By Lyn Hillman
The City of Atlanta Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) held an open house for the Memorial Drive Greenway on June 23 at the Oakland Cemetery visitor’s center. The Greenway is designed to connect the Grant Park neighborhood with downtown Atlanta via pedestrian-friendly sidewalks and bike lanes along Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive and Memorial Drive. According to the project website, this “new linear park will transform underutilized land into a vibrant, people-centered public space. Stretching from historic Oakland Cemetery to the Downtown edge, the Greenway will revitalize a half-mile corridor along Memorial Drive SE and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive SE, covering approximately 8.5 acres.”
The event was the third in a series of meetings providing the public with updates on the status of the project. Numerous renderings were stationed around the meeting space in the visitor’s center, allowing attendees to get detailed views on the proposed design of the entire greenspace. Attendees were also given an opportunity to provide feedback, including input on the amenities they would like to be included.
A presentation outlining the project’s mission, goals, and next steps was displayed on a large-screen monitor. According to the project’s mission statement shown on one of the slides, “The Memorial Drive Greenway thrives as a world-class linear park that connects Historic Oakland Cemetery to downtown[‘s] edge, serving as Atlanta’s backyard, cultural platform, climate refuge, and everyday connector.”
The core goals of the project include building upon the 2016 Memorial Drive Greenway Vision Plan, expanding recreational access, supporting community gathering, increasing neighborhood connectivity, and promoting equitable access.
According to Raleigh Arrowood with Goode Van Slyke Architecture (GVSA), the architecture firm engaged to develop conceptual building designs for the project, the Greenway is being designed to encourage round trips by including amenities along both sides of the park to engage visitors. The design is “organic and rooted in nature” as well as “playful and whimsical.” The project will include restrooms and standalone canopies that automatically adjust to provide shade in high temperatures. The GVSA concepts are color-coded to assist with easy wayfinding along the Greenway.
Renderings showed the features and amenities planned for each block of the Greenway along both MLK, Jr. Drive and Memorial Drive.
Oakland Avenue to Grant Street: Planned amenities include a bike parking garage, a fountain plaza, a lawn, a nature play area (wading pool), shade-structure seat walls for use by spectators during events, and a plaza with string lights.
Grant Street to Hill Street: Features will include a food truck plaza, an event lawn, bike parking, and a dog park.
Hill Street to Connally Street: Planned features include a pedestrian bridge, a climbing feature on the bridge wall, a children’s play area, a plaza, play towers with a rope bridge, a hillside climber, slides, a kids’ tunnel under the bridge, swings, a fog art play area, and a boardwalk overlook.
Immediate next steps include completing preliminary grading, utility, and traffic analysis; finalizing 30% of deliverables and delivering them to ownership; and continued coordination with the Atlanta Department of Transportation (ATLDOT), Georgia Power, and other stakeholders. Future next steps include developing 100% of the plans for an Active Recreation block, and working with the DPR to finalize the project scope for the next design phases.
For more information, visit the DPR project website at https://app.maptionnaire.com/p/3ey28utb3wz6.
