Officials hold groundbreaking for Ashford Dunwoody Path

By ALEXANDER POPP alex@appenmedia.com

DUNWOODY, Ga. — Dunwoody’s dream of connecting the city with a network of multi-use trails took a step forward March 14 when officials broke ground on a new section of Ashford Dunwoody Path at Perimeter Mall.

Braving the wind and unseasonably cold temperatures, city officials and other Perimeter area groups gathered to kick off construction for a section of multi-use path, that will connect several existing sections of trail around the mall.

“Connectivity is very important to me, to my counsel … to our residents, to our business community and we cannot connect all parts of our community without partners.” Dunwoody Mayor Lynn Deutsch said at the ceremony.

The trail connection, which will stretch less than a mile from Hammond Drive north to Perimeter Center West on Ashford Dunwoody Road, will include a two-way raised bike path, a wider sidewalk, new pedestrian lighting and upgraded landscaping around Perimeter Mall.

Deutsch said that in the short term, the project will provide vital connections in the Perimeter Mall area, but in the future, it will connect people to Path 400 and Atlanta’s Beltline trail.

“But long term, it's all part of a regional plan to have connectivity across the region,” she said. “If you can get to the Silver Comet Trail (which begins in Syrna), you can get to Alabama. So, the options are really endless.”

The project was developed as part of Dunwoody’s transportation plan and the proposed Dunwoody Trail Master Plan.

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Construction for Phase 1 of the project will cost $1.5 million, which Dunwoody will split evenly with the Perimeter Community Improvement Districts, a group representing commercial property owners in the Perimeter Mall area.

Ann Hanlon, executive director of the Perimeter CIDs, said many people living in the Perimeter area want to live in a connected, walkable community, thanks to the success of the Atlanta Beltline.

“I think the Beltline has made trails very cool and hip, so our market wants that same thing,” Hanlon said. “Anytime a new trail segment is built, you can see commercial property values go up and it becomes a more desirable place for people to be.”

Hanlon said they’ve already seen the effects of this firsthand with three new restaurants near Ashford Dunwoody Road, which were built facing the new path and with multi-purpose uses in mind.

Deutsch said the project will also have an impact on the area’s traffic congestion problems.

Each person who bikes or walks through the Perimeter Mall area is one less car on the road.

“Any opportunity we have to get people out of their cars and provide an opportunity to just walk or ride their bike safely on a street with about 40,000 car trips a day, is a good day,” Deutsch said.

City funding for the project will be provided from local hotel/motel taxes. In addition to 50 percent of construction costs, the Perimeter CIDs will also fund decorative pavers, posts, benches and trashcans.