the new sewer demand from the development?
Not at this time, DeKalb County is currently evaluating the capacity of the existing system.
Has a Fernwood Park to Peachtree Creek Stormwater/Sewer Shed Environmental impact study be completed or started?
A hydrology study of the site will be prepared in accordance with City of Brookhaven and Georgia Stormwater Management Manual requirements. As part of that study, a 10% basin analysis will be performed. The 10% basin analysis is used to verify that the site will not be increasing the design year storm event discharge flow rate from the site but also at the point in the overall watershed where the site acreage comprises 10% of the drainage area.
How will the millions of dollars in cost for traffic, storm water and sewer improvements needed for such an enormous development?
Unfortunately, this development won’t be able to alleviate all of the existing issues plaguing this area. Our goal is to work to minimize the impact the development has on the surrounding community and not exacerbate these issues. To do this we will be working with the City, County and State authorities.
What are the plans to upgrade the water and sewer capacities?
The development team will work in conjunction with DeKalb County in an effort to ensure there is adequate capacity for the proposed development without creating an adverse effect on the existing systems.
----
Just to give you an idea of the scale of this density, here are comparisons of other MARTA TODs:
BROOKHAVEN: 15 acres
RESIDENTIAL SPACE
126 senior affordable apartments
560- 580 market rate units
EDGEWOOD/CANDLER PARK: 6.5 acres
RESIDENTIAL SPACE
395 apartments
GROUND FLOOR RETAIL SPACE
10,000 square feet
CULTURAL SPACE
20,000 square feet
PUBLIC SPACE
1/2 acre park
While Brookhaven has a 2x larger footprint than Avondale, the civic and office space is exponentially higher. All the community is asking is for this project to be scaled down to a more reasonable level given that it's nestled into a residential neighborhood with 2 lane roads.
BTW: MARTA has told us the project will only increase ridership by about 800-1000 per day at this station. So I guess all these people filling this 120-400K of office space will be driving.
The residents have every right to public input on this project, but do understand this project would instantly create a downtown district for Brookhaven and increase it's tax base, therefore offsetting an increase on residents.
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