Neighbors raise safety and congestion concerns as council considers transferring Dunwoody Park land to Peak Community Services

Councilors heard detailed public comment Monday on a resolution to transfer nine lots that were part of Dunwoody Park to Peak Community Services for housing development to serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

City staff described the parcel history: 13 lots were assessed in the Dunwoody area, four of which carry a restrictive deed covenant naming the property Loudoun Playground and requiring perpetual park use; the resolution under consideration would transfer the nine lots that are not subject to that covenant. City staff said the proposed development plan initially calls for one group home (six residents) and one duplex (eight residents) on the nine lots, for an initial total of 14 residents; a later phase could add up to two more duplexes and bring a theoretical maximum to 30 residents.

Several neighbors raised concerns about traffic, congestion, emergency access, on-street parking and proximity to the river. Robert Arnold of 81 Eighteenth Street said the street is “very congested,” that many homes lack garages, and that adding service vehicles or visitor traffic could worsen existing single-lane conditions. Stephanie Bender, who lives at 1 Eighteenth Street, said she has witnessed frequent parking conflicts and repeated mirror damage to a teen driver and asked whether off-street parking would be provided. Paul Wilhelm and other commenters urged the council to slow the process and consider alternative sites and long-range planning for the city's inventory of land.

Linda Brown, who said she lives in the old Dunwoody home, urged caution and asked what would happen if Peak ceased operations in the future. Multiple speakers raised questions about Peak's staffing, past incident reports and whether the organization could consistently meet care and safety needs for residents in the long term.

Chris Neighbors, chief executive officer of Peak Community Services, responded to concerns in a brief presentation. He said the organization has searched for replacement property for the group home on High Street for more than six years and that the Dunwoody parcels are the first suitable site they have found. Neighbors said the plan is to build on-site parking and driveways and that “we're not going to use street parking.” He described staffing ratios and said Peak's average direct-support staff pay is roughly $17.53 an hour based on recent internal surveys; he also said state Medicaid reimbursements under FMAP provide matching funds and that Peak has operated in the county for many years.

Neighbors said the initial plan is limited to one group home and one duplex and that the organization would not intentionally overpopulate the site. He offered assurances about on-site parking and about operating practices intended to integrate residents into community activities rather than isolate them.

No final council vote on the land-transfer resolution appeared in the portion of the meeting captured in the transcript. Multiple speakers asked the council to table the resolution or seek additional neighborhood outreach and traffic analysis before completing any transfer.