The redevelopment of abandoned property west of Atlanta continues, as Mayor Andre Dickens announced a 44-acre project at the former Gun Club Park through the Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative (NRI).
Located near the Westside’s Shirley Clarke Franklin Park and Boyd Elementary School, Gun Club will join nearby Bowen Homes in transforming land into affordable rental units, for-sale homes, a multi-use trail, and a public park. The development will include the Proctor Creek Greenway, a key component of the TrailsATL network that connects neighborhoods across the city.
Naturalized almost entirely into forest space since its abandonment as a city park in 2003, Gun Club Park is owned by the City of Atlanta. It was established in 1928 as a gun range and transformed into a public park in 1964. Since the 1990s, the property has been severely underused, resulting in regular dumping.
The project represents a major milestone in addressing Atlanta’s housing needs while fostering economic opportunity and community vitality, according to a press release.
“This groundbreaking partnership exemplifies our vision for inclusive growth and community-centered development,” Dickens said. “By bringing together best-in-class developers committed to affordability and quality, we are advancing toward our goal of creating and preserving affordable housing while creating a blueprint for how public-private collaboration can transform neighborhoods and expand opportunity for all Atlantans.”
Set to kick off in early 2027, the project is a collaboration between Atlanta Urban Development Corporation (AUD) and Brock Built Homes.
“This project demonstrates how thoughtful redevelopment of park land abandoned three decades ago can deliver multiple community benefits at once—new housing, expanded affordability, public greenspace and trail connectivity. The location along the Proctor Creek Greenway will help connect residents to parks, schools and neighborhoods across Northwest Atlanta while creating new opportunities for recreation and mobility for generations to come,” Council member Dustin Hillis said.
