Neighborhood History
Development of the Greenwood Acres community began in the early 1960s, with homes being constructed through the decade on Chesterfield Drive, Greenbrook Trail, Greenbrook Way, Greensward Drive, Greenwillow Drive, and Randolph Road, as well as part of Galahad Drive. Some of the neighborhood’s first residents formed the Greenwood Acres Garden Club.
The stated purpose of the original women’s garden club was “to encourage interest in all phases of home gardening and to promote better horticultural practices, civic beauty, and the conservation of natural resources.” Around 1970, the club worked to raise money to construct the two Briarlake Road entrance markers, which still maintain much of their original appearance and character in the present day. With the generous permission of the property owners, one marker was built on the Bob Finney family lot; the other was built on property donated by the Jay Ghanta family.
In its early years, the garden club sponsored contests in the community such as Neighborhood Beautification, Yard-of-the-Month, and Best Christmas Decorations, and the members hosted a variety of neighborhood social events, including Spring Flings, Christmas parties, and summer picnics. The club also participated in the DeKalb County Federation of Garden Clubs, with several members submitting winning entries to the Federation’s flower shows. The club invited local horticultural experts to provide informational programs of interest to the members, and some of
the neighborhood’s more experienced gardeners conducted workshops on topics such as building hanging baskets and installing garden craft projects. The club began the traditions of decorating mailboxes in the neighborhood with flags for Independence Day and bows for the winter holidays. The social committee provided formal parties during the holiday season and included members’ families. In the days before the development of the Guinevere and Greencliff neighborhoods and the addition of Ector Court, the group was far smaller, and individual homes would accommodate the membership for meetings and gatherings.
In 1983, the Greenwood Acres Garden Club changed its name to Greenwood Acres Civic Association, and the organization expanded to include all members of each household. The association shifted its focus from gardening, placing greater emphasis on general neighborhood concerns such as Neighborhood Watch programs. With a much larger membership base, the association added events such as outdoor block parties to accommodate more people. The group was fortunate in having quite a few neighbors of long standing who volunteered year after year to advance the association’s goals. For example, member Tom Pruitt singlehandedly maintained the lights at the entrance markers for many years as well as placing the life-size wooden carolers every year for the holiday season.
Thus the organization’s status remained until September 2006, when the group (under the direction of its president, Scott Ray) applied for incorporation. The new name became Greenwood Acres Civic Association, Inc. (GACA). Scott, an attorney, donated a great deal of time and energy to this effort.
GACA joined the digital age with the introduction in 2013 of a website (designed by GACA member Leslie Walcoff) and began communicating with members via email and social media in addition to more traditional means. The membership voted to accept major updates to the bylaws in 2018 and 2024.
It was during the redraw of the bylaws in 2024 that the GACA board discovered certain critical outdated aspects of the 2006 incorporation. In order to meet legal requirements for filing taxes and conducting other financial business, it became necessary for GACA to make another change. In 2025 the organization’s board of directors filed new incorporation documents, and GACA became a 501(c)(4) corporation with the new name of Greenwood Acres Community Association.
GACA currently comprises 187 households located on Briarlake Road, Chesterfield Drive, Ector Court, Galahad Drive, Greenbrook Trail, Greenbrook Way, Greencliff Drive, Greensward Drive, Greenwillow Drive, Guinevere Drive, Guinevere Way, and Randolph Road.
