text:
MARTA Station
Charrette Report
Atlanta Regional Commission
City of Brookhaven
Atlanta Commercial Board of REALTORS®
Augusta Greenway Alliance
Brookhaven-Peachtree Community Alliance
Brown and Caldwell
Columbia Residential
Gables Residential
Georgia Department of Transportation
Greenrock Partnership
Nelson Nygaard
Home Depot Foundation
October 21-24, 2013
3 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report
Executive Summary 5
Charrette and Design Team 7
City of Brookhaven, DeKalb County, Georgia 11
Transit Oriented Development in Brookhaven -
Why Now? 13
Brookhaven-Peachtree Livable Centers Initiative Plan 14
MARTA TOD Guidelines 16
Station Area Characterization 17
Station Area Zoning 19
Community Planning Perspectives 23
Neighborhood Engagement 23
Quality Development Guidelines 27
Regulating Plan 29
Neighborhood Connectivity Plan 32
Peachtree Road Enhancements 36
Development Authority - Scope and Implementation 38
Stormwater Facility and City Park 39
Charrette Alternatives Evaluation Matrix 41
Resources 44
Appendix Materials are in a Supplemental Document
5 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report
Executive Summary
Southface and the Atlanta Regional Commission
facilitated a four day Transit Oriented Development
(TOD) charrette in October of 2013, focused on the
redevelopment of the Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA
station parking lots. MARTA's Offce of Transit Oriented
Development and Real Estate and City of Brookhaven
leadership and staff including: Mayor J. Max Davis,
Councilmember Bates Mattison, Councilmember
Rebecca Chase Williams, Councilmember Jim Eyre,
Councilmember Joe Gebbia, City Manager Marie
Garrett, Community Development Director Susan
Canon and members of the Planning Commission
and Development Authority actively participated
throughout the process which began in June of
2013. The Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA station
was selected as the site for the charrette due to
the large amount of potential developable acreage,
city and community desire to activate the space
into usable and productive property, development
community interest, business and fnancial institution
perspectives and the MARTA Board of Directors
initiative to increase ridership and revenue at their
Southface reviewed Brookhaven demographics and
market analysis reports, existing redevelopment
plans, local zoning ordinances and TOD guidelines and
best practices. In addition to the data and research
gathering, a series of meetings with the City of
Brookhaven produced a group of primary stakeholders
consisting of community leaders and activists,
councilmembers, city and county commissioners and
small business owners. Professionals with expertise
in community design and architecture, planning,
development, affordable housing, traffc engineering,
and transportation were included. The group
approached eighty members and Southface was able
to conduct in-person or phone interviews with about
60% of the stakeholders.
A series of background sessions on the Brookhaven
Livable Centers Initiative plan (LCI) and Brookhaven-
Peachtree Overlay District, transportation planning
and workforce housing in addition to several other
public meetings were hosted in Brookhaven to
provide an opportunity for public input leading
to the charrette. All in all, nearly 200 people
participated during charrette interviews, background
sessions, meetings and working sessions.
The interview process revealed interesting and
valuable information regarding the community's
thoughts and vision for the MARTA station parking lots
redevelopment which informed the necessary planning
documents to be completed during the charrette. In
conversations with Brookhaven Mayor J. Max Davis,
it was indicated that the redevelopment should be a
region leading example of TOD for newly established
cities. Councilmember Bates Mattison would like
to see the MARTA station, Peachtree Road and the
surrounding neighborhoods become more pedestrian
friendly and supportive of alternative transportation
options such as walking, biking and low-speed
vehicles (LSV). Overall the City of Brookhaven is pro-
development and wants to ensure that the project
has substantial city and community involvement to
produce the highest and best quality project possible
by working with MARTA throughout the forthcoming
Request for Proposals (RFP) process. The City of
Brookhaven envision's the site becoming the town
center/gateway for the newly formed city with a mix
of uses to support the commercial, residential, and
civic needs of the community. These perspectives
align with the Brookhaven LCI vision: "a high-quality,
dynamic, mixed-use center that will become a village
center and focal point for the Brookhaven community.
It includes a mix of multi-tenant offce, retail, and
residential development organized around a central
open space and positioned in a denser, pedestrian
oriented pattern that will change the character and
6 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report
environment along Peachtree Road and Apple Valley
Road near the station."
In 2010, MARTA offcially adopted TOD guidelines.
The policy is meant to provide the entire community
of TOD stakeholders from community members to
developers with a common vocabulary and frame of
reference, general direction and specifc strategies
and techniques for TOD development on and around
station areas. The Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA
station charrette process serves as a model for
advancing these transit oriented development
guidelines at MARTA station areas, a goal in both
the ARC and MARTA work programs. The charrette
planning documents will serve as an addendum to
the RFP to be released. This will provide MARTA,
developers and the City of Brookhaven with a set of
community and professional recommendations for site
planning to ensure the product is representative of
the community and stakeholder vision as indicated in
the preceding paragraph.
The resulting community planning perspectives
include: neighborhood engagement, quality
development guidelines, regulating plan,
neighborhood connectivity plan, Peachtree Road
enhancements, development authority – scope
and implementation and stormwater facility/city
park. These planning documents were chosen due
to substantial input from stakeholders, project and
design team members in addition to Brookhaven
community members. The planning documents are
representative of the components necessary to
successfully implement TOD on the Brookhaven-
Oglethorpe MARTA station property. It is important for
MARTA to work closely with the City of Brookhaven
and the development community throughout this
process to ensure a common vision and understanding
among all parties.
7 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report
Atlanta Regional Commission
ARC was created in 1947 by
the Georgia General Assembly
as a regional planning and
intergovernmental coordination
agency for the Atlanta metropolitan area. For sixty
years, ARC has focused the region's leadership,
attention, and resources on key issues of regional
consequence such as aging services, governmental
services, leadership development, research and
mapping, workforce development, environmental
planning, land use planning, mobility and air quality
issues. The thirty-nine member Board made up of
local offcials and citizen members govern and advise
the work of the ARC.
ARC serves multiple roles including:
• State of Georgia Regional Commission (10-county
planning area)
• Metropolitan Planning Organization (18-county
planning area; forecasting for 20-county area)
• Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District
(15-county planning area)
• Area Agency on Aging (10-county planning area)
• Atlanta Region Workforce Board (7-county planning
Brookhaven-Peachtree Community Alliance
The Brookhaven Peachtree Community Alliance
(BPCA) is a group of Brookhaven residents organized
around the goal of guiding Brookhaven development
along Peachtree Street and Dresden Drive. They
are a volunteer, non-proft community organization,
and Brookhaven Heights, Brookhaven Fields,
Ashford Park and Historic Brookhaven neighborhoods
have representatives on the BPCA board. BPCA
board members are design, planning or business
professionals in their non-volunteer lives.
Charette and Design Team
Atlanta Commercial Board of REALTORS®
Founded in 1993, the Greater
Atlanta Commercial Board of
REALTORS® offcially changed
titles to the Atlanta Commercial
Board of REALTORS® in 1995. The
current membership of the Atlanta Commercial Board
of REALTORS® has exceeded 3,200 REALTORS® and
Affliates. The desire to be involved with the Board
is great and the Board of Directors is comprised of
the most successful and infuential REALTORS® in
the city. The leadership is dedicated to continuous
improvement in the areas of education, technology,
networking and award recognition. The Atlanta
Commercial Board of REALTORS® graciously supported
the Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Charrette through
a Smart Growth Action Grant from the NATIONAL
Augusta Greenway Alliance
The mission of the Augusta
Greenway Alliance is to foster
Smart Growth and alternative,
green transportation; thereby
promoting economic, environmental and social
sustainability. The namesake initiative advocated
repurposing an underutilized, downtown Augusta
roadway into a low-carbon, sustainable transportation
corridor through the heart of Augusta, Georgia, coined
as an "Augusta Greenway." The Alliance is also an
advocate for Low-Speed Vehicles (LSV) and seeks to
foster an urban, alternative transportation coalition
between cyclists and users of low speed electric
vehicles. They're currently working on a pilot Low-
Speed Electric Vehicles program on the University of
Arkansas at Fayetteville campus.
8 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report
The BPCA formed in 2004 and spurred DeKalb
County to apply for the landmark Livable Cities
Initiative (LCI) plan of Brookhaven. The LCI plan
subsequently brought together citizens from all
over Brookhaven and used an extensive public
process to develop a visionary, twenty year
development plan for Brookhaven. The BPCA
then worked with DeKalb County Commissioners
to codify the plan's recommendations in a new
zoning ordinance for Brookhaven, called the
"Brookhaven Peachtree Overlay District." BPCA
embraces and promotes the LCI plan's goal
to create a true public heart for Brookhaven,
centered at or near the MARTA station, consisting
of a variety of building types in a friendly,
walkable environment.
Brown and Caldwell
Brown and Caldwell is the
largest engineering consulting
frm solely focused on the U.S.
environmental sector. In a climate of tightening
regulations, even tighter budgets and swift
advances in technology to bridge the gap between
compliance and funding.
Brown and Caldwell is passionate about delivering
exceptional service, collaborating with clients,
adding value through innovation and building
relationships that last. This passion dates back
to Ken Brown and Dave Caldwell, who, since
founding the company in 1947, stood out for their
ability to solve engineering challenges, apply
technology to emerging environmental problems,
and serve their community. High quality service,
great technical solutions, and innovation are the
qualities carried forward as the world changed
and the company grew into what it is today.
CH2M Hill
A global leader in consulting,
design, design-build, operations,
and program management, CH2M HILL has the human
and technical resources, the international footprint,
and the depth of know-how and experience to help
clients achieve success in any corner of the world.
CH2M HILL has 28,000 employees on six continents
working on some of the most complex and exciting
projects on the planet. They partner with clients
in energy, water, environment and infrastructure to
design integrated solutions that deliver lasting value.
Columbia Residential
Columbia Residential was
established in 1991 to address the
necessity for quality affordable
housing that fulflls the needs of
our residents and also enhances
the aesthetic standards of the
community. Columbia Residential
is an integrated development company, comprising
master planning, development, project management,
construction management, and property management
disciplines. We search for locations that are
underserved by the affordable housing industry and
employ experienced vendors to bring our ideas to
life with inspired, purposeful architectural design;
sustainable, innovative construction; and a sincere
commitment to the community, its surrounding
neighborhood, and most importantly, our residents.
Since their inception, they have won more national
awards for architectural excellence than any other
affordable housing provider.
9 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report
Gables Residential
Gables Residential is an award
winning, vertically integrated real
estate company specializing in
the development, construction,
ownership, acquisition, fnancing
and management of multifamily and
mixed-use communities.
Gables manages approximately 38,000 apartment
homes and 400,000 square feet of retail space and
has received national recognition for excellence
in development, management, sales, marketing,
training, benefts and corporate accommodations.
These achievements refect the impact of experienced
and dedicated team members, superior knowledge
of the markets served and expertise in development
and management. Gables Residential owns, develops
and manages communities in high growth markets
throughout the United States.
Georgia Department of Transportation
The Georgia Department of
Transportation (Georgia DOT)
consists of approximately 4,300
employees. Georgia DOT plans, constructs and
maintains Georgia's state and federal highways.
They're involved in bridge, waterway, public transit,
rail, general aviation, bike and pedestrian programs.
They also provide assistance to local governments to
maintain their roads.
Greenrock Partnership
Greenrock Partnership is a
planning and design consultant
frm committed to creating quality
living environments. Greenrock Partnership works
in the public and private sector, either directly for
clients or supporting other consultants. Projects
include single family homes, multi-family and mixed-
use communities, parks, offces, shopping centers and
Nelson Nygaard
Nelson Nygaard was founded in
1987 as a partnership by two
former San Francisco Municipal
Railway managers, Bonnie Nelson
and Diane Nygaard. Together, they believed it
was possible to create a transportation planning
frm that fosters a fun, egalitarian and creative
work environment, and that provides high quality,
principled work for its clients. The company has
grown to over ninety planners and engineers, with
offces across the United States and a work base
that covers fve continents. Nelson Nygaard are
transportation specialists in bicycle and pedestrian
plans, climate action, parking, traffc engineering,
transit, transportation and land use and more.
Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority
The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid
Transit Authority is the largest
transit system in the Atlanta
region. MARTA operates a network
of bus routes linked to a rapid transit system
consisting of forty-eight miles of rail track with
thirty-eight train stations. MARTA operates almost
exclusively in Fulton and DeKalb counties, with the
exception of bus service to two destinations in Cobb
County (Six Flags over Georgia and the Cumberland
Transfer Center next to the Cumberland Mall) and
a single rail station in Clayton County at Hartsfeld-
Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
MARTA's mission is to strengthen communities,
advance economic competitiveness and respect
the environment by providing a safe and customer-
10 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report
focused regional transit system. MARTA's Offce of
Transit Oriented Development (TOD) & Real Estate
is responsible for all transit oriented development
and real estate activities. These responsibilities are
divided among two branches: the Joint Development
Group and the Real Estate Group.
Since 1978, Southface has promoted
sustainable homes, workplaces
and communities through education, research,
advocacy and technical assistance in the Atlanta
region. Southface programs reach over 40,000 people
annually, primarily through trainings and specifc
project work. The current ffty-seven member staff
is divided into four major program areas: Residential
Green Building Services, Commercial Green Building
Services, Sustainable Communities, and Energy and
Sustainable Development Policy.
The Home Depot Foundation
The Home Depot Foundation is a
501(c) (3) organization that was
established in 2002 to further the
community building goals of The
Home Depot by providing additional
resources to assist nonproft organizations. The
mission of The Home Depot Foundation is simple...
to improve homes and improve lives. Through
partnership with local nonprofts and the volunteer
efforts of Team Depot, they focus on repairing
and refurbishing homes and facilities that serve
disadvantaged families and individuals. Over the last 6
years, the Home Depot Foundation has donated more
than $35 million to 1,000 nonproft organizations in
Atlanta. Their current mission will invest $80 million
over the next fve years to nonprofts who specifcally
address veterans housing needs, reaching thousands of
communities nationwide. The Home Depot Foundation
generously supports Southface projects and programs
including Transit Oriented Development Charrette's
and EarthCraft House.
URS Corporation
URS Corporation is a leading provider
of engineering, construction and
technical services for public agencies
and private sector companies around the world. The
Company offers a full range of program management;
planning, design and engineering; systems
engineering and technical assistance; construction
and construction management; operations and
maintenance; information technology; and
decommissioning and closure services. URS provides
services for federal, oil and gas, infrastructure,
power, and industrial projects and programs. URS has
more than 50,000 employees in a network of offces
in nearly ffty countries. URS is committed to business
practices, operations and projects that improve
economic, environmental and societal outcomes.
Their comprehensive skills and expertise are a valued
resource to clients around the world, in support of
their sustainability objectives.
11 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report
City of Brookhaven, DeKalb County,
The City of Brookhaven is located in western DeKalb
County, Georgia, directly northeast of Atlanta.
The City of Brookhaven offcially incorporated in
December 2012 and is DeKalb County's 11th city,
covering an area of twelve square miles with a
population just over 43,000. The city is bound by the
Fulton County line to the west, I-85 to the south,
Clairmont Road and the City of Chamblee at Chamblee
Dunwoody Road to the east and the City of Dunwoody
at I-285 to the north. The study area for this project
is focused around the Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA
station and its parking lots which are bound by
Dresden Drive to the north, Apple Valley Road to
the east, North Druid Hills Road to the south and
Peachtree Road to the west. Peachtree Road bisects
Brookhaven and serves as the primary north-south
connection for travel between Buckhead and the
I-285 Perimeter. North Druid Hills Road is the primary
east-west connection for travel between I-85, Buford
Highway and Brookhaven. Dresden Drive serves as the
other primary connection for east-west travel. Apple
Valley is a relatively inactive road used primarily for
north-south residential neighborhood traffc.
The MARTA station area is divided by two MARTA
rail lines and two Norfolk Southern freight rail lines
with enough right-of-way (ROW) to add another two
freight rail lines. The Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA
station is situated adjacent to the neighborhoods of
Ashford Park to the north, Brookhaven Fields to the
east, Brookhaven Heights to the south and Historic
Brookhaven to the west. This location presents an
opportunity for the MARTA station to serve as the
centerpiece for neighborhood connectivity through
redevelopment as a town center with a mix of uses
including: retail, offce, residential, civic and public
space. Peachtree Road is the primary commercial
corridor for the area but presents some challenges
with becoming a truly accessible, safe and walkable
environment. Dresden Drive has experienced
signifcant mixed-use development over the
past few years and is quickly becoming a major
destination for the community.
The City of Brookhaven population is 43,344 with
a projected growth rate of 7.4% over the next fve
years (2014-2019), a mid-range projection for the
region when compared to places like the Buckhead
District at 10% and the Metro Atlanta region at
6.4%. Brookhaven's cultural mix is 68.8% White,
17.9% Latino, 7% African American and 4.9% Asian.
Brookhaven is less culturally diverse than the City of
Atlanta and the Metro region but more so than areas
like Buckhead, the City of Decatur and the Virginia-
Highland neighborhood. It compares similarly with
the Midtown District, the City of Johns Creek,
the City of Roswell and the City of Woodstock.
Brookhaven and Midtown represent the top areas for
millennial generation population, which are those
born in the 1980's and represent a population of 76
million people nationally, second to baby boomers.
Most residents are between the ages of twenty-
fve to forty-four. The majority of households are
non-married singles at 39%, 22.2% are families with
children and 11.8% are age 65 and over. These fall
into the lower-middle range when compared to
other places in Metro Atlanta. Average household
income is $102,260 with a 10.9% poverty rate which
lands in the upper range for Metro Atlanta which
has a $72,632 household income and 12.3% poverty
rate, Johns Creek and Buckhead comprise the top
two locales. Brookhaven is the third most educated
area in the region behind Buckhead and Dunwoody
with nearly two-thirds of the population having
a bachelor's and master's degree. Brookhaven
represents the area with the most self-employed
workforce but also has one of the smallest daytime
workforces in the region at fewer than 12,000.
Brookhaven, Decatur and Johns Creek have the
12 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report
highest percentage of residents who work from home
at 11% each. Home values are the third highest in the
region, over $373,033; next to Buckhead and Virginia-
Highland. Commute times are some of the shortest
in the region, 27.9 minutes. The housing mix is 53.1%
owner and 46.9% renter and has experienced a higher
percentage of home construction since 2010 than
most of the region and the national average.
Overall when compared to other locales in the
Metro Atlanta region, the City of Brookhaven
represents a relatively young and culturally diverse
population with a manageable projected rate of
growth. Households have high incomes, property
values and education levels with low poverty rates
in addition to moderate commute times. Gaps exist
in the areas of retail and commercial offce space
but due to the signifcant amount of residents who
are self-employed and work from home the lack of
offce space may not be as much of a concern as
other locations but still represents an opportunity to
increase tax revenue. The Brookhaven demographics
make the case for redeveloping the MARTA station
area into a mixed-use center. The area is in need
of more retail, commercial and public space and
has the appropriate demographics to support a high
quality redevelopment of the MARTA parking lots.
The MARTA station represents a valuable asset for
the city and community to create a town center with
amenities and activity centers in a location effcient
area supported by an existing transit station, which
is a unique and increasingly desirable quality in the
Atlanta region.
Brookhaven is located in northwest DeKalb County.
13 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report
Transit Oriented Development in
Brookhaven – Why Now?
The majority of developable property in and around
the City of Atlanta and to the I-285 perimeter has
been developed and limited opportunities exist
particularly for large scale development, the same is
true in Brookhaven. The MARTA station parking lots
and other properties within a quarter mile present
an opportunity for redevelopment. Analysis of ten
MARTA stations shows a development potential of
more than 300 acres, 41 of which are located in and
around the Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA station.
The Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA station area holds
some of the greatest development opportunities in
the region for Transit Oriented Development (TOD)
due to the large amount of developable property,
favorable demographics and market conditions.
The City of Brookhaven, MARTA, fnancial investors,
developers, regional and national leaders in addition
to the local community recognize the great potential
to create a town center mixed-use development
in the heart of Brookhaven to become the focal
point and gateway to the newly established city.
Analysis has determined that Brookhaven is in an
emerging potential stage for TOD meaning that urban
characteristics are present but minimal and future
development will take advantage of transit access for
urban in-fll development.
Brookhaven is situated between two of the regions
premier real estate markets in Buckhead and the
Central Perimeter and has some of the areas highest
income levels making it a particularly attractive area
for development. New apartments within a half-mile
radius of the MARTA station are attracting rental rates
comparable to that of Buckhead which has the highest
rents of any submarket in the region at $1,200/
month. For example, the Goodwyn at Brookhaven
in the Town Brookhaven development adjacent to
Peachtree Road is attaining rents over $1,700/month
and the same can be said for other apartments in
the area such as the Post Glenn. The close proximity
to transit and the growing retail presence are major
factors for the burgeoning development.
The offce and retail markets do not share the same
market conditions as the nearby high-performing
Buckhead area. Brookhaven has an opportunity to fll
a niche for mid-rise, mixed-use development that
includes offce space which is not present in most
of the surrounding commercial areas dominated by
Class A high-rise offce space. The high percentage
of residents who work from home, are self-employed
and operate small businesses and frms have a need
for local-serving retail and offce space. Although
the offce and retail development opportunities are
fewer than residential, a mixed-use development
on the MARTA site can help to fll the gap. Mixed-use
development on the MARTA site provides the benefts
of a transit-oriented location, proximity to Buckhead
and the Central Perimeter and rents at a 30-40%
discount when compared to Buckhead on a price per
square foot basis.
14 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report
Brookhaven-Peachtree Livable Centers
Initiative (LCI) Plan
The charrette scope shadows the 2006 Brookhaven
Livable Centers Initiative plan (LCI) and although
it does not include the recent city incorporation
and new developments along Dresden Drive and
Peachtree Road, the majority of its content and
recommendations maintain relevancy today. The
plan recommends up to 200,000 square feet of offce
space, 40,000 square feet of retail and around 300
residential units located around a community plaza
and green space. It is suggested that the City of
Brookhaven becomes a civic-anchor tenant by locating
City Hall on the MARTA property in addition to the
DeKalb County library in order to activate the site for
private investment in TOD. The northwest parking lot
along Peachtree Road is an attractive development
parcel from its Peachtree Road address but uses are
limited as a result of small acreage and shallow depth
from Peachtree Road to the rail transit line. Proposed
building types for this parcel include retail, hotel and
a civic plaza entryway. The ffteen acre southeast
parking lot presents more advantageous conditions for
large-scale development of multiple uses including
mixed-use residential, multifamily residential, mixed-
use offce, civic space, green space and shared
parking decks. The LCI framework plan consists of a
mixed-use center with retail, housing and offce along
Apple Valley, concentrate offce space by Dresden
Drive, orientate mixed-use development around a
central green space that connects Fernwood Park and
Apple Valley Road to the pedestrian tunnel and MARTA
station. Parking decks situated in the interior of the
site adjacent to the rail line, residential buildings on
the south side near North Druid Hills Road, improve
Peachtree Road street frontage building façade
and streetscape, small-scale retail along Peachtree
Road in place of underutilized parking and develop
design standards that improve building facades and
create a consistent sense of place. More in depth
recommendations concerning site development will be
discussed later in the quality development guidelines
and regulating plans.
The LCI plan highlighted nearly a dozen transportation
improvements on roadways adjacent to the station
and the surrounding neighborhoods. For the most part
they consist of sidewalk and bicycle enhancements
and pedestrian crossings on Peachtree Road, Dresden
Drive and North Druid Hills Road with road extensions
for Apple Valley Road and Cross Keys Drive. Road and
sidewalk inventory analysis indicates that facilities
are inadequate or nonexistent in the area and
improvements will be necessary. A pedestrian bridge
is promoted in the plan to enhance connectivity
from the MARTA station to the west side of Peachtree
Road and the site of the former Harris Teeter but
under most circumstances and situations they are
expensive and not heavily used. Traffc framework
and streetscape enhancements in addition to
neighborhood connectivity planning recommendations
will be discussed further in the community planning
perspectives section.
15 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report
LCI Vision
"A high-quality,
dynamic, mixed-
use center that will
become a village
center and focal point
for the Brookhaven
community. It
includes a mix of
multi-tenant offce,
retail, and residential
development organized
around a central open
space and positioned
in a denser, pedestrian
oriented pattern
that will change
the character and
environment along
Peachtree Road and
Apple Valley Road near
the station."
16 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report
MARTA TOD Guidelines
As mentioned in the Executive Summary, in 2010,
MARTA offcially adopted TOD guidelines. The
policy is meant to provide the entire community
of TOD stakeholders from community members to
developers with a common vocabulary and frame of
reference, general direction and specifc strategies
and techniques for TOD development around MARTA
station areas. The guiding principles for MARTA's TOD
initiative are: dense and compact development of
station area, a rich mix of land uses, great public
space and a new approach to parking. MARTA's
motivation for pursuing TOD is that it helps to create
great communities by offering many uses and activity
centers in a walkable and safe environment, not to
mention it increases transit ridership and revenues for
the agency. MARTA functions as a TOD sponsor through
its joint development program, in which development
is undertaken on MARTA property or provides a
direct connection to a MARTA station. MARTA prefers
to engage in lease agreements with a developer
rather than sell their property in order to comply
with Federal Transit Authority (FTA) requirements
and safeguard present and future operations for the
transit agency and its patrons.
MARTA created a TOD station typology to categorize
each of its thirty-eight stations for development uses,
consisting of: urban core, town center, commuter
town center, neighborhood, arterial corridor, special
regional destination and collector. The Brookhaven-
Oglethorpe MARTA station is categorized as a town
center type station from the LCI plan's vision to
create a new walkable mixed-use town center
with a mix of land uses and public spaces. Town
center stations are either pre-existing or new town
centers as is the case for Brookhaven, containing an
appropriate level of density with predominantly mid-
rise buildings and some low and high-rise buildings
and transition to lower density development outside
a quarter mile radius to preserve the character
of the established neighborhoods. This station
typology is meant to function as a transit origin and
destination for the region by having a constant fow
of activity perpetuated by transit patrons, residents,
offce tenants and other visitors. Generally, MARTA
encourages mixed-use development on its properties
with a strong mix of retail, offce, multi-family
housing, civic facilities and entertainment. The
development standards specifcally call for "vertical
mixed uses" which consists of retail on the ground
level and residential or offce space above.
MARTA requires that twenty percent of the residential
units on their property qualify as workforce/
affordable housing by meeting the appropriate income
limit percentage for the area median income (AMI).
For instance, the 2013 median income for the Atlanta
region used by the Georgia Department of Community
Affairs, the agency who operates the states affordable
housing tax credit program, is $66,300 and with a
"low-income limit" of 80% that translates to a $53,000
income for a family of four to qualify for workforce
housing, comparable to the average starting salary for
a City of Brookhaven police offcer.
Reference MARTA's TOD Guideline's for more detail
on allowed uses, prohibited uses, green building
and site design recommendations, town green open
space recommendations, density ranges and design
standards. Many of which are comparable to the
station area zoning conditions and requirements as
well as the recommendations set forth in the LCI plan.
17 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report
Station Area Characterization
The Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA station (4047
Peachtree Road Brookhaven, GA 30319) is located in a
highly residential area; land use within a half-mile is
62% residential, more than 18% commercial and over
12% parks and green space. Within a half-mile radius,
the population is over 3,000 and contains more than
1,500 households. In a one-mile radius, there are
more than 550 businesses and around 4,800 employees
with around three-quarters working in white collar
positions. The elevated rail transit station has two
heavy rail lines and a bus bay below, separating the
two parking lots. There are three bus routes: Route 8
to North Druid Hills Road, Route 25 to Johnson Ferry
Road and Route 47 to Briarwood Road.
Daily entries for the MARTA station are approximately
2,700 patrons and the majority of which are not
utilizing the stations ample parking. The station has
a parking capacity of 1,460, the majority being for
daily parking and a couple hundred long-term spaces.
On average, only 470 spaces or 32% are utilized during
peak commute hours. The Brookhaven-Oglethorpe
MARTA station was originally designed as a commuter
station because it was at the northern limits of the
transit line but due to MARTA's expansion over the last
three decades it is best categorized as a town-center
type station The property is envisioned as a mixed-use
town-center development and cannot function as thus
unless the area is designed for pedestrians and transit
The Walk Score for the MARTA station area is a
seventy-seven out of one hundred, much higher
than the average of forty-three for North Atlanta
and considered "very walkable", indicating that
most errands can be accomplished on foot. Nearby,
the Buckhead Village Neighborhood's Walk Score
is ninety-one as a result of density and numerous
amenities. It should be noted that Walk Score's
methodology primarily uses distances to amenities,
population density, and road metrics such as
block length and intersection density to measure
the walkability of an address. Indicators such as
sidewalk availability and quality, vehicular traffc
and crash data are not incorporated in the scoring.
The pedestrian experience of walking in Brookhaven
is not very enjoyable or safe due to inadequate
sidewalk infrastructure, high vehicle speeds and
traffc volume on Peachtree Road. Brookhaven's Walk
Score of seventy-seven is not terribly exaggerated
or inaccurate but should be noted as inaccurately
depicting the pedestrian experience. Enhancing the
Brookhaven streetscape and creating more dense
walkable developments along major roadways like
Peachtree Road, North Druid Hills Road and Dresden
Drive will go a long way towards improving the
pedestrian environment.
The Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA station is
located in the center of Brookhaven's predominant
commercial corridor, State Highway 141 or Peachtree
Road which is seven lanes at its widest point near
North Druid Hills Road. It is also in a centralized
location to many of Brookhaven's neighborhoods
including: Historic Brookhaven, Brookhaven Heights
and Brookhaven Fields. A centralized and accessible
location are essential characteristics to have for
a transit station particularly one with pending
redevelopment plans, as a result the area experiences
signifcant traffc and congestion. Nearly 32,000
vehicles traverse Peachtree Road on a daily basis
as people commute to activity centers based in
Buckhead or the I-285 Perimeter, which is comparable
to the 35,000-40,000 vehicles per day in the Buckhead
area near Peachtree and Lenox Roads. Adjacent to
the stations west side, North Druid Hills Road brings in
more than 15,000 vehicles per day on a predominantly
two-lane road. On the east side of the MARTA station,
Dresden Drive carries more than 10,000 vehicles
per day. Since 2009, 162 traffc accidents have been
18 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report
recorded in the area. Recently, in August 2013, a
pedestrian fatality occurred while crossing Peachtree
Road near the MARTA station. Dresden Drive is a two-
lane road that is experiencing a signifcant amount
of mixed-use and multi-family development. Mixed-
use projects along Dresden Drive are experiencing
resounding success but not without its parking and
traffc issues, as indicated by community members.
The redevelopment of the MARTA station parking lots
will provide opportunity for shared and managed
parking decks which can be used to support the uses
on-site and nearby Dresden Drive.
The community has expressed concern with regard
to the pedestrian friendliness of Peachtree Road
due to vehicle speeds, lack of pedestrian crossings
and inadequate or absent sidewalk facilities. The
redesign of Peachtree Road as a continuation of the
streetscape improvements in the Buckhead District
or as a boulevard would improve pedestrian safety
and help to speed the transition of adjacent suburban
strip-mall real estate into productive use that
matches community needs. The potential tax base of
properties along the Peachtree Road corridor could
provide the funding necessary for conversion through
a fnancing mechanism such as a Tax Allocation
District in addition to ARC LCI implementation
funding for transportation improvement projects.
Alternative transportation infrastructure will need to
be provided and enhanced for the area to become a
walkable, pedestrian friendly environment. Currently,
Brookhaven's bicycle infrastructure and facilities are
next to none. In the few places where they do exist,
they are disconnected. An inventory of Brookhaven's
sidewalks indicates that many roadways have
inadequate or non-existent sidewalk infrastructure.
In the absence of sidewalks, many roadways have
worn footpaths along their shoulders as is the case
for portions of North Druid Hills Road. Sidewalks are
absent on the east side of Peachtree Road, adjacent
to the MARTA and Norfolk Southern rail lines due to
limited right-of-way but facilities on the west side
could be improved.
Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Area
19 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report
Station Area Zoning
The existing zoning for the Brookhaven-Oglethorpe
MARTA station parking lots is a mixture of commercial,
residential and industrial districts. The smaller
parking lot fronting Peachtree Road is zoned as C-2
(General Commercial) District and the larger parking
lot fronting Apple Valley Road is a combination
of M (Industrial) District and R-75 (Single Family
Residential) District. In order to shape the land use
for the property as a mixed-use TOD and prepare the
site for a master developer it is recommended that
the site be rezoned as a PC (Pedestrian Community)
District prior to the release of a MARTA RFP. The
MARTA station is located in the Brookhaven-Peachtree
Overlay District and must adhere to the District
zoning conditions and requirements but if a condition
is not contained within the Overlay then underlying
zoning designation applies, which further necessitates
rezoning the property to a designation such as PC.
The purpose and intent of PC District regulations are
to encourage the development of comprehensively
planned, pedestrian-oriented, and human-scaled
places. The PC District is to permit the fexible and
compatible arrangement of residential, commercial,
offce, institutional, and civic uses, while preserving
the signifcant and valuable features of the natural
and artifcial environment. The PC District consists of
three (3) subdistricts: PC-1, PC-2 and PC-3. PC-2 and
PC-3 are the most appropriate zoning designations
for the redevelopment of the Brookhaven-Oglethorpe
MARTA station parking lots. The PC-2 District should
reinforce or extend existing commercial centers and
mixed-use neighborhoods and promote the redesign
and revitalization of underused commercial areas.
The PC-3 District should provide for a complete
and sustainable mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented
Brookhaven-Peachtree Overlay District
In 2007, following the Brookhaven LCI plan, the
Brookhaven-Peachtree Overlay District was codifed
by DeKalb County in order to uphold the zoning
recommendations to create an appropriately scaled,
walkable, mixed-use urban village in the center
of Brookhaven and promote TOD in and around
the MARTA station through building, parking and
streetscape requirements for new developments. The
Overlay ensures that: developments are consistent
with the community vision and recommendations
from the LCI plan, provide mixed-income residential
developments with a variety of housing types, enable
access to the Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA station
and nearby neighborhoods and activity centers, design
for human-scale pedestrian oriented environment,
provide effcient and effective land use surrounding
the station and adjacent to Peachtree Road, enhance
street connectivity and infrastructure to support
alternative modes of transportation, maintain building
compatibility through: façade details, consistent
property setbacks, consistent sidewalks to create an
active pedestrian environment, placemaking from
the use of landscaping, lighting and street furniture,
and compatible building materials to encourage a
design aesthetic similar to Oglethorpe University
and envisioned urban village character. The full
Brookhaven-Peachtree Overlay District ordinance and
amendments can be accessed in the appendix.
The Brookhaven-Peachtree Overlay District is
divided into two sub-areas. Sub-Area I comprises
the Peachtree Road corridor from the Fulton/
DeKalb County line north to Ashford-Dunwoody Road
and Redding Road. This area includes commercial
properties on the western edge of Peachtree Road
backing up to neighborhoods like Historic Brookhaven
and properties on the eastern side of the road up
to Dresden Drive where the right-of-way narrows
due to the MARTA and Norfolk-Southern railways.
20 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report
The Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA station property
is included in Sub-Area I. Sub-Area II includes
Brookhaven Park, Town Brookhaven and Oglethorpe
University on the western side of Peachtree Road
backing up to established neighborhoods. The eastern
portion of Sub-Area II comprises the area from North
Druid Hills Road to Sylvan Circle including Fernwood
Circle and over to Village Place off Dresden Drive near
the Camille Drive intersection. From Camille Drive the
boundary extends west over to Caldwell Road where it
continues north to Redding Road.
Overlay District lot area and yard requirements
include: a minimum front setback of zero feet and all
buildings are allowed to be set back from the public
sidewalk to allow for things such as stoops, porches,
public parks and outdoor dining. All ground foor use
must have a sidewalk or other hardscape connecting
to the entrance from the public sidewalk along the
street. Street parking is prohibited from being located
between a building and a primary or secondary
street such as Peachtree Road and Apple Valley Road.
Minimum side and rear setbacks are zero feet but
if the property is adjacent to an existing building
with windows facing the property then the setback
cannot be less than twenty feet. The same sidewalk
requirements and allowances for front setbacks are
permitted for side and rear setbacks.
The transitional buffer zone requirements concern
those properties in the Overlay District adjoining
residential properties on the external boundaries
of the district to provide a transitional buffer of no
less than thirty feet in width and cannot be used
for parking, loading or storage but may include
the installation of utilities when necessitated by
the development. Stormwater detention ponds are
not allowed in the buffer zone and no trees shall
be removed unless they are dead or diseased but
additional trees may be planted to provide screening.
A transitional height plane is required in the same
adjoining areas of the district boundaries and external
residential areas so that no portion of any structure
shall protrude through a height plane beginning at
forty-fve feet above the property line between the
district and the adjacent property outside the district
and extending parallel to the ground inward thirty
feet over the transitional buffer zone and then at an
upward angle of forty-fve degrees over the district.
The architectural design requirements and allowable
building materials include: brick, stone, wood,
architectural metal siding and fber cement siding.
21 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report
Building facades that are visible from primary
roadways such as Peachtree Road and secondary
roadways like Dresden Drive should use brick and
stone. Vinyl siding, exposed concrete block or
concrete masonry units, exposed plywood, plastic or
PVC and synthetic stucco are all prohibited building
materials. Five story buildings and greater must
differentiate the frst one or two stories through
architectural details such as cornice lines and
fenestration. Edifces longer than 100 feet need
to vary cornice height and provide variations in
facades from changes in depth, materials, colors,
etc. designed for visual interest and prevention
of an imposing appearance. Thirty-fve percent of
facades must consist of openings including windows
and doorways. Service areas, refuse collection and
mechanical equipment shall be screened from view
using either landscaping or architectural treatment
to match the building. Roofng visible from the right
of way must be sloped or fat. Sloped roofs must be
hip roofs of at least 45 degree pitch or gable roofs of
at least 30 degrees in pitch. Sloped roofs shall have
overhangs of twelve inches on all sides and cannot
exceed 100 feet in length without a plane height
All new streets need to enhance district connectivity
by connecting at least two public streets. Sidewalks
shall be provided on all streets and must consist of a
landscaped zone and a pedestrian zone. Landscaped
zones may be planted with grass, ground cover,
fowering plants and pavers. Pedestrian zones shall be
paved in concrete and kept clear and unobstructed
for safe pedestrian access. New developments must
provide a twenty-foot-wide pedestrian zone consisting
of a fve-foot-wide landscaped zone and ffteen-
foot-wide sidewalks along Peachtree Road. A ffteen-
foot-wide pedestrian zone is required for Dresden
Drive, North Druid Hills Road and Apple Valley Road.
A ten-foot-wide pedestrian zone consisting of a six-
foot-wide sidewalk and a four-foot-wide landscaped
area is required for all other district streets. Safe
and accessible pedestrian pathways shall be provided
from sidewalks along streets to each structure
entrance including access routes to parking decks
and through parking lots at a minimum width of fve
feet. Street trees shall be planted in all landscaped
zones at no more than thirty feet on center. Sidewalk
facilities such as benches, waste receptacles and bike
racks shall be placed within the landscaped zone of
Peachtree Road, Dresden Drive, North Druid Hills Road
and Apple Valley Road.
There are no parking maximums in the district.
Single-family dwellings require one parking space,
multi-family dwellings must have one space per
unit, commercial properties shall have one space
per four hundred square feet, retail properties shall
provide one space per three hundred square feet and
restaurants must provide one space per one hundred
twenty-fve square feet of dining space. Shared
parking is allowed and incentivized through potential
reductions of off-street parking requirements. Any
development that provides automobile parking
must provide bicycle parking facilities in parking
structures, lots or landscaped zones. Nonresidential
developments shall provide one bicycle parking
space for every twenty parking spaces. Multifamily
developments must provide one bicycle parking space
for every fve units. No development shall have fewer
than three bicycle parking spaces and a maximum
of ffty. All off-street parking, including surface lots
and decks shall be located behind or adjacent to
The principal uses of the development standards
include: mixed-use with ground foor retail, offce
and/or service and residential and/or offce located
on upper stories. Neighborhood retail shall not
exceed 50,000 square feet for an individual tenant.
All developments are required to provide publicly
accessible open space at 20% of the parcel area. All
22 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report
buildings in the district must be a minimum of two
stories and twenty-eight feet in height. The maximum
building heights and associated bonuses for both sub-
areas are contained in the table below.
23 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report
Community Planning Perspectives
Neighborhood Engagement
A series of community engagement sessions
were held during the charrette and focused
on capturing feedback from residents of the
surrounding established neighborhoods concerning
the redevelopment of the Brookhaven-Oglethorpe
MARTA station. Residents from Historic Brookhaven,
Brookhaven Heights, Brookhaven Fields and Ashford
Park neighborhoods participated in visual preference
surveys and provided feedback on the Overlay
District, site design, traffc, housing, green space and
indicated specifc problem locations using a map of
the area.
It is envisioned that the site will contain a mix of uses
including: residential, commercial and professional
opportunities as indicated in the LCI plan and visual
preference survey conducted during the charrette.
When participants were presented with images of
mixed-use, mid-rise developments; the images that
received the most positive feedback included similar
elements such as: active ground foor retail areas
visible from the right-of-way with entrances opening
directly onto a public sidewalk, ground foor facades
with transparent plate glass, landscaped pedestrian
zones with amenities such as benches adjacent to
ground foor retail, street frontage with no setback,
publicly accessible plazas and courtyards, quality
façade materials, architectural diversity and façade
variations, upper level residential or offce, public
green space and structured parking shielded from
Most images that scored well on the visual preference
survey refected buildings that were mid-rise scale
development (four-six stories). When given options for
high rise (ten-twelve stories), community members
did not respond favorably. The Brookhaven-Peachtree
Overlay District allows building height up to 125
feet on the MARTA site when factoring in Overlay
incentives. Overall the respondents seemed to accept
that the MARTA property was an appropriate location
for higher density development, but exception was
noted by some participants. Given its proximity to the
town center of Brookhaven, care and consideration
should be given to aesthetics and long term value
of the development on the site, in addition to its
carrying capacity for development.
The three acre MARTA parking lot fronting Peachtree
Road offers limited developable area due to the
shallow lot size. As a result of the small lot area,
consideration was given to lower scale mixed-
use development styles for this site. Preference
was shown for similar features as the mid-rise
development, including active ground foor areas and
plazas that include green space amenities. Upper
foors could contain residential, offce or professional
24 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report
uses given its proximity to Peachtree Road. Residents
were very clear that they did not want the typical
strip mall development that dominates the Peachtree
Road corridor in the area.
The eighteen acre site will offer the potential for
multiple development pods of varying uses including
offce and institutional development. The parceling
of the site into different pods or lots and the phasing
of particular uses should be developed according
to the market will be discussed further in the
regulating plan section. The parceling of the site
could take place under a master developer site plan
or through multiple individual pod developments.
Though the overall site plan should strive for a
cohesive architectural aesthetic, image preference
results did indicate positive feedback for modern
design elements including glass, steel and concrete
structures for offce and institutional developments.
A strong desire for the inclusion of open space on
the site was articulated by the community. The
community members particularly stressed the need
for a public gathering space, through casual and
programmed use. Fernwood Park is adjacent to Apple
Valley Road on the eastern side of the MARTA site,
an unmaintained green space and non-functioning
stormwater retention facility. The existing park space
and stormwater facility or lack thereof present an
opportunity for the City of Brookhaven and MARTA to
implement an accessible green space and functioning
stormwater facility that complements the proposed
green space on the MARTA site and provides a
connection for existing adjacent neighborhoods.
Community members would like to see the site
activate open spaces by creating opportunities for
community, such as splash pads for children and
gathering places for adults. Duplicative open space
amenities that are planned or contemplated nearby
should be avoided. The Fernwood Park stormwater
retention area should be developed as an accessible
community asset. Green infrastructure technologies
to capture Stormwater, minimize the impact of run-
off from the site and improve water quality should
25 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report
be incorporated in the site design in addition to
the retention pond. In terms of the open space and
Stormwater facilities design, they should combine
modern and traditional design features as well as
integrating hardscape and landscape materials.
Residents view the open space as an informal
gathering area with passive recreation instead of
including programmed spaces such as an amphitheater
for concerts and performances. The open space design
should feature amenities such as benches, tables and
other seating areas in addition to adequate lighting
and sidewalks to access the area.
A compilation list of neighborhood engagement
feedback on development topics ranging from the
Overlay District to community safety and a map of
specifc problem locations will be accessible in the
In addition to the neighborhood opinions discussed
above, the former Hastings Nursery site adjacent to
the Kaufman Tire property located on Peachtree Road
near Colonial Drive is the topic of much contention
in the Brookhaven community from a property broker
proposal to construct a mixed-use development on the
property. The mixed-use property would have around
300 residential units and 25,000 square feet of retail
space which satisfes Overlay District requirements.
Residents adjacent to the proposed development have
raised concerns about not wanting the development
overlooking their backyard due to the allowed
building height of eight stories or one hundred feet
and the perceived as inadequate thirty feet minimum
buffer zone. The Overlay dictates that a building
must include a transitional height plane of forty-fve
feet above the property, extending parallel for thirty
feet over buffer zone at a forty-fve degree angle so
as to limit sight restrictions for adjacent properties.
The open space requirements have been described as
challenging by the property broker due to the Overlay
dictating that the development parcel contain 20%
of total area as open space but the Overlay allows
for signifcant density and the amount of required
publicly accessible open space is meant to balance
the amount of private and public space in the District.
In order to create a great public realm in an urban
area; developers must plan for and incorporate open
space for the beneft of private and public use.
26 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report
Publicly accessible open spaces include:
• Front yards, planted areas, fountains, parks,
plazas, trails and paths, hardscape elements
related to sidewalks and plazas, on-street
parking and natural stream buffers all
represent permitted uses towards the 20%
open space requirement.
Private outdoor amenities such as courtyards located
at the interior of the block, behind buildings or
on rooftops are prohibited from being counted
toward the 20% requirement and density bonuses.
Commercial and residential developments are
permitted to add one additional story to the building
height if contiguous, publicly accessible open space
is provided for 25% of the development parcel, not
including on-street parking and public sidewalks.
The Hastings property is bound by Peachtree
Road and Colonial Drive, the required sidewalk
and landscaping, along with the buffer zone, will
likely satisfy the 20% requirement. The Wood
Partners project, Alta Brookhaven on Dresden
Drive can be evidenced as a high-density project
which successfully met the Overlay's open space
requirement. Development parcels with limited
acreage such as the Hastings property at 2.46 acres
can potentially incur more diffculties with meeting
the 20% open space requirement but due to the
amount of allowed open space uses and potential for
a density bonus, developers should be able to meet
Overlay requirements, recoup their investment and
make a proftable transaction. However, it should be
considered, to allow small development parcels (fve
acres or less) which satisfy the 20% public open space
requirement, to count half of the additional 5% as
private open space towards the 25% requirement for
the additional story bonus.
Citizen Participation at Public Meetings
27 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report
Quality Development Guidelines
When working towards the creation of a successful
TOD it is critical for interested developers to have
a clear and cohesive vision for the entirety of the
project site and how it will relate to the surrounding
neighborhoods, properties and street networks.
Incorporating community recommendations and
feedback into the site plan will create a much
stronger fnal product. The developer should provide
an overall vision for creating a sense of place in
the development and how the site relates to the
community. Interested developers should provide
visual project elements and a description of uses that
will contribute to the activation of the site and the
creation of a vibrant street-level experience that is
not car-oriented but is designed with the pedestrian
in mind and promotes transit use.
Residents, tenants and visitors to the development
should be encouraged to utilize transit or alternative
transportation instead of their personal, conventional
automobiles due to the stations close proximity,
affordability and reduced commute times during peak
travel period. In order for a TOD to be successful,
parking must be thought of in an innovative manner
that adequately serves transit patrons, residents,
tenants and visitors.
The following are recommended development
conditions and guidelines for the redevelopment
of the MARTA station parking lots, resulting from
charrette working sessions with stakeholders,
community members, experienced developers and
design professionals.
• Shall be designed as managed structures,
located to best serve transit patrons and
alternative transportation modes.
• Shall be shielded from public view and located
adjacent to the rail station platform.
• Shall incorporate architectural façade design.
• Shall consider "unbundled" parking to separate
the cost of parking from residential lease or
ownership agreements.
The "unbundled" parking strategy creates a more
equitable parking system where tenants use only as
much as they need and creates an incentive to reduce
the total number of parking spaces. MARTA will give
additional consideration in their proposal evaluation
process for "unbundled" parking examples of 30% or
greater of total parking spaces.
• Shall provide short and long term parking
for MARTA transit patrons per Federal
Transportation Authority (FTA) standards.
• Shall provide designated parking areas for
alternative transportation such as bicycles,
electric vehicles (EV) and low-speed vehicles
• Shall provide electric vehicle (EV) charging
stations in designated parking areas.
• Shall provide preferential parking for
alternative fuel vehicles.
A typical parking space can accommodate two LSV's,
which leaves more area in the parking facility for
automobiles. LSV's are typically electric, and could
provide an effcient, affordable and sustainable
transportation option to solving the issue with last
mile connectivity that suppresses transit utilization.
28 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report
• Shall be addressed in the design and location
of parking structures with MARTA police and
• Shall provide adequate and effcient lighting
for parking structures and development
sidewalks and street network.
• Shall install surveillance equipment and
emergency call boxes.
It is advised that the selected development team
consult with MARTA Police regarding the security of
proposed development plans and make any necessary
design changes to ensure the utmost safety.
• Shall be an integrated component of the
development throughout its design and
construction and minimize the negative
impact to the community and surrounding
• Shall incorporate green building and
sustainable design elements through third
party programs such as EarthCraft and LEED.
MARTA's sustainable building practices policy "expects
its joint development partners to embrace sustainable
design, construction and operating practices at the
project level."
• Shall incorporate green infrastructure
technologies on the development site in order
to reduce fooding, minimize impact to the
water treatment system, and maintain water
quality and quantity.
Green infrastructure technologies include: land
conservation, reducing the percentage of impervious
surfaces and installing structural measures such as
green roofs, vegetated swales, permeable pavement,
infltration planters, cisterns and rain gardens.
• Shall incorporate innovative technology
solutions such as distributed energy generation
systems, solar photovoltaic systems (PV), solar
thermal systems, geothermal heat pumps,
high-effciency and LED lighting systems and
rainwater harvesting for irrigation and potable
Street Network
• Shall provide facilities and infrastructure
for alternative transportation modes such as
pedestrians, bicycles and LSV's.
Building and Site Design
• Projected vehicle trips to and from the
development shall match the associated
Development of Regional Impact (DRI) proposal
at minimum in order to adequately manage
traffc and parking in and around the parcel.
• Shall not leave service lines or utilities
exposed or visible on open space.
• Shall incorporate architectural building façade
elements for the frst eighteen feet of building
29 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report
Regulating Plan
A Regulating Plan is a document that applies design-
based code development standards to properties
within a specifc geographic area or parcel. This
allows for a more predictable built environment
based upon clear community feedback regarding the
physical character of the area. The Form Based Codes
Institute defnes a Regulating Plan as: a plan or map
of the regulated area designating the locations where
different building form standards apply, based upon
clear community intentions regarding the physical
character of the area being coded.
The charrette focuses on the redevelopment of the
northwest and southeast Brookhaven-Oglethorpe
MARTA station parking lots. The northwest lot
adjacent to Peachtree Road and fronting the station
entrance and the elevated rail transit line is about
three acres and the southeast lot on the opposite
side of the rail transit line and pedestrian tunnel is
much larger at around ffteen acres, making the total
developable property on the MARTA property about
eighteen acres.
The Regulating Plan has the additional function of
depicting the network of streets and community
spaces necessary to service the proposed
redevelopment. As the most enduring and important
feature of municipal planning efforts, the street
network represents the balance between community
and private needs. The community need for effcient
commerce, a safe and walkable environment and
public open space, in addition to the private need for
service delivery are evident in the street network.
Therefore, the community interest in MARTA-owned
property is described by the Regulating Plan. The
specifc location of certain streets in the development
is not critical and is not prescribed in order to allow
for developer fexibility in building the street network
to accommodate the proposed uses. However, the
development and neighborhood connectivity that a
street's construction represents is mandated by the
Regulating Plan. Further, where other community
amenities and uses such as parks and green space
are located for maximum effcacy, that space and its
associated street alignments are mandated by the
Regulating Plan.
During the charrette, the concept of providing
alternate access from Sylvan road as the primary
access to the development was studied. An alignment
through the current DeKalb library site offers many
• Greater distance from the North Druid Hills
Road intersection and better topography.
• Fewer turns for through traffc creating a more
viable street network option.
• Better potential exposure for retail uses along
the alternate alignment.
• More appropriate residential uses along Apple
Valley Road.
Considerations necessary for this alignment; A
site for a new library would need to be provided
within the development on the MARTA property at
a location appropriate for this civic use. While the
DeKalb Library System has funds for construction,
site development costs would need to be negotiated.
The building would have to be free standing and not
a tenant improvement within a building. The time
line for such a deal is short with the possible library
remodeling being considered imminently.
Construction phasing will need to be considered and
while certain segments of the real estate market
are in a full upcycle much of the market is still in
recovery. The City of Brookhaven is keenly aware
of the need to diversify its tax base. The city would
30 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report
like to see commercial offce uses included in the
redevelopment plan when the market conditions
allow. Fortunately, the Regulating Plan has multiple
blocks and many of the pods must be subdivided
allowing for a phased development of varying uses.
The variety and balance of uses is critical for creating
a Walkable Urban Place. An imbalance of uses will
defeat the purpose of redevelopment and potentially
Regulating Plan II
Regulating Plan I
detract from the long term viability of the City of
The proposed regulating plans are presented below;
they include new plans created during the charrette
and existing plans from the LCI and MARTA. Each of
these plans is evaluated for selected criteria and the
results can be reviewed in the Charrette Alternatives
Evaluation Matrix.
31 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report
Brookhaven-Peachtree LCI Regulating Plan
MARTA Regulating Plan
Regulating Plan III
32 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report
Neighborhood Connectivity Plan
An integral component to the success of a transit
oriented development (TOD) is providing connectivity
to the existing neighborhoods and street network
surrounding the parcel. Without connectivity, the
development will suffer from a lack of accessibility
to the community and its patrons. A TOD needs to
be planned and designed to serve multiple modes of
transportation and encourage residents, patrons and
visitors to utilize alternative modes of transportation
such as walking, biking and transit by enhancing
the connectivity to and from the development.
The redevelopment of the Brookhaven-Oglethorpe
MARTA station parking lots will bring additional
traffc and congestion to an already congested area
and promoting alternative transportation use is an
effective strategy to mitigate additional traffc. The
existing connectivity in Brookhaven, particularly for
pedestrians and bicyclists, is limited by the absence
of complete street design for its existing street
network and the presence of the MARTA and Norfolk
Southern rail lines paralleling Peachtree Road obstruct
the feasibility of east west connections due to issues
of right-of-way and the expense to construct tunnel or
bridge connections.
Peachtree Road or State Highway 141 is an area of
particular concern with regard to accommodating
multiple modes of transportation, maintaining
adequate levels of vehicle service and providing
east-west connectivity to the surrounding residential
neighborhoods. DeKalb County's 2014 Transportation
Plan used statistical analysis to evaluate current
levels of service (LOS) for bicycles and pedestrians
and assigns letter grades (A-F) to indicate how well
roadway segments in the county accommodate the
needs of bicyclists and pedestrians. These statistical
models have been applied by cities and counties
across the country to evaluate more than 200,000
miles of roadway and is used as the offcial measure
of accommodation in the Highway Capacity Manual
and used by the Atlanta Regional Commission in its
Bicycle Transportation and Pedestrian Walkways
Plan. Data included in the evaluation includes:
geometric data such as lane width, roadways, gutters,
buffers and sidewalks, as well as observed roadway
characteristics including lane counts, confguration,
posted speed limit and pavement condition. Traffc
volume and heavy vehicle percentage data were also
included in the analysis.
The average mile of DeKalb County roadway has a
Bicycle LOS equivalent to a grade of "D." The results
present a challenging situation for accommodating
bicyclists on a typical DeKalb County road but
it is not an unusual result for a highly urbanized
area. Counties such as DeKalb with large roadway
networks will receive less favorable evaluations due
to weighted averages resulting in lower grades from
a higher distribution of mileage. The majority of the
roads evaluated in Brookhaven receive grades of "D"
or "E" which is most likely refective of the presence
of two major state highways (Peachtree Road and
Buford Highway), traffc volume, lane counts, lane
width and speed limit. The pedestrian LOS evaluation
yielded similar results, the average mile of road in
DeKalb County received a grade of "D." As described
for the bicycle LOS, pedestrian LOS experiences
the same effect from the weighted averages and
the distribution of mileage across a large urbanized
county. Some contributing factors to the low grade
for pedestrian LOS are related to the perception of
comfort and safety and include: high traffc volumes
(10,000+ vehicles/day) on nearly half of the road
miles surveyed, 50% of the road network mileage has
less than 50% sidewalk coverage and where sidewalks
are present and they are very close to the road with
less than a two foot buffer. Overall, the road network
creates a very stressful pedestrian environment which
is experienced by any pedestrian that has walked
along Peachtree Road, North Druid Hills Road, Dresden
33 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report
Drive. The majority of roads in Brookhaven included
in the evaluation received letter grades of "D", "E"
and "F" for the aforementioned reasons.
The Brookhaven community desires and envisions the
MARTA property redevelopment as the central node
of the city and catalyzing neighborhood connectivity
but substantial investments for infrastructure
improvements will need to be implemented in order
to accommodate pedestrians and bicyclists safely and
effectively. The image below is a topographic map of
Brookhaven that includes a set of recommendations
for enhancing the connectivity of travelling to
and from the MARTA station and the surrounding
neighborhoods. Each color on the map designates a
particular type of facility to accommodate pedestrians
and bicyclists on existing roads as well as the creation
of new trails/greenways. In addition to pedestrian
and bicycle facilities there are recommendations and
conditions for providing access to Low-Speed Vehicles
(LSV) and Personal Transport Vehicles (PTV) as a result
of appropriate conditions indicated by the community
and city leadership. It should be noted that LSV's are
allowed on roads with posted speed limits of thirty-
fve miles per hour (MPH) or less and PTV's are legal
on low-speed roads, generally twenty-fve MPH or
less, with a local ordinance governing their use.
The red lines on the map are indicative of existing
twenty-fve MPH local roads. It is recommended that
these roads be outftted with multi-modal street
markings and signage designating the roadways as
being shared roads or "sharrows" with allowed uses
including bicycles, LSV, PTV, automobiles and the
addition of pedestrian sidewalks and buffer zones
wherever absent or inadequate. Examples of local
roads in Brookhaven that are recommended for this
type of improvement include: Brookhaven Drive,
Osborne Road, Apple Valley Road, Caldwell Road and
Drew Valley Road.
Pink lines are representative of existing thirty-fve
MPH local roads. Recommended improvements and
conditions for these roads are to lower the posted
speed limit to twenty-fve MPH with multi-modal
transportation enhancements and streetscape
improvements. These local roads should be designated
as "sharrows" to allow for bicycle, LSV, PTV and
automobile access by providing adequate signage and
striping. Pedestrian sidewalks should be provided on
both sides of the road as right-of-way allows, one
side minimum. These roads should be two-way streets
to allow ingress/egress between the surrounding
residential neighborhoods, the Peachtree Road
commercial corridor and the Brookhaven-Oglethorpe
MARTA station. As is the condition for all roads, these
roads should be properly maintained on a scheduled
basis to repair pot holes and clear roadway debris
to mitigate accidents, injury and damage to the
various modes of transportation. The roads classifed
under these conditions are North Druid Hills Road and
Dresden Drive.
Dashed green lines designate proposed trailways. The
trailways are located primarily along stream banks,
buffer zones and property easements. Trailways not
only provide alternative transportation access but
they also function as linear parks, adding to the
community green space. As depicted on the map,
the trailways provide protected access to alternative
transportation modes, connecting to neighborhoods
and existing city parks such as Fernwood and
Brookhaven Park. The trailways can integrate into a
larger network of trails and paths located in DeKalb
County and the City of Atlanta such as the proposed
North Fork Peachtree Creek trail which would connect
to the existing PATH Foundation's South Peachtree
Creek trail and eventually to the Atlanta BeltLine,
creating an interconnected trail system that goes
from Brookhaven to Midtown Atlanta. Recommended
conditions include: a ten to ffteen foot path with
two shoulders that can be either grass or paved,
34 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report
accessible to pedestrians, bicyclists, LSV, and PTV
with motorized vehicles yielding, passing and no
passing zones to allow for the safe movement and
interaction among motorized and non-motorized
transportation modes, signage and striping, buffer
zone to manage stormwater and water quality that
should include green infrastructure installations such
as bioswales, street furniture and lighting.
The blue line extending down Peachtree Road from
the City of Atlanta and Fulton County line to Osborne
Road in the City of Brookhaven corresponds to a
recommended boulevard redesign for this section of
the Peachtree Road corridor. This section of Peachtree
Road has a posted speed limit of thirty-fve MPH
and experiences heavy congestion with more than
30,000 vehicles utilizing the road per day, which
creates issues for businesses and residents in terms
of retail and neighborhood accessibility. Therefore,
it is recommended that a boulevard design be
implemented with two continuous-fow thru-lanes
going north-south and separated local access lanes
with a posted speed limit of twenty-fve MPH on the
east-west sides of Peachtree Road. Local access lanes
provide safe access and reliable levels of service
to access local businesses and activity centers.
Local lanes provide access to multiple modes of
transportation such as pedestrians, bicycles, LSV, PTV
and automobiles. Boulevard design provides multiple
points of refuge for pedestrians and cyclists and helps
to maintain continuous traffc fow on thru-lanes by
limiting the intersection crossing times. A boulevard
design could maintain adequate levels of vehicle
service and provide safe access to alternative modes
of transportation as indicated by Georgia Department
of Transportation (GDOT) offcials and traffc
engineers, but would require further quantitative
study to determine feasibility. This type of roadway
design is not present in Metro Atlanta but successful
examples can be found in the Mid-Atlantic region such
as the George Washington Parkway in the Washington
D.C. and Virginia areas.
The yellow line extending from Osborne Road to
Lanier Drive adjacent to Oglethorpe University on
Peachtree Road is indicative of a recommendation
to create a "Green Artery" multi-modal corridor on
the western side of the road to promote enhanced
alternative transportation mobility. The current
posted speed limit on this stretch of the corridor is
forty-fve MPH and is not conducive to safe pedestrian
and alternative transportation access; therefore,
it is recommended that the speed limit be reduced
to thirty-fve MPH to facilitate improved access and
mobility along the corridor. The recommended design
enhancements include a two-way trail/path for
pedestrians, bicycles, LSV and PTV or an extension of
the aforementioned boulevard design to this section
of Peachtree Road. Potential issues with this type of
design include: right-of-way, property impacts and
cost. Further traffc and engineering studies will need
to be completed to determine feasibility.
The east-west connectivity constraints resulting
from the presence of MARTA and Norfolk-Southern
rail lines adjacent to the Peachtree Road corridor
creates the need to provide additional connections
to and from the neighborhoods on the east and west
sides of Peachtree Road. Currently, the only existing
connections are located at North Druid Hills Road,
Dresden Drive and north of the Peachtree Golf Club
at Clairmont Road. It is recommended that additional
connections be implemented in Brookhaven to
facilitate east-west connectivity. Dashed orange lines
on the map are recommended locations for a tunnel
or bridge installation for increased pedestrian and
alternative transportation access for bicycles, LSV
and PTV. The frst location identifed as a potential
bridge or tunnel crossing is an extension of Park
Avenue from Apple Valley Road to the proposed
trailway in Brookhaven Park. The other potential
35 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report
bridge or tunnel crossing is located near Oglethorpe
University by creating a trailway spur extension from
Caldwell Road to Lanier Drive. These connections
will require elevations on both sides of the rail lines
to provide clearance over and under for a bridge
or tunnel. Particular attention will need to be paid
to the landing area at Peachtree Road, on the east
side between MARTA and Peachtree, and the west
side for up/down access from a bridge connection
due to limited surface area. It should be noted that
this is a high cost option and will serve alternative
transportation; Apple Valley Road should be utilized as
a primary road to manage vehicular traffc circulation
around the MARTA station and Peachtree Road.
Neighborhood Connectivity Plan
36 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report
Peachtree Road Enhancements
Peachtree Road is designed to address traffc, travel
delay and vehicle throughput, serving regional needs
frst and foremost. The State Highway facilitates
access between two major employment centers,
Buckhead to the south and the Central Perimeter to
the north. It is only marginally successful in terms
of maintaining adequate levels of vehicle service
due to the frequency of intersecting streets as the
corridor travels through established residential
neighborhoods. As described earlier, Brookhaven
does not have adequate east-west connectivity and
as a result the few intersections at Peachtree Road
are heavily congested and the highway creates an
unsafe environment for pedestrians and drivers
due to high speeds and inappropriate roadway
design for a residential area. The limited east-west
connectivity and its resulting traffc at the Peachtree
Road intersections of North Druid Hills Road and
Dresden Drive could be improved by limiting the
turning motions in a boulevard or Buckhead District
median design and distributing traffc to Apple Valley
Road with the addition of a one-lane traffc circle
and a turn lane at the Dresden Drive intersection to
maintain level of service and safety. As Brookhaven
continues to develop as a regional center with its own
urban town-center identity, the need for Peachtree
Road to serve the immediate residential, commercial
and retail community by providing a variety of
transportation access and reducing traffc congestion
should be paramount.
Peachtree Road, particularly in Brookhaven, has
been identifed as a "STROAD" or a hybrid street and
road, where traffc moves too fast for productive
private sector investment and too slow for effcient
automobile travel (Atlantic Cities, Goodyear, 2014).
The term is coined by transportation engineer
Chuck Marohn and attempts to make traffc and
transportation engineers aware of the problem and
recommends road and streetscape enhancements such
as Complete Street design to improve conditions.
Identifed by Councilmember Bates Mattison as a
preferred option, the conversion of a section within
the existing right-of-way on Peachtree Road, north
from Club Drive past Dresden Drive, into a boulevard
design with two north-south median separated local
access streets and two north-south commuter thru-
lanes each to serve the needs for traffc fow and local
access. The Peachtree Road boulevard conversion for
this section would be consist of two planted medians
with shade trees at regular intervals, local one way
streets on the outer lanes with parallel parking where
desired by landowners and feasible within the right-
of-way, serving local businesses and redevelopment
of parcels. Turning motions from the center thru-
lanes would be eliminated, allowing for increased
light cycles and more effcient throughput. Turning
motions would be restricted to local access streets on
the exterior of the roadway with appropriate signage
and striping to indicate where left and right turns are
allowed. The median separated local access street
on the east side when travelling north on Peachtree
Road after the Dresden Drive intersection would be
eliminated to allow for necessary right-of-way to
implement a double left turn at the Peachtree Road/
Dresden Drive intersection travelling south. The
additional left turn lane would replace the current
left turn lane at North Druid Hills Road/Peachtree
Road travelling south and encourage drivers to take
Dresden Drive east and utilize the traffc circle and
right turn lane onto Apple Valley Road for connection
to North Druid Hills Road. GDOT offcials recognize
that the boulevard design provides multiple points of
refuge for pedestrians from the addition of multiple
medians which improves safety, decreases pedestrian
crossing times, provides separated access for local
businesses and increases the fow of traffc from the
continuous thru-lanes.
37 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report
This six lane confguration, displayed above, (two
thru-lanes and one local lane travelling north and
southbound plus medians) will ft within the existing
seven lane confguration of Peachtree Road (two
north-south bound lanes each, and a single left turn
lane and one deceleration lane each at North Druid
Hills Road and Dresden Drive). Optional on-street
parking and sidewalk expansion may be implemented
at property owner's discretion or mandated by
the city upon redevelopment and Brookhaven-
Peachtree Overlay District requirements. The new
lane confguration, streetscape design and boulevard
transformation will more effectively serve businesses,
residents and visitors while also enhancing the
aesthetic value of the area, differentiating it as a
WalkUp as opposed to a suburban commuter corridor.
Another alternative, preferred by GDOT offcials, to
the proposed boulevard design is the expansion of
the Buckhead districts Peachtree Road streetscape
improvements to include Brookhaven. The Peachtree
Road Transformation Project is being led by the
Buckhead Community Improvement District in
partnership with the City of Atlanta, the Atlanta
Regional Commission and the Georgia Department of
Transportation. The project is adapting a pedestrian
unfriendly suburban arterial into an attractive
complete street by adding granite curbing and
medians, hardwood trees, seasonal landscaping, bike
lanes, wide sidewalks, modern lighting, buried utility
lines, street furniture and dedicated left turn lanes
at signaled intersections. The goal of the project is
to reduce vehicular delay which is proven to reduce
automobile related crashes in traffc studies, add
to the aesthetics, improve pedestrian safety and
facilitate bicycle access from Buckhead to Midtown
Atlanta. The same principles and design could be
applied to the Peachtree Road corridor in Brookhaven,
pending necessary traffc and engineering studies to
determine feasibility and design. See the conceptual
rendering below for the proposed Buckhead median
design in Brookhaven.
38 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report
Development Authority-Scope and Implementation
Development Authorities can be invaluable partners
in creating vibrant and successful cities. Georgia
law recognizes two distinct forms: Downtown
Development Authorities and Development
Authorities. Each has specifc powers allotted by
Georgia Law. The decision to enable one or both
entities should only be considered after establishing
a clear understanding of community needs. Valuable
advice on the role of an authority was collected
during the charrette and is reported below. It
was reported that both forms of authority may be
governed by one board maximizing the potential of
community members tapped for this role.
The Decatur Downtown Development Authority (DDA)
is well known for its success in creating the vibrant
small town character of the City of Decatur, GA.
Assistant City Manager, Lyn Menne was gracious with
her time at the Charrette discussing Decatur's success
and advising on the authority's role.
It is strongly advised that community leaders adopt
a clear vision for the core of Brookhaven outlined in
the LCI plan. Leaving critical civic planning decisions
to private interests has the potential to incur risk
for problems associated with sprawl development
patterns to arise. Additionally, how development
would support or potentially detract from the vision
must be understood by those implementing the vision
and ideally by the community at large.
The Decatur DDA acts as a bridge between the public
and private sectors in the development of Decatur's
downtown, often securing entitlement on behalf
of land owners. This role assures compliance with
the Downtown Plan and removes a level of risk for
developers. Developers are then free to evaluate
development potential of a site without the potential
hazard of losing time from community negotiations.
Additionally, the Decatur DDA has ongoing committee
work and regular community interactions to ensure
their planning continues to align with community
sentiment. Planning retreats are a regular occurrence
for DDA staff, board and constituents.
Other roles that the Decatur DDA assumes include
staffng the Decatur Business Association. Permanent
staffng ensures those local business environments
thrive. The following are objectives of the Decatur
Business Association:
• Attract new and repeat business for our
members throughout the year.
• Generate effective promotional ideas that help
maintain Decatur's position as a major retail
and dining destination in metro Atlanta.
• Provide opportunities for business owners
and residents to participate in programs and
projects that support quality of life.
39 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report
Stormwater Facility and City Park
Another component of the charrette was to develop
a stormwater management plan for runoff from the
site. Many considerations were taken in developing
this plan, including how to improve water quality in
the Peachtree Creek watershed, create more green
space in this urban setting and create recreational
opportunities for current Brookhaven Fields and
Brookhaven Heights residents and future residents
living in the new development.
The preferred option includes construction of a
pond with approximately 0.3 acres surface area at
permanent pool that could provide retention during
major rainfall events. At the maximum storage level,
the footprint of the inundated area would be 1.3
acres. The total volume required to handle a 100
year food event over a twenty-four hour period is
approximately 600,000 cubic feet. The concrete
outlet structure would have to be modifed to achieve
this storage volume. The structure would need to be
redesigned and adapted, creating retention capacity
up to a point on the outlet structure where there is
an outfow. This outlet structure governs the surface
elevation of the pond and a spillway will be built on
the dam for rainfall events which exceed the 95
percentile. Infow to the pond would pass through
a screening process for large solids frst and then
through manufactured treatment devices, including
oil and grit separators. Water quality would be high
entering the pond, where it is oxygenated using one
or two aerators. Water quality would be increasingly
higher as the stream exits the pond and fows through
the park and neighborhood before eventually fowing
into Peachtree Creek.
Green infrastructure would be required on site to fully
meet this potential retention requirement by reducing
the amount of runoff fowing through the treatment
devices and into the retention pond. The closer in
40 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report
proximity that stormwater can be infltrated to the
point it landed, the better in hydrological terms. The
installation of green infrastructure and a retention
pond creates the potential to create more areas for
infltration of rainfall and improved water quality in
the downstream feeder stream of Peachtree Creek,
not to mention on-site use of captured rainwater for
indoor and outdoor use on the development site.
The DeKalb County Library System's Brookhaven
branch is located at the western end of the project
site. The detention pond could be fully constructed
with the library left unaffected at its present
location. Beneath the rear parking lot of the library,
a spring is located that feeds the stream fowing
through the project site. The spring should emerge
from the ground and fow through a restored
streambed into the pond with native landscaping
and continuing to the headwaters stream in the
Piedmont. This could be accomplished at any point
after completion of the pond, so it is not critical to
the project that the library be relocated.
Behind the library, MARTA owns the middle third of
the land. This portion of the land is a deep trench
which appears to be the original runoff detention
facility for the Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA
station. There is an earthen dam with a concrete
outlet structure and a hole created at the bottom
of the concrete outlet structure that allows all
water to escape and fow downstream. None of the
retention capacity of this site is currently utilized.
This unutilized and dysfunctional facility could be
improved to handle the runoff storage for the entire
MARTA development for up to 80% of the runoff during
a 500-year food event. The rest of the required
runoff reduction could be accomplished through the
installation of green infrastructure throughout the
development, infltrating as much rainfall into the
ground as possible.
Downstream of the detention pond area, the stream
below the dam fows downhill into Fernwood Park.
The city maintains this park, attempting to keep
the vegetation and keep overgrowth to a minimum.
The lower half of the park serves as a stormwater
retention area for the MARTA station and surrounding
areas upstream. The only public access point to
this park is a bridge constructed over the middle
of the park. With modifcation of the concrete
outlet structure upstream, this area could become
a landscaped recreational open space for people to
enjoy with the presence of a water feature. Moving
the runoff detention area to a site with steeper
terrain provides more storage volume in a compact
footprint, a large amount of land can be opened up
for recreation.
Fernwood Park could become an open space
for residents and visitors to enjoy casually and
recreationally. The site needs to be cleared of all
overgrowth and damaged plants and trees and
replaced with native landscaping that's maintained by
the city. The setting would beneft from native grasses
planted across the site and all vegetation cleared
except for mature and healthy hardwood trees.
Included in the restoration of this site would
be approximately 850 linear feet of streambed
restoration, with 200 linear feet upstream from the
pond and approximately 650 linear feet downstream.
The stream should be restored to resemble a
Piedmont headwaters stream as closely as possible, by
using native stone and landscaping.
Around the perimeter of the site, it is possible to
create approximately 3,000 linear feet of walking
trails with benches, lighting and pet cleanup stations.
A small network of connecting trails within the park
could make it a recreational destination, especially
if this network is connected to a broader network of
trailways around Brookhaven and Atlanta.
41 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report
Charrette Alternatives Evaluation Matrix
The Charrette Alternatives Matrix Evaluation table
below provides a framework for the recording of the
results from the application of evaluation criteria to
the charette regulating plan alternatives explored
along with the 2006 Brookhaven LCI plan, including
an objective rating system. This evaluation process
facilitated the selection of a preferred alternative
concept direction on which to base recommendations
for the MARTA RFP.
Evaluation criteria were defned to evaluate
development alternatives explored. The evaluation
process facilitated selection of a preferred concept
by Southface and design team members. Each of
the development alternatives were evaluated in the
context of an understanding of the overall vision for
the redevelopment of the Brookhaven-Oglethorpe
MARTA station parking lots, as well as overall planning
goals and guiding principles. To this end, the following
evaluation criteria were applied to the alternatives:
Development Program/Land Allocation/Mix of Uses
— how well does each alternative accommodate
identifed end user requirements, including the
development of a mixed use framework, in the
most effcient and highest and best use of land
area resources, minimizing land requirements, yet
accommodating community facilities in a manner that
maintains and enhances the quality of life for the
Utilize Regional Planning Principles – to what
extent does the alternative use proven regionally-
based traditional planning and design principles for
community organization, enhancing environmental
infuences, as well as appropriate density, massing,
scale, open space and building/planting materials.
Environmental Sustainability — how sensitive is
the alternative to environmental factors and does it
incorporate time-tested, regionally-based sustainable
planning and design principles.
Vehicular Circulation — how well does the road
network promote connectivity to activity areas
between existing neighborhoods, commercial
developments and the proposed redevelopment, while
reducing traffc congestion, reinforcing a pedestrian
focused environment and also promoting alternative
transportation modes to reduce traffc if feasible,
especially via transit and bicycling.
Pedestrian Circulation — is there a hierarchy of
pedestrian walkways that form an overall pedestrian
network connecting the residential areas, commercial
developments, retail and restaurants, public
spaces, recreational amenities and other functions
to all Brookhaven areas. Connecting to transit
and bikeways, these walkways should respond to
environmental considerations while also promoting a
healthy, social and walkable community.
Open Space — to what extent are a range of open
spaces provided, highlighting opportunities for
relaxing, conversing or exercising.
Recreation — how well is recreation and
multifunctional gathering areas integrated as
program elements of the overall plan. Recreational
components should be distributed to provide easily
accessible recreational opportunities for all residents.
Security/Safety — how well does the alternative
promote and enhance individual and communal safety
and security as well as accommodate emergency
vehicle access.
Utility Systems — how well does the alternative
facilitate the most effcient utility system layout,
also promoting energy conservation and effciency in
layout, operations and expandability.
42 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report
Phasing, Implementation and Constructability —
to what extent does the alternative promote the
most logical and effcient phasing, implementation
and build out responding to identifed requirements
balanced with an ability to easily implement
the recommended plan elements relative to
Solar and Wind Orientation - to what extent does the
alternative take advantage of solar access and wind
orientation to leverage favorable climatic effects on
the development from installing renewable energy
Rating System
The Charrette Alternatives Matrix Evaluation
determined that the MARTA regulating plan is the
preferred alternative. Regulating Plan III is positively
evaluated and meets many of the evaluation criteria
but receives a less positive evaluation from its
lack of attention to utility systems, phasing and
implementation. The proposed development parcels
with Peachtree Road frontage do not account for the
presence of buried utility lines beneath the existing
parking lot near the station entrance. Additionally,
the large parcels adjacent to Apple Valley Road do
not lend themselves to much ease of implementation
or phasing opportunities. It is likely that with more
detail and description Plan III could be greatly
improved and as a result the plan received zero (0)
marks for the aforementioned criteria instead of
negative evaluations.
Plans that enhance the developments east-west
connectivity from Peachtree Road to Apple Valley
Road received higher marks for pedestrian circulation.
These plans also account for publicly accessible open
space in the form of a plaza fronting Peachtree Road
which connects to the existing pedestrian tunnel
under the MARTA rail platform to a large greenspace
adjacent to Apple Valley Road and Fernwood Park,
creating a seamless "green lawn" type connection.
The MARTA Regulating Plan and Regulating Plan
III exemplify positively evaluated open space and
pedestrian circulation criteria.
Peachtree Road frontage is highly desirable and
the effcacy as to how it is programmed is a major
concern with regard to evaluating proposed regulating
plans evaluation. The amount of developable land
area on the Peachtree Road side of the Brookhaven-
Oglethorpe MARTA station is a limiting factor in
reference to what type of land uses are allowable
and other considerations such as parking and utility
systems location. Therefore, it is not recommended
to locate large buildings with fve or more stories such
Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA
TOD Regulating Plan Alternatives
Evaluation Criteria
Plan I
Plan II
Plan III
Development Program/Land
Allocation/Mix of Uses
0 1 1 0 0
Utilize Regional Planning Principles 1 2 1 1 1
Environmental Sustainability 1 1 1 1 1
Vehicular Circulation -1 -2 1 0 1
Pedestrian Circulation -1 1 1 0 1
Open Space 1 1 2 1 2
Recreation 1 1 1 1 1
Security/Safety -1 0 1 0 1
Utility Systems 0 -1 0 -1 1
Phasing and Implementation 1 1 0 2 1
Solar and Wind Orientation 1 2 1 1 1
Total 3 7 10 6 11
+2 Signifcant positive effect/ signifcantly achieves criteria
+1 Positive effect/ achieves criteria
0 No effect, no impact or not applicable
-1 Negative effect/ does not achieve criteria
-2 Signifcant negative effect/ signifcantly does not achieve criteria
43 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report
as a hotel or offce on this side of the MARTA property.
It will not be feasible to provide the adequate or
appropriately located parking facilities for these
large buildings within the amount of developable
land area adjacent to Peachtree Road; the Apple
Valley Road side of the property is deemed as an
appropriate location. Additionally, utility systems are
located adjacent to the MARTA rail platform beneath
the Peachtree Road parking lot and thus large scale
development cannot occur on this portion of the
parcel. It is recommended that light commercial
buildings (one-three stories) and retail front
Peachtree Road. Regulating Plans that address these
development concerns represented by development
program/land allocation/mix of uses, phasing and
implementation evaluation criteria received more
positive scoring, such as Regulating Plan III, LCI Plan
and MARTA Regulating Plan.
44 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report
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2013. Web. 2013. http://www.brookhavenga.gov/home/showdocument?id=76.
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Committee." Itsmarta.org. MARTA, 2012. Web. 2013.
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45 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report
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46 Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station Charrette Report