Here’s further proof ITP Atlanta isn’t necessarily full. 

Just north of Interstate 20 in unincorporated Decatur, infrastructure work is barreling ahead on a relatively large, 15-acre subdivision site that was formerly woods in the Candler-McAfee neighborhood. 

The site is spread across the northeast corner of Whites Mill Road’s intersection with Kelly Lake Road, about a mile northwest of The Gallery at South DeKalb (formerly South DeKalb Mall). 

It’s immediately west of Kelley Lake Elementary School, about three miles south of East Lake Golf Club. 

Looking north, the scope of the 15-acre site is clear from Kelly Lake Road. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Scope of the single-family home site and proximity to the neighboring elementary school, as seen prior to groundbreaking. Google Maps

DeKalb County’s Planning and Sustainability department records indicate the site was approved for up to 49 single-family homes in 2019, to be built by Epic Development, an Atlanta-based builder with projects dotted from Buckhead to Hapeville and beyond. 

Jim LaVallee, Epic’s director for development and marketing, previously told Urbanize Atlanta the DeKalb County project’s scope would be smaller, to include 38 homes.  

We’ve reached out to Epic for more details on delivery at the 2354 Whites Mill Road site, along with information on home prices and sizes, and we’ll update this story should that come. 

Infrastructure work at a future main entry to the 15-acre subdivision in Candler-McAfee, as seen this month. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Overview of the 2354 Whites Mill Road site in relation to southeast ITP Atlanta landmarks. Google Maps

Prior to the county’s approval, a community council in the area voted 5-0 to deny the subdivision in 2019. 

Naysayers argued at the time the area’s sewer system was already overburdened, drainage problems persisted, the lots initially proposed were smaller than neighbors’, and that “traffic congestion is already an area-wide problem and alternatives to automobile transportation are not being provided,” according to a Planning and Sustainability department recap. 

Planning officials at the time countered that Epic’s plans were consistent with single-family character in the area, adding: “While the density would be higher than that of the older neighborhoods in the area, an increase in density would contribute to the continuing vitality of the area by allowing for development of homes that correspond to a changing housing market.”

Location of construction today in relation to Interstate 20 and the mall property. Google Maps

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