Clifton Community Partnership

Construction Updates article:
Emory Village
May 29, 2008
Source: Community Partnership Update/February 2007

Zoning Overlay Update

The proposed zoning overlay district for Emory Village is still under consideration by the DeKalb County Commission, as of the press date of this newsletter. For timely updates on hearings and the overlay, visit the Clifton Community Partnership (CCP) website www.cliftoncommunitypartnership.org or www.emoryvillage.org.

Village Roundabout

The Village is currently undertaking a multi-year revitalization process that will transform it into a safe, walkable, compact, mixed-use district. The planned improvements will involve commercial buildings, sidewalks, streetscapes and the roadway. The first phase of the revitalization includes the development of a roundabout at Oxford and North Decatur roads, plus improved streetscapes through the Village. Emory will donate land at its main entrance, Dowman Drive, for the construction of the new roundabout. The roundabout will be a safety improvement project for pedestrians and is part of the overall traffic control project for the area. Emory plans to reconfigure its main entrance to support the changes needed to make the roundabout work efficiently, as soon as county construction contracts are signed for the roundabout.

The location and design of the roundabout requires Oxford Road, north of the roundabout, to move slightly north, into the area to the west of Dowman Drive. As a retaining wall is constructed, the soil level will be raised to the approximate level of the new road and sidewalk. The retaining wall, which will be concrete with a granite veneer facing Emory’s campus, will stop just above ground level and include decorative elements.

Although Emory Village is located near Emory’s Dowman Drive entrance, it is not owned or managed by Emory University. Emory has been a partner in the Alliance to Improve Emory Village’s planning process including efforts to expand greenspace via the purchase of the property at 1164 Clifton Road and negotiating an agreement with Georgia Power to bury the power lines in the Village, based on the roundabout and streetscape improvement schedule.