Brookhaven Council Approves Murphey Candler Lake House, Parking

BROOKHAVEN, GA — Brookhaven City Council approved concept plans for the Murphey Candler Park lake house and its parking lot expansion at its April 27 meeting after almost a year of public input.

The MCP lake house and parking lot expansion are part of the city's $40 million park bond referendum, which was approved by voters in November 2018. About $1.25 million was earmarked for a community center for Murphey Candler Park.

However, with community input on prioritizing amenities, the lake house concept was chosen rather than a full-fledged community center.

“The public input process was key to prioritizing the amenities responsive to the needs of the community and to create the concept plan which will guide the eventual construction of the new Murphey Candler Park Lake House,” said Lee Croy, Brookhaven’s park bond manager.

From November 2019 to September 2020, the city received more than 400 responses from residents, business owners and other community stakeholders about what they wanted to see in the MCP lake house.

In addition, the city received 183 responses on the parking lot expansion options — of which there were four, adding 53, 81, 100 and 175 parking spaces, respectively — and council ultimately chose the third option, adding 100 spaces and preserving two older trees near the entrance of the existing parking lot at Scout Hut.

“The extraordinary feedback was essential in creating the best project possible that addresses the concerns of all members of the community, balancing the need to accommodate visitors of Murphey Candler Park with the need for the preservation of this natural wonder,” District 1 Councilmember Linley Jones, whose district includes Murphey Candler Park, said. “I want to thank everyone who made the investment of time and energy to ensure a successful project.”

You can view the full MCP lake house public input report here. The parking lot options can be viewed here.