The plan to build a linear park along Memorial Drive has been resurrected again as the City of Atlanta has officially launched a design phase for the project.
Vestiges of the park sprang up several decades ago after the Capitol Homes housing project was demolished, but the idea to build the Memorial Drive Greenway has been floating around for more than 50 years.
On Wednesday, the City of Atlanta Department of Parks and Recreation said in a press release that it has launched the design phase for the park, which will stretch from Oakland Cemetery to the edge of Downtown Atlanta near the State Capitol.
According to the press release, the city will collaborate with architecture and engineering firm Pond & Company to shape the Greenway. The design team said it will draw upon a 2016 vision plan for the park as a “foundational guide.”
Phase One of the project includes the schematic design of the entire length of the park, plus full design, permitting, and construction for one of the seven city blocks in the greenway, according to the press release.
Planning and design for the Greenway will be funded by $560,037 in discretionary funds from Council District 5 as part of the Moving Atlanta Forward (MAF) bond. Additionally, $500,000 from the City of Atlanta Department of Parks and Recreation’s Fiscal Year 2027 Park Improvement Fund will support a pilot implementation project.
The press release said the project is made possible by a broad coalition of partners, including the City of Atlanta, Pond & Company, Dan Kurzius (Mailchimp Co-Founder), The Integral Group, Park Pride, the Friends of Memorial Drive Greenway, and The Conservation Fund.
“From skate parks to shade trees, the Greenway is built not just for today’s Atlanta, but for the generations who will inherit it,” Dist. 5 Atlanta City Councilmember Liliana Bakhtiari said in a statement.
The Department of Parks and Recreation will launch a public engagement process in the coming months. More information and updates will be posted on the City of Atlanta Parks and Recreation website and shared through community channels.
You can find the vision plan at this link, and a rendering at this link.