South Downtown's pre-World Cup transformation may extend past the buildings to the street itself.
According to Invest Atlanta, the Historic Broad Streetscape project would reimagine three city blocks of South Broad Street, roughly 3,000 linear feet running between two MARTA hubs.
What is planned
The project targets what Invest Atlanta describes as an active, safe and inviting public realm between Five Points station and Garnett station plaza, with new landscaping, bicycle infrastructure and elements that can be reconfigured for large gatherings.
At the southern end, Garnett Plaza would get new seating areas, custom paving patterns and landscaping designed to work with MARTA's transit infrastructure.
Pedestrian and cycling improvements include ADA-compliant sidewalk adjustments and curb ramps, dedicated bike parking, new bike markings at intersections to improve connectivity, and rectangular rapid flashing beacons at crossings.
The money
The Atlanta Downtown Improvement District initiative is estimated at roughly $6 million. Invest Atlanta is considering an Eastside Tax Allocation District grant of up to $3 million toward the work.
Construction is estimated at six months, with work beginning sometime this fall.
Why this stretch
Broad Street is where South Downtown's building-by-building revival has concentrated, from Broad Street BBQ's three storefronts to the restaurants and offices filling in around them. What those blocks have not had is a public realm to match, and the sidewalks between Five Points and Garnett have long been the weakest link in walking from one end of the district to the other.
Connecting two rail stations with a continuous, rebuilt street is also the kind of investment whose value outlasts the tournament that prompted it.
Original reporting by Josh Green for Urbanize Atlanta, published June 2025.
