Last night the City Council unanimously approved funding for a design concept for segments 3a and 3b of the city’s trail master plan. KAIZEN Collaborative has been hired to do the work. Their efforts will include identifying the exact route for the roughly 1.3-mile trail from the intersection of Main Street and Lawrenceville Highway to Peters Park.
The team has examined potential routes on two corridors headed south along both sides of Idlewood Road. The preferred route runs east of Idlewood using the alleys behind commercial businesses, crossing Fifth Avenue, and Cowan Road.
The plan is to create a pocket park and trail head with parking at 4329 Cowan Road. This 3-acre site will also be the future home of a new fire station for DeKalb County Fire Rescue Station 5. From Cowan Road the trail will continue south, roughly following the South Fork Peachtree Creek, with a connection to Bibb Boulevard and Elmdale Drive.
From Elmdale the trail will continue to William McKinley Peters Park. The Peters Community, established in the 1930s, is the oldest African American community in the City of Tucker. Since the incorporation of the City in 2016, significant progress has been made in addressing deferred maintenance, public safety, and new pedestrian connections between Peters Park and Downtown Tucker.
When completed, the new trail will connect thousands of residents living south of Lawrenceville Highway to Downtown Tucker. It will also put more residents in walking distance of Tucker Middle School on Idlewood Road and businesses on Bibb Boulevard like the Tucker Brewing Company.
The city will hold a community engagement meeting at a future date to ensure all are informed and have an opportunity to provide feedback on the proposal. The Friends of Tucker Path will share the date and time when it becomes available.