Atlanta, Georgia – The City of Atlanta has made a big step toward turning a vital part of Memorial Drive into a lively public space. The Department of Parks and Recreation announced this week that the design process for the Memorial Drive Greenway has officially begun. This project will turn idle property into a half-mile linear park that will connect historic Oakland Cemetery to the edge of Downtown.
Pond & Company will be in charge of the design work and will engage closely with local authorities, community members, and citizens. The team will build on the 2016 Memorial Drive Vision Plan to make sure that the project meets both long-term community needs and new sustainability targets.
The Greenway will connect neighborhoods to cultural monuments while making the area more accessible and people-centered. It will cover about 8.5 acres between Memorial Drive SE and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive SE. The first phase consists of a schematic design for the entire park as well as getting permission and building one of the seven planned city blocks.
The project intends to meet the objectives of the Sustainable Sites Initiative by using stormwater management, native plants, and improvements to biodiversity. Mayor Andre Dickens said that the Greenway fits with his administration’s goal of making Atlanta “a City Built for the Future.” He said that protecting the environment and making parks accessible to everyone are two of the most important things they want to do.
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City Councilmember Liliana Bakhtiari called the project “transformational infrastructure” and said that the space will be meant to be welcoming to everyone, whether that means skate parks, shaded walks, or places to hang out. Brent Beatty, who spoke for the Friends of Memorial Drive Greenway, applauded the teamwork that got the project this far. He said it showed what can happen when the community, volunteers, and city authorities all work toward the same goal.
The original idea was to build a “cap park” over the Downtown Connector, but the current plan is to focus on what can be done next. The City of Atlanta wants to start getting people involved in the park’s design and uses in August 2025. Residents will have many opportunities to do so. Grady Smith from Pond & Company said that the design will be “guided by community voices, based on sustainability, and dedicated to leaving a lasting legacy for East Atlanta.”
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The planning and design phase will be paid for using $560,037 from the Moving Atlanta Forward bond in Council District 5 and $500,000 from the Department of Parks and Recreation’s FY27 Park Improvement Fund for a pilot project. Additional support comes from partners including The Integral Group, Park Pride, the Friends of Memorial Drive Greenway, The Conservation Fund, and private donor Dan Kurzius.
The Memorial Drive Greenway is getting closer to being a green corridor in the center of Atlanta that combines history, community, and caring for the environment. The design phase is already underway.
