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When the Sembler development company proposed creating a huge mixed-use development in north DeKalb County last year, on a scale approaching Atlantic Station, area residents and county officials worried about the kind of traffic it could bring.

That apprehension is growing, now that owners of other large tracts are considering updates to their properties as well. The renovations could be denser than what's there now, leading to even more traffic.

To guide the overhaul, county commissioners, working through a nonprofit, have hired a renowned urban planner to suggest a course for the 500-acre area around the intersection of Druid Hills and Briarcliff roads. The goal: Weave a usable urban center out of a car-choked business corridor.

"We want to get the discussion done before everything gets built around us and we can't get out of our driveways," said County Commissioner Kathy Gannon, who's helping lead the effort.

She and Commissioner Jeff Rader, who both represent the area, asked the nonprofit group the Livable Communities Coalition to coordinate the hiring and funding of Alex Garvin, who drafted the plan for Atlanta's proposed Beltline and handled the controversial planning for ground zero in Manhattan.

The coalition, whose members include businesses and civic groups, sent letters to area property owners and neighborhood groups asking for donations. Rader said the developers and large property owners are paying more than half of Garvin's $300,000-plus contract.

Garvin made clear, however, his firm is not working for the developers: "We are doing work for the residents in the area and the property owners and the businesses and the elected officials."

In recent weeks, Garvin has been studying the area and gathering public comment. The developers are expected to show their plans for their own sites next month. In July, Garvin said, he will unveil his draft plan tying the properties together. The meetings for residents and developers have been placid so far, but he acknowledged things could get contentious because of the different interests involved.

In the fall, Sembler revealed plans for a massive project at North Druid Hills and Briarcliff, where a government-owned apartment complex stands. The company has signed an agreement to acquire the complex and the underlying land rights, hoping to build what amounts to a mini-city of condo towers, offices, big box outlets and smaller stores and restaurants.

The DeKalb County School System holds adjoining land Sembler also wants, but officials haven't decided to sell.

If the school system sells to Sembler, the company will have assembled more than 100 acres for a project approaching the scope of Atlantic Station.

Since Sembler's plan surfaced, several other landowners in the area have indicated interest in redeveloping their aging properties, including the owner of the office park half a mile to the west, along I-85.

Many residents are reserving judgment on the process.

"There's not really much substance yet," said Flo Wolf, president of the Merry Hills Homeowners Association, which abuts the school property. Her primary concern is traffic congestion and all the commuters who pour past her neighborhood: "Are we going to end up just as a pass-through that serves all of DeKalb County, or are people actually going to live here?" She wondered how the county would pay for the execution of Garvin's plan and how officials would secure cooperation from private land owners.

Commissioner Rader said if Sembler and other owners want more intense development, they will have to secure the County Commission's approval. That, Rader said, is a bargaining chip the county can use to encourage cooperation.

PUBLIC MEETINGS

The public meetings with Alex Garvin have been held at the Kittredge Magnet School for High Achievers on North Druid Hills Road. Meeting dates as currently scheduled are listed below. Visit the Livable Communities Coalition Web site for updated meeting dates and locations and for details about the planning process at www.livablecommunitiescoalition.org/

Meetings are at 7 p.m. on:

* May 31

* June 13

* July 18