"Preserving a stand of mature trees protects benefits that cannot be quickly replaced by new plantings, including shade, habitat and natural stormwater functions."

City Arborist Jeff Dadisman said that in Brookhaven's Oct. 13 announcement that the City Council had approved buying 1020 Mendell Circle, a wooded lot of about 1.3 acres next to Lynwood Park. The quote explains why the park is changing. The new pool, splash pad and turf field went in three years ago. Now the park is growing at its edges, and what the city is buying is canopy it doesn't want to lose.

Two Lots, Bought Almost Two Years Apart

The Mendell Circle lot is the second purchase of its kind. The city bought 926 Devine Circle, about half an acre, in late 2024.

Adding 17% is a lot for a park that has stayed inside the same boundaries for decades. The money also shows the purpose. The $750,000 for Mendell Circle comes from the city's Stormwater Fund and Tree Fund, not from a recreation line. The city says the lot holds 30 to 40 specimen trees, including American beech, tulip poplar, red maple, northern red oak, southern red oak, white oak, hickory, linden, bigleaf magnolia, black cherry and loblolly pine.

District 1 Councilmember Michael Diaz linked the purchase to what has already been lost on nearby streets. In the same announcement he said he had seen "the recent loss of mature trees at the nearby Devine Circle due to development." He said the two purchases "will expand Lynwood Park by nearly two acres, preserving dozens of mature trees." The city says the new land will be "protected from future redevelopment."

The announcement doesn't say when either lot will open to visitors or what will be built there, if anything. For now, the new acreage is a stand of old trees at the park's edge.

The New Amenities Were Finished in 2023

That fits where the park already stands. The current amenities date from a master plan the council revised in 2020. Rough Draft Atlanta reported at the time that the revision dropped a proposed lazy river. The plan replaced it with a splash pad of about 4,200 square feet and a four-lane pool for laps and recreation, and it also called for a new pool house, restrooms and artificial turf on the athletic field. According to the city, Lynwood Park reopened with the new lap pool, splash pad and turf field in early July 2023. The city's facility listing also includes a basketball court, community center, picnic shelter, playground and tennis court.

So the spending inside the park has moved to upkeep. The city's proposed 2027 budget lists the Lynwood gym floor refinishing and a lighting upgrade in the Lynwood gym as completed. It also lists tennis court resurfacing at Lynwood, Briarwood and Ashford parks, with Nov. 1, 2026 as the target finish. The same document puts the proposed Parks and Recreation budget at $4,499,892, up 13.0% from 2026. Part of the reason it gives is "increased maintenance and repair needs for park facilities, especially the aging Lynwood and Briarwood recreation centers."

You can comment on that budget before it's adopted. The council holds its final public hearing at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at City Centre, 4001 Peachtree Road NE, and you can join virtually. The council will consider adoption after that hearing. District 2 Councilman Connor Sen holds a community meeting at City Centre on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 6 to 7 p.m. You can also email questions to [email protected]. The full proposal and a 24-page Budget in Brief summary are on the city's budget page.

Why the City Ties the Land to the Neighborhood's History

The city's release doesn't present the purchase only as tree protection. It says the acquisition "builds upon the City's ongoing recognition of Historic Lynwood Park." The release calls Lynwood Park "one of the oldest historically Black communities in DeKalb County," established in the early 1930s, and says the recreation center and the park around it "remain important gathering places for residents, families, and returning generations with ties to the community." Brookhaven gave the neighborhood a historic designation in October 2020.

The rec center itself sits on that history. According to the Lynnwood Park Foundation, the Osborne Road school land was bought in 1948 and the brick school opened there in 1949. Before that, a community-built one-room schoolhouse served the neighborhood from about 1942 to 1949. The recreation center now stands on the former school site.

Many of the names around the park honor people. The Foundation's list of neighborhood markers includes:

• Columbus Jones Gymnasium, the name of the Lynwood Park gym
• Emmanuel Wallace Memorial Soccer Field
• Lynwood Park Trailblazers Community Room, named for the students the Foundation says integrated Cross Keys and Chamblee high schools in 1968
• Gateway monuments at the Windsor Parkway and Osborne Road roundabout, with crosswalk art by Lynwood Park artist Turiya Clark

The Foundation describes its mission as preserving "a living historical site" that honors the original community. Its biggest public event of the year is the Lynwood Park Community Day & Parade, held at the recreation center on May 2 this year.

What Runs at the Park Every Week This Fall

The rec center is in a maintenance phase, but it's still busy. This fall Brookhaven Parks and Recreation added free pickleball drop-ins at its two recreation centers, Rough Draft Atlanta reported:

• Lynwood Park, 3360 Osborne Road: Mondays and Wednesdays, 5:45 to 8:45 p.m.
• Briarwood Park, 1496 Briarwood Road: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:15 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The Lynwood evening slot suits anyone who works days. The Briarwood midday sessions suit those with free weekday mornings. Athletic Manager Davian Oglesby told the outlet the sessions are "a fun and easy way to try something new and get to know the community." Open gym, "Walk and Talk" and adult basketball runs are also free at the rec centers. The current times are on the city's drop-in activities page. If the resurfacing finished on schedule, tennis players should have fresh courts this month as well.

Saturday, Nov. 7: Paint the Park Comes to Lynwood

This Saturday brings the biggest crowd of the month. Rain postponed Brookhaven's Paint the Park in early October, and the city rescheduled it for Saturday, Nov. 7, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at a new location, Lynwood Park, 3360 Osborne Road.

According to the city's notice, the basics:

• Supplies: Art supplies and canvases are provided first-come, first-served. Artists can bring their own.
• Extras: King of Pops and face painting.
• Judging: Prizes in three age groups: 7 and under, 8 to 13, and 14 and up.
• The payoff: Winners appear in the city's annual Paint the Park calendar.

Canvases go first-come, first-served, so families with young painters will want to arrive close to 11 a.m. If you're walking or biking in, the Windsor Parkway and Osborne Road roundabout takes you past the gateway monuments and Turiya Clark's crosswalks on the way to the gym and fields.

Want to talk about what Lynwood Park's growing canopy means for the streets around it? The David Lawhon Group follows changes like these block by block across Brookhaven, and we're glad to share what we're seeing. Schedule a Consultation.