Park over Ga. 400 in Buckhead moves forward

An ambitious plan to build a park over Ga. 400 in the heart of Buckhead took a step forward when a self-taxing business group voted to fund the next phase of study, and to start the process to set up a nonprofit to manage development of the $250 million project.

The 9-acre "deck park," one of two proposed in Atlanta, would create green space and a central gathering place across a half-mile stretch of Ga. 400 from the Peachtree Road overpass to Lenox Road. Backers of the proposal say the park could provide a "steroid shot" to growth, development and livability in one of the region's biggest jobs centers.

The concept is still speculative and unfunded, though part of the nonprofit’s task will be to find public and private money to fund construction.

The concept has evolved after about two years of study, with Buckhead Community Improvement District driving the proposal. The group's executive director, Jim Durrett, said it's time for the project to move to the next phase.

Durrett said the plan is for the deck park to be steered by a dedicated organization — something akin to the Piedmont Park Conservancy — that can manage fundraising, sponsorships, permitting and development.

“The goal would be for us to truly hand this off to the new entity where they could count on some funding from the CID to help stand them up and help attracting additional partners,” Durrett said in an interview.

The Buckhead CID, a self-taxing business district, voted to spend up to $262,500 to continue its contract with the concept’s designers, a team led by Rogers Partners Architects + Urban Designers, through the end of 2017.

The group also plans to establish the nonprofit steering organization to manage design, permitting, engineering and construction. That nonprofit also would manage the park after completion.

A close vote

Though the park plan has been well-received by many, it isn’t without controversy.

The CID’s board approved the plan on a 4-3 vote. Board member Howard Shook, who represents the area on the Atlanta City Council, said he opposed moving forward because of a lack of key details. Shook said he has asked numerous questions for over a year that have gone unanswered.

Shook said some board members appeared to be privy to information not known by the rest of the panel.

Shook, whose approval will be key to gaining city support, said he was concerned the vote by the board was a commitment to go forward with the project.

“Today I think we’re making a decision to buy a new car before we know if we can afford it,” he told fellow board members.

“What alarms me here is I think there’s a lot of confusion whether this is a fourth phase of what was sold as a three-phase preliminary exercise or whether we’ve crossed some kind of Rubicon — or are in the middle of it — and whether this fourth phase is really a commitment to do this project,” Shook said.

After the meeting, Durrett said he’ll address Shook’s concerns.

“We’re going to figure out how to smooth it over,” Durrett said. “His voice is important and his vote is important.”

Durrett said the Buckhead CID would like to see pre-construction work begin in January 2018, with a ground breaking — or “ground-making” — in 2020. The goal is to see the park open by 2022 and fully operational by 2023.

But in addition to finding money, other challenges include the design of a complicated structure that would also remake the Buckhead MARTA station.

Buckhead CID officials have previously estimated the cost to be $195 million to $245 million, and said they would seek a mix of local, state, federal, CID and private sector sources. Given the current political climate, federal funding could be less likely.

Economic impact

The consulting team used similar public spaces — such as the Rose Kennedy Greenway in Boston — and other well-known public spaces such as Chicago's Navy Pier and New York's High Line as benchmarks for economic impact.

Connie Chung, director of HR&A Advisors, which analyzed the concept, said the proposed park could help add $2.5 billion in property value to the area, largely from appreciation of existing properties, and spur future development of nearby sites.

Chung also estimated 16,000 temporary construction jobs during development, 1,000 potential future residential units in the immediate area and $14 million in additional spending per year from tourists connected to the park.

“This project is really going to be something that has regional and national significance for Atlanta,” she said.

Durrett said the park would likely have an annual budget of $1.7 million to $2 million. The Buckhead park could generate its own revenue through events and concessions and other means, and could become a tourist draw, planners have said. The park would likely have opportunities for naming rights and areas for restaurants.

Atlanta's other proposed deck project is "The Stitch," an interstate-spanning park that would re-establish links between Midtown and downtown over about 14 acres, opening up underused land for private-sector development.

The as-yet-unfunded $300 million proposal, unveiled last year by Central Atlanta Progress, would cover about three-fourths of a mile of the Downtown Connector from Spring Street to the area near Georgia Power’s headquarters.