Clifton Community Partnership

Pedestrian friendly article:
Emory's Commitment to Walkable Housing and Neighborhood Activity Centers
May 29, 2008
Source: Community Partnership Update/February 2007

Emory presented preliminary plans for two parcels of Emory-owned land at a public meeting on January 22. One property is located on Clifton Road, across from the main entrance to the CDC; the other property is located near the Sage Hill shopping center on Briarcliff Road. Both projects support the Clifton Community Partnership’s (CCP) four areas of focus: housing near the workplace; neighborhood activity centers; pedestrian-friendly streetscapes; and encouraging the use of transportation alternatives.

New Graduate Housing Adjacent to Sage Hill Shopping Center Emory would like graduate and professional students to have multiple housing options close to campus and is planning a residential complex on Briarcliff Road with 271 graduate housing units. The new facility on Briarcliff Road will include two buildings with parking largely hidden from view. The current site is occupied by an empty lot, an apartment complex and a condominium building.

To minimize traffic from the housing complex, parking per unit will be significantly below the DeKalb County standard. Residents will be able to access campus via service on Cliff, Emory’s shuttle fleet. Residents will also have a short, convenient walk to retail shops at the Sage Hill shopping center.

Mixed-Use Project Across from the CDC

Imagine sitting at a sidewalk café, with a spectacular view of the city’s evening skyline. Across from the CDC, Emory is planning a mixed-use, pedestrian oriented community. The development will enable employees to live closer to their workplaces and thus reduce single-occupancy vehicle commuting required by employees along Clifton Road.

The proposed project will be DeKalb County’s first Pedestrian Community Sub-district 3, which is a new zoning classification intended to provide a complete and sustainable mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented community. The mixed-use project will include approximately 872 residential units and will provide a center of retail, employment and community identity for existing residential areas.

The retail and storefronts planned as part of this project will support a more vibrant retail area for local residents as well as the thousands of employees and students who work within walking distance. The retail mix targets the nearby community and will include smaller scale restaurants and some of the services to which local employees currently drive to during the day.

Approximately 125 rooms from the Emory Inn will be replaced in an addition to the Emory Conference Center Hotel. The addition will preserve the Ronald McDonald House and the mature trees along Houston Mill Road. Access to the Emory Conference Center Hotel will continue to be via Clifton Road; no access is planned from Houston Mill Road.

For updates on public meetings related to these projects, visit the CCP Web site at www.cliftoncommunitypartnership.org.