Ground broken for new city park and reservoir

By Collin Kelley

Ground has been officially broken for phase one of Westside Park at Bellwood Quarry, which is slated to become the city’s biggest greenspace and home to a new reservoir.

Slated to open in 2019, the first phase will include trails leading to the grand overlook area for views of the former granite quarryturned-reservoir. Upon completion, the park will encompass a total of 280 acres, nearly 100 acres larger than Piedmont Park and will become the connective tissue linking the Proctor Creek Greenway and Chattahoochee River Corridor with the Atlanta BeltLine.

The initial phase of the $26.5 million project will also include a park gateway entrance at the intersection of Johnson Road and Grove Park Place on the north side of the park. The design will provide lighting, signage and promote pedestrian and bicycle traffic.

The restoration of Grove Park Place will include the removal of invasive species, resurfacing of the roadway and the rehabilitation of vegetation along the corridor.

Landscape architecture and planning firm HGOR, led by Lauren Standish, is developing the design of the park.

“If you look at the topography of the park, just the existing environmental factors, it’s a fascinating place,” said Standish. “The juxtaposition of the quarry with the open lawn, preservation of trees and integration of environmental-based design is really exciting. We hope this park will tell a story of community and place and become a destination that will help shape and define the city of Atlanta for generations to come.”

The reservoir will take on the role of Atlanta’s major emergency water source, increasing the city’s drinking water supply from three days to 30-plus days.