Oakhurst Renaissance

_{However, like many of the metro area’s abandoned communities, Oakhurst is in the middle of a re-gentrification that has restored the business district, known as Oakhurst Village, into a hip destination full of shops, restaurants and galleries, and the old Craftsman-style bungalows are now selling for upwards of 300,000. Single urban hipsters and families of all races, creeds and sexual orientation now call the diverse neighborhood home.}

_{Incorporated as a town in 1910, Oakhurst was annexed by Decatur six years later. Two pioneering women are credited with creating Oakhurst’s distinctive look. Between 1905 and 1912, Georgia Adams oversaw the development of homes on Adams Street on land owned by her father. The homes were designed by Lila Ross Wilburn, an architect and graduate of nearby Agnes Scott College.}

_{Scottish Rite’s campus opened in 1915 on Hill Street in elegant buildings designed by noted architects Neel Reid and Hal Hentz. The hospital for crippled children fueled the growth of Oakhurst Village. Much of the village would be abandoned after Scottish Rite left and “white flight” began.}

_{The turn-around began in the early 1990s, as urban pioneers were looking for affordable housing and historic homes that could be renovated. Oakhurst was ripe for the picking. But even as late as 1997, Oakhurst was still “edgy,” according to Randal Lautzenheiser, an associate broker with Atlanta Intown Real Estate.}

_{“I had some friends who bought a house over there in 1997, and I’d go over for dinner and we’d hear gunshots at night,” Lautzenheiser recalled. “The boom really hit around 2000.”}

_{The redevelopment of Oakhurst Village has been key to the neighborhood’s renaissance, and Lautzenheiser predicts it will be the next Virginia-Highland, known for its mix of retail and dining.}

_{A mainstay in the village is the Universal Joint bar and restaurant, which moved in and renovated one of the old gas stations. Opened by Marc Brennan and Robert Holland in 2000, “the Joint” has been a big success, with its funky feel and expansive patio overlooking Harmony Park and the village. Earlier this year, the owners also opened Steinbeck’s Oyster Bar in the village.}

_{Brennan said he’s pleased to see younger families and first-time homebuyers moving in and renovating the homes in Oakhurst. “We have a lot of regulars now who have been coming in since we opened, and many of them now come in with baby carriages,” he said.}

_{Brennan said the renovation of the Scottish Rite campus in 2002 was a big boost for the neighborhood. The main building, the Solarium, is now the Community Center of South Decatur and plays hosts to private parties, weddings and other functions on a regular basis. Several of its wings have been converted into business offices, while the Seen Gallery and Palate Wine Bar occupy another wing.}

_{Another community gem is the Oakhurst Community Garden on Oakview Road, which began in 1996 as a volunteer effort between Fifth Street Elementary School children and residents to plant flowers along the grassy median strips in the neighborhood’s tree-lined streets.}

_{Stephanie Van Parys, the garden’s executive director and an Oakhurst resident, has seen this grass-roots effort become a full-time educational facility that offers community gardening spots to Oakhurst residents for 65 a year and offers classes to adults and children year-round.}

_{The city of Decatur is also chipping in to help improve Oakhurst. A September bond referendum passed by city voters will provide for more than 1 million in renovations to the neighborhood, according to Lynn Menne, Decatur’s assistant city manager for community and economic development.}

_{Work will begin soon on new streetscaping for Oakhurst Village, with wider sidewalks, trees, streetlamps and improved pedestrian crossings. More than 1 million in bond money and another 500,000 in Georgia Department of Transportation grants will be used for the project.}

_{The McCoy Park community swimming pool opened in the 1950’s on East Hill Street will also be renovated after being closed for more than three years. Renovation of the pool is expected to cost more than half a million dollars, funded by the bond funds and a grant from DeKalb County. Menne said work will begin this year and the pool should be open for the summer in 2008.}

_{The old Oakhurst Village shopping center, now completely abandoned after the closing of Mulligan’s restaurant, is slated for redevelopment. Menne said the city was in discussion with a developer, whom she could not name, who wants to build condos on the site with retail on the ground floor. Menne said because of density restrictions, the building could only be three stories tall.}

_{Also this spring, the Decatur Development Authority will begin installing “wayfinding” signs throughout Oakhurst, directing residents and visitors to all this up-and-coming community has to offer.}