DeKalb County Residents Float Another New City Proposal
Although a 2015 effort to establish the city of LaVista Hills failed at the polls, northwest DeKalb County residents will meet Thursday to discuss a proposal for another new city — Vista Grove.
Dan Raby / WABE
Residents in northwest DeKalb County will meet Thursday night to discuss a plan to form the city of Vista Grove.
The city would sit west of Tucker, run south of Interstate 85 from the Gwinnett/DeKalb county line down toward the city of Atlanta.
Andrew Flake, one of six area residents behind the Vista Grove Initiative, says he’s impressed by what other recently created cities in the area, like Tucker and Brookhaven, have accomplished when it comes to giving residents a unified voice.
“We definitely want to make sure that we’re not left out of some of those benefits,” Flake said. “We also want to make sure we’re not left out of some of the very important regional conversations that those cities are part of.”
He says those conversations include ones about creating greenspaces, improving infrastructure and reducing traffic.
The area has had its eye on cityhood for years, but with little success. A 2015 effort to establish the city of LaVista Hills failed at the polls.
It’s not an easy process: A proposed city must complete a feasibility study, receive the support of its residents and get the approval of state lawmakers.
Flake says Vista Grove is currently conducting its feasibility study, and he’s cautious when it comes to predicting whether the new city will ever be a reality.
Even if the area remains part of unincorporated DeKalb County, Flake hopes talking about Vista Grove will bring the community together on issues like transit and infrastructure improvements.
“City or not, if we continue to have the kind of volunteer support from many, many committed citizens that we have, we will have done something very good in terms of focusing on these kinds of projects,” he said.
Flake estimates creating Vista Grove would impact some 58,000 people in the area. Residents can provide input on the proposal at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Briarcliff Woods Beach Club.
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