Brookhaven's $7.3 million Windsor Parkway roundabout project is on hold after about 100 residents packed a community meeting Tuesday, Aug. 18, many wearing yellow shirts to protest the planned removal of 206 trees.

Mayor John Park said after the meeting that the project, scheduled to begin in 2027, is now "in a natural pause." He said the multi-use path portion of the plan has not yet been funded and would require its own separate planning, design, funding and public engagement.

The project would convert the intersection at Ashford Dunwoody Road and Windsor Parkway into a single-lane roundabout with a 10-foot shared-use path on the east side of Ashford Dunwoody Road, according to Rough Draft Atlanta. It was recommended in the Ashford Dunwoody Road Corridor Study adopted by the Brookhaven City Council in 2017 and is funded in part through the Atlanta Regional Commission's 2018 Transportation Improvement Project, with $595,680 in federal money and a $148,920 local match for preliminary engineering.

The total cost has ballooned from an original estimate of about $4 million to $7.3 million because of rising property values affecting right-of-way acquisition and higher material and labor costs, Assistant City Manager Patrice Ruffin told the council in June 2026.

Residents push back

Jeffrey Littlefield, Brookhaven's director of public works, opened the meeting at Brookhaven City Centre with a presentation showing a detailed tree survey found 206 trees would be affected. About 63% are 14 inches or less in diameter; 17% are 20 inches or more. Littlefield said the city's replanting goal is to restore the canopy within 15 years.

He cited 27 crashes involving injury and property damage between 2016 and 2020 in the area, saying the roundabout is projected to reduce injury accidents by 78% and property crashes by 39%. Replacing the roundabout with a signalized intersection would not significantly reduce the number of trees removed, he said.

"We can make some targeted refinements to this plan and we will look for opportunities to reduce tree impacts," Littlefield said. "But major changes during final design would require revisions of completed milestones."

Most speakers opposed the plan. Resident Del Ross, who has circulated a petition signed by hundreds, told officials the city is sacrificing trees for an illusion of safety.

"We appreciate that you have said you have heard us, but we want you to listen to us," Ross said. "You had this meeting, and that's great, but we want you to listen."

Former Brookhaven Mayor J. Max Davis noted attendees represented every political party and said renaming the project to include the word "safety" was insulting. "It nullifies any public engagement when you change the scope, name, and focus," Davis said.

Several cyclists spoke in favor of the wider paths, saying they would use them. Others advocated for a three-way stop or traditional signalized intersection instead of the roundabout.

What's at stake

City officials have warned that delays could threaten the federal matching funds committed to the project. No next meeting date or council vote has been announced; the city has not set a timeline for deciding whether to proceed with the roundabout as designed.