Decide DeKalb has quietly signed off on nearly $1 million in local Tax Allocation District funding to push two more sections of the South Peachtree Creek Trail toward construction. The award will help the county buy land and pay for design work on Segments 3 and 5, roughly 8,900 linear feet, or about 1.7 miles, that will fill gaps between Briarcliff Road, North Druid Hills Road and Interstate 85. Advocates say the expansion will knit neighborhoods, schools and retail to the already popular greenway that runs through Mason Mill and Medlock parks.
Board sign-off and the funding source
Per the March meeting agenda from Decide DeKalb, the board included a resolution authorizing a Briarcliff/North Druid Hills Tax Allocation District award to the county's Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs for the South Peachtree Creek Trail Segments 3 and 5. The agenda lists Tiffany Wills as the redevelopment vice president who presented the resolution to the board.
What the new sections will do
According to Urbanize Atlanta, the Briarcliff/North Druid Hills TAD is providing $951,600 to support acquisition and design of Segments 3 and 5. The pieces will add about 8,900 linear feet of multi-use trail, with Segment 3 running from Briarcliff Road to I-85 and Segment 5 stretching from Margaret Harris Comprehensive School to North Druid Hills Road along Knob Hill Drive NE and Mount Mariah Road NE.
Partners and regional connections
The South Peachtree Creek Trail is a partnership between the PATH Foundation and DeKalb County, with PATH helping build and maintain boardwalks and connectors in the corridor. Brookhaven's Peachtree Creek Greenway is planned to meet the South Peachtree system, creating a larger regional network that could eventually link to the Atlanta Beltline and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
Timeline and local benefits
Project officials expect design and permitting to wrap in 2027, with construction staged in 2028 and 2029, and the full five-segment project estimated at about $2.6 million, Urbanize Atlanta reports. Tiffany Wills said the new segments will "extend the trail network" and improve pedestrian safety, and board member Jim Durrett called greenspace outside people’s doors a major quality-of-life booster, per the same reporting. Next steps include right-of-way acquisition and the county's procurement of a design firm to develop construction drawings.
Where this fits in the neighborhood
The award arrives as the Lulah Hills redevelopment of the North DeKalb Mall advances, with planners pitching trail connections to the project that would hook into the South Peachtree corridor. That redevelopment context, and growing interest in walking and biking for short trips, helps explain why officials tapped the Briarcliff/North Druid Hills TAD for the work, North DeKalb Mall transformation coverage notes.
If the project stays on schedule, residents can expect new off-street links to schools, retail and transit over the next few years as DeKalb advances design and secures permits. Officials say the work is intended to improve pedestrian safety and make walking or biking a more realistic option for everyday errands across northeast DeKalb.
