The long-sought vision of an elevated park capping the Downtown Connector in Atlanta advanced this week with the City Council's creation of a special tax district to help pay for the massive redevelopment project.
A 14-acre green space will cover three-quarters of a mile of the Connector between Ted Turner Drive and Piedmont Avenue. The plan for the Stitch, as the project is known, is to reconnect downtown neighborhoods that were divided when the highways were built, slicing up the city in the 1950s and '60s. Several historically Black neighborhoods were demolished and displaced in the process.
"The great thing about this project is it's attempting to reverse — or at the very least repair — some of the damage" from prior generations' decisions, noted District 4 Council member Jason Dozier. The first phase would cap the Downtown Connector section between Peachtree and Courtland streets, including a pedestrian plaza and native plant garden. About $200 million in federal grants has been secured for this phase.
Construction for the first phase is scheduled to start in late 2026 and could last until 2030. The full project is slated for completion by 2036, contingent upon funding. The City Council approved three ordinances creating the special tax district and establishing a nonprofit to operate and maintain the park. Commercial and multifamily property owners in the district would pay an additional $2 per $1,000 of assessed property value, while owner-occupied residents would be exempt.
The master plan recommends that 30% of new and existing housing within a half-mile qualify as affordable.
Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution