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Consultant urges Brookhaven to partner with DeKalb County to advance Buford Highway redevelopment
Summary
KB Advisory Group presented a redevelopment study recommending that Brookhaven pursue county-led tax allocation district (TAD) partnership rather than a city-led TAD due to Brookhaven’s low millage, SSD structure and the need for county and school participation; council raised concerns about gentrification and protecting legacy businesses.
Jeff Koski, president of KB Advisory Group, presented the firm’s 2025 redevelopment study for the Buford Highway corridor and summarized the tools the city could use — with a focus on tax allocation districts (TADs).
Koski told the council that TADs can be a catalytic tool because they capture growth in property-tax revenue within a defined boundary and recycle the increment into the district for infrastructure or public-private projects. “When you set up a TAD as a city, you lock in the base value… it’s really about the growth in property taxes,” Koski said, describing how increment is recirculated to pay for public improvements that can attract private investment.
He warned, however, that Brookhaven’s low regular property tax and special service district (SSD) structure limit the amount of increment the city could generate. Koski recommended the most impactful path would be to partner with DeKalb County and ask the county to lead or co-create a TAD so larger county resources could participate. He also noted practical constraints: county and school participation is typically necessary for a large, catalytic TAD, and creating a city-led TAD would require a voter referendum.
Councilmembers pressed for examples and risks. Koski cited DeKalb County’s role in redeveloping the North Decatur Mall (now Lula Hills) and the City of Atlanta’s BeltLine TADs, noting each illustrates different scales and trade-offs. Members also raised equity concerns including potential displacement and the need to protect small legacy businesses along Buford Highway; Koski said TADs can be structured to target affordable housing and public improvements that mitigate displacement.
The presentation cataloged alternative or complementary tools for the council’s toolbox — CDBG and federal opportunity zones (limited and often externally controlled), business improvement districts and CIDs (which raise new assessments), tax abatements (used by development authorities), and SSD funds — and emphasized the value of a clear local strategy and a designated implementation lead.
Council did not vote on any measure; the presentation concluded with a recommendation to pursue a coordinated conversation with DeKalb County to identify the best financing and implementation path for the corridor.
