On Oct. 13, the Brookhaven City Council voted on two parks. It agreed to pay $750,000 for about 1.3 wooded acres next to Lynwood Park. It also approved leasing about 1.35 acres of Blackburn Park to DeKalb County for $1 a year over 50 years, so the county can build a fire station there.
The two deals cover almost the same amount of land, and the money runs in opposite directions. The city authorized $750,000 for one parcel. The other lease will bring in $50 over half a century. That gap reflects what each piece of ground is meant to do. The Lynwood land keeps its trees and helps with stormwater, while the job of the Blackburn site is to shorten emergency response times. Both parks also have this season's events on their calendars. Lynwood has Paint the Park in November, and the Blackburn address hosts Light Up Brookhaven in December.
What the city got for each acre
| Lynwood Park | Blackburn Park | |
|---|---|---|
| Address | 3360 Osborne Road | 3493 Ashford Dunwoody Road |
| Land involved | About 1.3 acres at 1020 Mendell Circle, being added | About 1.35 acres, leased out |
| Terms | $750,000 purchase | $1 per year for 50 years |
| Paid from | Stormwater Fund and Tree Fund | DeKalb County builds, owns and runs the station |
| Stated purpose | Greenspace, tree canopy, stormwater | Emergency response for Brookhaven and North DeKalb |
| On the calendar this season | Paint the Park, Nov. 7; pickleball drop-ins | Light Up Brookhaven, Dec. 3 |
Lynwood is buying back trees it can't replant quickly
The Mendell Circle parcel isn't the city's first purchase next to Lynwood Park. In September 2024, the council approved buying an empty half-acre lot at 926 Devine Circle for $500,000 from the general fund, Rough Draft Atlanta reported. Together, the two purchases add about 1.8 acres to a park the city puts at 10.8 acres, or roughly 17 percent more land.
The prices tell you what changed. Devine Circle cost about $1 million an acre for bare ground. Mendell Circle came in under $600,000 an acre, and it brings standing trees with it. According to the city's announcement, the parcel holds 30 to 40 specimen trees, including American beech, tulip poplar, white oak, hickory, big leaf magnolia and black cherry. It also has understory, midstory and overstory plants.
City Arborist Jeff Dadisman explained the reasoning in that announcement:
"Preserving a stand of mature trees protects benefits that cannot be quickly replaced by new plantings, including shade, habitat and natural stormwater functions."
District 1 Councilmember Michael Diaz linked the purchase directly to the neighbor lot. In the same release, he said he had seen "the recent loss of mature trees at the nearby Devine Circle due to development." He added that the two purchases together "will expand Lynwood Park by nearly two acres." The money comes from funds set aside for stormwater and trees, not from the parks budget. So the city is paying for this land as drainage and canopy that also happens to be open to the public.
For park users, the payoff is more room around a park that already offers a lot. The Explore Brookhaven listing for Lynwood names a community center, swimming pool, splash pad, playground, picnic shelter, tennis and basketball courts, a multi-use turf field and free parking. This fall, the park has also taken on extra programming:
- Pickleball drop-ins are free, Mondays and Wednesdays from 5:45 to 8:45 p.m., part of a lineup Parks and Recreation added in September. Briarwood Park at 1496 Briarwood Road runs its own sessions Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:15 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Paint the Park was rained out on its original date. It's now Saturday, Nov. 7, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and it moved to Lynwood. Canvases and supplies are first come, first served, and artists can bring their own. King of Pops and face painting are on the schedule. Prizes go to three age groups (7 and under, 8 to 13, and 14 and up), and the winners' work appears in the city's annual Paint the Park calendar.
Blackburn is giving up ground for response time
The Blackburn agreement solves a different problem, and the city treated the land as having a different kind of value. DeKalb County Fire Rescue planning dating back to 2016 picked the Ashford Dunwoody Road and Johnson Ferry Road area for a future Station 34. The reasons were coverage gaps and heavy traffic. Under the agreement, DeKalb will build, own, operate and maintain the station on about 1.35 acres at 3493 Ashford Dunwoody Road.
The vote was supposed to happen in early September. The council put it off to allow more community input. During that delay, the city compared alternative sites in writing, DeKalb Fire Rescue took a second look at the Blackburn site, and the agreement was revised. Rough Draft Atlanta reported that the council approved it 3 to 1 on Oct. 13. Residents who spoke raised congestion at the Johnson Ferry and Ashford Dunwoody intersection, effects on nearby neighborhoods and how late they were notified. One resident predicted grading and significant tree removal.
The revised agreement answers some of those concerns in writing. According to the city's summary, it includes:
- Emergency signal preemption and roadway markings
- Lighting standards meant to limit glare on nearby homes
- Reasonable efforts to cut down on nighttime siren use when conditions allow
- Extra landscape screening and tree replacement
- About 50 public parking spaces to replace parking the project affects
- A multi-use path along the Ashford Dunwoody Road frontage
- A community room in the station for neighborhood meetings and public use
Diaz described the corner as a "hub-and-spoke location" with "direct access in multiple directions, including to several nearby senior communities," according to the city's announcement. The city hasn't released a construction schedule, and it hasn't said which part of the park the station will take up. For now, Blackburn looks and works the same as it did before the vote.
Both parks host the holidays
Brookhaven's holiday season mostly takes place in parks, so these votes reach well past the council chamber. Here's the calendar in date order, with the location of each event:
- Sat. Nov. 7, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Paint the Park at Lynwood Park, 3360 Osborne Road.
- Nov. 16 to Dec. 1. Decorated trees go up for the Brookhaven Holiday Tinsel Trail, run by Explore Brookhaven with the city. The 2026 sites are Blackburn Park 2, Skyland Park, Langford Park and the police department side of the Peachtree Creek Greenway, with a goal of one site in every council district. The organizers note that locations may shift for parking, accessibility or park operations.
- Thu. Dec. 3, 6 to 9 p.m. Light Up Brookhaven at Blackburn Park, 3501 Ashford Dunwoody Road. Santa arrives by helicopter, courtesy of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. There are also bounce houses, train rides, a petting zoo, crafts and first-come giveaways.
- Sat. Dec. 5 and Sun. Dec. 6, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Holiday Farmers Market at 4001 Peachtree Road NE.
- Dec. 5, 6, 12 and 19, 9 a.m. to noon. Pictures with Santa at Brookhaven City Centre, 4001 Peachtree Road NE. Walk-ups are welcome.
The first week of December is the busiest. In four days, Light Up Brookhaven fills the Ashford Dunwoody site, the market opens at City Centre, and Santa photos start the same Saturday morning. The parking agreement matters most at Light Up Brookhaven. The event sits on the same stretch of road residents brought up at the Oct. 13 meeting. For now, the night runs on Blackburn's current lots. The 50 replacement spaces are tied to a project that has no start date yet.
Lynwood's change comes with a clearer timeline. The council has authorized the Mendell Circle purchase, with funding set to come from the Stormwater and Tree funds, and the trees on it are still standing. The city says the parcel will be protected from future redevelopment once it joins the park.
When a park next door gains trees or picks up a public building, the homes around it change too, and buyers take note. If you live near Lynwood, Blackburn or one of the Tinsel Trail parks and want to know how changes like these could affect your home's value, Tommy Nguyen can walk you through the local numbers. Start with Get Your Instant Home Valuation, then talk with Tommy about what's changing on your block.
