DeKalb County has purchased all the Atlanta Audubon Society’s and the Gatchell Home’s properties running between Holly Lane, Natahalla Court, and Kittredge Park Road, off North Druid Hills Road.

Sign the Petition to Improve Kittredge Park

Kittredge Park is a DeKalb County-owned park located off North Druid Hills Road behind the DeKalb School of the Arts and adjacent to Holly Lane. The park originally consisted of 2.66 acres and in 2004 was expanded to 32.01 acres. See a map of the current park property.

Merry Hills Homeowners’ Association is taking a lead in the Kittredge Park planning, along with the North Druid Hills Residents Association.  We have submitted to the DeKalb County park staff a list of things that our residents asked for in response to our December 2003 email solicitation and at our November 2004 meeting.

What can you do, as a nearby resident, to help with the park?

• walk the trails and roads to become acquainted with the park

• carry a trash bag to help in cleaning up the park property

• keep the police and park staff informed of any strange activities

• spread the word about this wonderful piece of real estate that is our neighborhood park

When we begin to decide what we want here, we will need everyone’s input so the better you know the park, the more ideas you will have. As you become acquainted with it, try to picture what kind of recreational facility could go in which place. Think of this park as a giant sheet on canvas—put in the knowns—the roads, pool, ball fields, etc.,-- and then try to imagine what a grand place it could be. There are not too many times in our lives when we have such an opportunity.

Additional property acquired for Kittredge Park
In 2004, DeKalb County purchased the Atlanta Audubon Society’s and the Gatchell Home’s properties situated between Holly Lane, Natahalla Court, and Kittredge Park Road, off North Druid Hills Road. The Gatchell Home has retained 3.44 acres for their buildings at 1458 Holly Lane. The total acreage acquired is 32.01 acres, most of which is heavily wooded with a tributary of N. Peachtree Creek traversing it. There is a lot of floodplain and a big hill within the property.

Current status of Kittredge Park
The county has torn down the old daycare center off Kittredge Park Road and Mrs. Laurie Johns’ old homestead off Holly Lane and up the dirt road to the top of the hill. The roads to these two sites are for foot traffic only. There will probably be a gate installed on the dirt road to prohibit vehicles. The neighborhood will be asked to keep the police and park staff informed of any strange activities.  Otherwise, the park is open.

There will be some deed restrictions on the former Johns property which means that no structures can be built on it. There are already some trails here and a bridge which has been repaired.  Access points to the park will be Kittredge Park Road, Holly Lane, Biltmore Drive, Natahalla Court, and some apartment access on the west side. Parking should be restricted to Kittredge Park Road.

A tree survey for specimen trees has been finished. No botanical or historical surveys have been done. Invasive plants, such as kudzu, honeysuckle, English ivy, poison ivy, privet, etc. will be removed in time under the supervision of county staff using a contractor.

Cost of the expansion of Kittredge Park
The price paid for the land by the county was $5,500,000 to the Gatchell Home and $301,000 to the Atlanta Audubon Society with the total price being $5,860,000, including due diligence.

Ex-DeKalb Commissioner Judy Yates allocated $3,627,000 of District 6 Park Bond acquisition funds for the park and $400,000 of District 6 Park Bond development funds. The Georgia state greenspace program contributed $983,000 and the Arthur Blank Family Foundation contributed $1,250,000 for the purchase.  $450,000 had been earmarked for renovation of the swimming pool, which was built in the 1960’s.

The property purchased for the Kittredge Park was originally owned by A. Ellyn and Laurie Johns, who bought 14 acres with access to N. Druid Hills Road in 1939. They lived at the Hilltop House until his death in 1969 and hers in 1984. She was a great conservationist and wanted her property preserved, hence, included deed restrictions on its development. That is one reason it was available for the county to purchase. At one time, the Audubon property was named the A. Ellwyn Johns Bird Sanctuary. There is interest by people who knew the Johns family in retaining that name in some way as a tribute.

Future plans for Kittredge Park
The Parks Department will be discussing with the Board of Education some kind of joint arrangement whereby the new running track at the stadium, the old tennis courts, and the big baseball field can be accessed by park users. There are currently no specific plans on future use of the park. Adjacent property owners have not been notified of this acquisition. Input from the community will be requested by way of a planning tool called a charrette, which is a meeting to solicit input on a project by having people list their ideas, set up priorities, name the problem areas, and try to come to a consensus conclusion—there will probably be at least two—one on a Saturday and one on a Sunday. Then a Master Plan will be drawn up by the park professional staff.

The role of the neighborhood will be to volunteer to help clean up, to attend the charrette or submit your ideas in writing, to report security and maintenance problems, and most of all, to enjoy this new park expansion.