The City of Atlanta has acquired nine acres of land for a new public park that will eventually have direct access to the Chattahoochee River.
Mayor Andre Dickens said in a statement that the Atlanta Department of Parks and Recreation will develop what is being called Lower Paul Park due to its location along Lower Paul Avenue in the Riverside neighborhood in northwest Atlanta.
Purchase of the land was made possible thanks to a partnerships with The Conservation Fund and Park Pride, two of the organizations who are members of the mayor’s newly announced Greenspace Advisory Council.
“Acquiring this land allows the city to provide our residents with public access to the Chattahoochee River and offer needed parkland to the Riverside community — all while preserving beautiful greenspace for future generations,” Dickens said in a statement.
The assemblage for Lower Paul Park consists of 17 greenspace properties. Through a partnership with The Conservation Fund, three parcels were donated for the assemblage by Georgia Power. The city’s purchase contributes to the Trust for Public Land’s Chattahoochee Riverlands vision — a linear, 53-mile river corridor network of Greenways, Blueways and parks to reunite the Chattahoochee River with metro Atlanta.
Regional Counsel and Georgia and Alabama Associate State Director, Stacy Funderburke said, “The Conservation Fund is proud to once again partner with the City of Atlanta Parks Department to make the community vision for a new greenspace along the Chattahoochee River in Northwest Atlanta a reality. This five-year long property assemblage will now result in a vibrant new greenspace for the Riverside neighborhood and greatly increase access and recreational connectivity to the Chattahoochee River.”
The Atlanta City Council authorized the purchase of 15 of the parcels in 2021 and additional funding was made possible in part due to grants received by Park Pride and an EPA/Brownfield grant received by The Conservation Fund. Georgia Power and Riverwalk Atlanta donated properties toward the park assemblage as well.
While park specific features are being determined through a park visioning plan led by Park Pride, through continued collaboration with other property owners and stakeholders, the park is anticipated to include a Chattahoochee River Trail with direct access to the Chattahoochee River and a connection to the Whetstone Creek PATH multi-use Trail.