The Neighborhood Re-stitching Downtown

The Stitch project would cap interstate for parks, development

By Collin Kelley

Central Atlanta Progress and the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District has unveiled renderings and details of an ambitious project called The Stitch that would reconnect Downtown and its streets broken by I-75/85.

The transformative project envisions capping the Downtown Connector by constructing a 3/4-mile platform over the interstate, extending from the Civic Center MARTA station at West Peachtree Street to Piedmont Avenue. On top of the platform would be new parks, homes, office buildings, hotels and more.

With the Civic Center set for demolition and redevelopment, the MARTA station would be renamed Emory Square and become a key transit hub for the city, including a regional bus terminal.

Emory Square would connect St. Luke’s Episcopal Church on the west to a reimagined MARTA station, Emory University’s future Medical Arts Institute building, and new retail and residential areas.

Peachtree Green would be a 3-acre town green with water features, a restaurant and café, a pavilion space for markets and art shows, an art walk, a “Mayor’s Walk,” and a civic

Atlanta Streets Alive Virginia-Highland, Old Fourth Ward host event Sept. 25

heroes memorial.

Energy Park would be a mixeduse residential area intertwined with an urban park made up of lawns, a dog park, playground, water features, a splash pad, a flex-use pavilion and a garden walk. Its location next to Georgia Power’s headquarters will provide opportunities to use green construction and power technologies.

The estimated $300 million project is still conceptual, so a construction schedule has not been determined. CAP said the next steps to advance the plan will include completing a detailed civil engineering survey, a technical feasibility study and a schematic design.

The third Atlanta Streets Alive event of the year is set for Sunday, Sept. 25, from 2 to 6 p.m. in the Virginia-Highland, Poncey-Highland and Old Fourth Ward neighborhoods. The event is an initiative of the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition.

A three-mile stretch of North Highland Avenue, Highland Avenue and Boulevard will be closed to motorized vehicles and open to people on foot, bike, skates and skateboards.

Participants can expect a wealth of activities hosted by community organizations and companies along the route, with local businesses and restaurants expanding onto the sidewalks to attract customers.

As usual, ASA will kick off with a bicycle parade at 2 p.m. at the intersection of Virginia and North Highland avenues. Be sure to visit atlantastreetsalive.com for an announcement about the theme so that you can dress up yourself and your bike accordingly.

The final ASA will be held on Oct. 23 and take over Peachtree Street from Midtown to Downtown.