Opinions: recalling 9/11, 1860 landholders update ► PAGE 4
September 18, 2025 | AppenMedia.com | An Appen Media Group Publication | Ser ving the community since 1976
City denies proposal for affordable housing on Ashford Dunwoody By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com
PHOTOS BY CITY OF DUNWOODY/PROVIDED
The Dunwoody Garden Club, Parks and Recreation Department and Arts Commission gather with families and city officials for the Sept. 8 unveiling of the new Study Time statue at the city’s library branch.
Garden Club unveils new statue By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com DUNWOODY, Ga. — The Dunwoody Garden Club unveiled a statue, Study Time, at the city’s own DeKalb County Library branch off Chamblee Dunwoody Road. The artwork depicts a young girl reading a book. The staff at the Dunwoody Library held a naming competition for the statue, giving children throughout the city a chance to put their mark on the public art display.
The Dunwoody Garden Club said the children selected Libby as the name of the girl depicted in the statue, as a reference to the DeKalb County’s online portal for audio books and electronic reading. Betty Dworschak, a former co-president, said the Dunwoody Garden Club coordinated with the Arts Commission and the Parks and Recreation Department to find a home for the gift.
See STATUE, Page 18
The Dunwoody Garden Club’s gift to the library, Study Time, depicts a young girl named Libby reading a book on top of a tree stump at the main entrance off Chamblee Dunwoody Road.
DUNWOODY, Ga. — The Dunwoody City Council voted unanimously Sept. 8 to deny an amended rezoning request for age-restricted, affordable housing at Ashford Dunwoody Road and Ashford Center Parkway. Following a months-long drum beat of community opposition, the property owner at 4891 Ashford Dunwoody Road must submit a waiver to rezone the property again in six months or wait another two years. The 3.42-acre site currently owned by LifeSouth Community Blood Center is just a couple of blocks north of City Hall and across the street from Dunwoody Baptist Church properties. LifeSouth representatives have indicated they are in favor of the project as they look to sell and relocate. Amid a nationwide housing crisis, lack of new construction and significant inflation since the pandemic, a proposed rezoning for affordable senior living was shot down in one of the most progressive cities in north Metro Atlanta. The unanimous denial came after most comments from Dunwoody residents made it clear that they did not want the project to move forward at the site. It was the latest iteration of the land use battles and zoning fights that led the city to incorporate nearly 17 years ago. Cheryl Strickland, a homeowner in the Ashford Chase since 1996, said she is “absolutely not antiaffordable housing,” but sees issues with the proposed rezoning as a longtime homeowner with experience in commercial development.
See PROPOSAL, Page 18