The Stitch has been an idea since 2016, a proposal since 2019, and a funded project since 2025. But at an October 2024 developer update, it became something more tangible: a place with specific things in it.
The development team revealed that the 14-acre platform spanning three-quarters of a mile over the Downtown Connector would include an amphitheater, open lawns, a skate park, MARTA transit access improvements, retail businesses, affordable housing, and — in a detail that surprised many observers — a new school built in coordination with Atlanta Public Schools.
A Neighborhood, Not Just a Park
Michael Green, CEO of Sophy Companies and one of the project's lead developers, described the school as part of a broader community-building strategy: "We're in conversation with Atlanta Public Schools to build a new school on the site and support community building effort."
The inclusion of a school, affordable housing, and retail alongside the green space signals that The Stitch is being designed as a neighborhood — not a decorative lid over a highway but a place where people live, learn, shop, and gather. The distinction matters because it determines who The Stitch serves. A park serves visitors. A neighborhood serves residents.
Funding and Timeline
Jack Cebe, the project's development manager, confirmed that a long-term funding source had been secured through a special tax district approved by Atlanta City Council. "Funding source is secured so Day 1 after construction, we have resources to program community uses, ensure high-quality, safe maintenance," he said.
Additional funding draws from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act — federal sources that were available at the time of the announcement, though some were later affected by policy changes in 2025.
Construction is targeted to begin in 2026, following the FIFA World Cup. Walking tours of the project site were available through December 14, 2024, giving Atlantans a chance to stand on the ground where the cap will be built and look down at the highway that divided their city.
Historical Context
City Councilmember Amir Farokhi and panelists at the update event noted that the Downtown Connector's construction in the 1950s and 1960s displaced Buttermilk Bottom, a Black community that occupied the land where the highway now runs. The Stitch is, in part, an attempt to rebuild what the interstate destroyed — not the specific community, which is gone, but the physical connectivity and neighborhood fabric that the highway removed.
Original reporting by GPB News, Georgia Public Broadcasting, October 24, 2024.