City of Tucker Plans Trails With Connection to South Fork

The South Fork of Peachtree Creek begins in Tucker, yet most of the trail-building and nature-loving successes have transpired inside Interstate 285. The development tide, though, may be shifting.

The City of Tucker is well into the planning stages of a 32-mile series of trails that will connect its downtown with the South Fork. DeKalb County is expected to roll out its “comprehensive trail/greenway master plan” this summer with an assortment of possible connections to the South Fork. And the South Fork Conservancy, the nonprofit crafting trails and parks along the creek’s 32-mile run, recently created a committee dedicated to trail construction from Tucker to Emory University.

“We’ve made great strides connecting nature-lovers and neighborhoods with the creek west of I-285,” said John Spangler, chairman of the Conservancy’s board. “Now, it’s time to extend that same level of attention and commitment to nature-lovers and neighborhoods east of 285 to Tucker.”

In 2019, the PATH Foundation and the Kaizen Collaborative laid out seven trails that, ultimately, connect downtown with Stone Mountain, Clarkston, Atlanta, and the South Fork. It wasn’t easy.

“Tucker is like most American cities. It was planned around cars, trucks, and trains rather than people on foot or on a bike,” the master plan reads. “Tucker is all but built out.” Yet its trails plan creatively melds together hard-surface trails, greenways, roadways, and access paths into a tantalizing blend of mobility and recreation. Neighborhoods, parks, schools, businesses, warehouses, and at least one brewery will be linked. Trail Segment #3, from downtown to the existing Stone Mountain PATH, intrigues South Fork aficionados. The first 1.3-mile stretch is being designed with 22 possible easements and connections to Tucker Middle School and Peters Park. Construction might begin this year.

Cara Schroeder, from the City Council Post 1 District 2, labeled the first stretch of the so-called South Fork Peachtree Greenway “critical.” “This trail will be a great attribute to the citizens of Tucker for both the alternative transportation route it will provide as well as the recreation opportunities for the community,” she said in early February.

The trail’s next stage will carry it over U.S. 78 – and the South Fork – to East Ponce de Leon Avenue and the PATH trail to Stone Mountain and Atlanta. South Fork Conservancy members are keen to run a trail along the creek from the Peachtree Greenway westward to Clarkston and Atlanta.

South Fork Conservancy Leads Effort to Restore Portion of Peavine Creekbank in Emory Village

If you’ve ever enjoyed the South Fork Conservancy’s Duck Race during Emory Village’s Open Streets celebration, you know about Peavine Creek. But you may not know that this tiny gem of a creek is in big trouble. That’s because heavy rains have caused extensive erosion of the creek banks, dumping runoff into the creek, and setting up a cascade of events that are choking off its life.
 
The disrupted soil allows invasive plants, like the strangler vine kudzu, to proliferate. Consequently, access to the creek for maintenance is both difficult and treacherous, and mounds of trash and debris pile up under the bridge at North Decatur Road. It doesn’t have to be this way.

Transformed Peavine Creekbank in Emory Village

With input from Druid Hills residents, the Conservancy came up with  a plan to restore a portion of the creekbank to health so that Peavine becomes a natural amenity in the village and the crown jewel of the watershed that it serves. The plan calls for 1) stabilizing the creekbank in Emory Village near the Panera Restaurant to establish safe access for maintenance; 2) installing a trash trap and rain garden to slow down and absorb storm water; 3) planting native trees and plants; and 4) building an overlook so that people can appreciate the treasure that Peavine is.

South Fork’s Executive Director Kimberly Estep and Board members Dave Butler and Mike St. Louis meet with landscape architect Patrick Hand to discuss restoration plan.

The  Coca Cola Company, Hammersmith, the Druid Hills Civic Association, and other donors financed the initial phase of this project that produced engineering and planning documents and a topographical survey of the area. The survey includes an inventory of existing trees, land contours, and drainage patterns. It also confirmed limitations, such as easements, setbacks, and waterway restrictions, that govern how this area could be managed.
 
Most recently, a design team comprising engineers, analysts, landscape architects, regulatory officials, and volunteer advocates researched required permits.The next step is an engineering analysis of a "no-rise" certificate to confirm that implementing the plan will not adversely affect the floodway.
 
To make the plan a reality will require additional funding of about $40,000 from local businesses and all those in the community interested in preserving, protecting, and enjoying this precious natural resource for years to come. If you would like to donate to this project, please contact the Conservancy’s Executive Director, Kimberly Estep, at kimberly@southforkconservancy.org.

Peachtree Creek to Benefit From Stormwater Project at Cheshire Farm Trail

In late January, Atlanta’s Department of Watershed Management (DWM) broke ground on a massive $145 million stormwater diversion system along the North Fork of Peachtree Creek near I-85 and Lindbergh Drive. The system will hold up to 15 million gallons of combined runoff and raw sewage, so sewage won’t spill into and pollute the creek during heavy rains.

Rendering of trail deisgn.

DWM will place the holding tank below the I-85 overpasses. An overflow pump will sit directly above the current Cheshire Farm Trail that edges the creek’s North Fork. The trail will be closed for about three years. DWM will replace the trail with a 12-foot-wide paved walkway stretching from Lindbergh Drive to Cheshire Bridge. The city will also install an overlook, lights, a security camera connected to the police department, and native plants and trees.
 
“It may be a bit of an inconvenience for a few years, but everybody in Atlanta wins once Peachtree Creek is no longer at risk from stormwater and sewer overflows,” said John Spangler, chairman of the South Fork Conservancy. “We wholeheartedly support the project and can’t wait to picnic alongside the clean creek.”
 
The diversion is the largest stormwater project undertaken by Atlanta since a federal judge ordered the city to clean its water in 1998. The consent decree requires Atlanta to separate its water and sewage systems to prevent raw sewage from contaminating waterways.
 
For more information, contact DWM’s Public Information Officer, Bruce Morton, at 404-546-3392 or bkmorton@atlantaga.gov.