The leaders of an ambitious effort to cap Atlanta's Downtown Connector with an elevated park say their project remains in motion and released their clearest vision yet of what they aim to build. They also want Congress to see what lawmakers chose to defund, adding that the project called the Stitch will persist with or without the federal government's help.
"It's not 'if' but 'when' the project is going to happen," Jack Cebe, the Stitch project director, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "We have full confidence that the project is going to happen very soon, and we're going to find a path forward."
Downtown civic organizations Central Atlanta Progress and Atlanta Downtown Improvement District released new renderings at the inaugural Downtown Day, placing a spotlight on one of the city's most challenging and potentially transformative projects. Mayor Andre Dickens was direct about the project's future: "This public park will be transformative. And it is still going to happen. Nationwide cuts in federal funding — that is not going to derail this project."
The renderings showcase the full vision of the Stitch's first phase — a 5-acre park along Peachtree Street and Ralph McGill Boulevard featuring pavilions, playgrounds, fountains, and gardens atop one of the region's busiest interstate corridors. The first phase is estimated to cost $200 million. In July, Congress repealed about $2.5 billion in grants for infrastructure projects nationwide, including a $151 million grant for the Stitch, eliminating three-fourths of the project's federal financing and leaving $50 million from local commitments.
Cebe said his team is evaluating alternative financing options and construction timelines. With city and Georgia DOT support, construction could begin as early as spring 2026. In April, the City Council created a special tax district to help fund the Stitch. The total project could span 14 acres of interstate-capped green space across three phases at an estimated $713 million cost, with an operating entity called the Atlanta Downtown Stitch Inc. set to be created with a board structure mirroring the Beltline's.
Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution