City Manager Scruggs told the Stonecrest City Council on Aug. 25 that substantial background work on the proposed botanical garden is underway and that the project remains a longer-term effort. The city council previously approved design work with a consultant (Stantec) in November 2023; Scruggs said the consultant has completed or is completing boundary surveys, a topographic study, a tree and plant inventory and is assessing erosion, grading and drainage. She said the consultant is coordinating with DeKalb County Watershed and the Georgia Soil and Water Conservation districts on permitting and approvals.

Scruggs emphasized much of the current work is “horizontal” — the civil engineering, grading, tree protection and design that must be completed before construction can begin — and staff will present a status update in the fall when more information is available. “They are currently looking at the existing condition, the erosion... our tree protection plan, the grading plan, drainage, and other plans and profiles,” she said. Scruggs said the city is also creating a capital-project dashboard that will allow the public to track projects, budgets and status updates in near real time.

Councilwoman Alicia Washington and others spoke in favor of keeping the public informed. A member of the public had earlier urged more transparency, saying $300,000 had been spent on a plan that looked like “a park, not a botanical gardens.” Scruggs replied that the design work is intended to allow for a state-of-the-art botanical attraction and that public engagement will be part of the process. She said the city will provide updates in the fall and post project status online when the capital-improvement tracking software is available.