ATLANTA — The City of Atlanta is getting a new park with direct access to the Chattahoochee River — a first for the city.
Mayor Andre Dickens announced the acquisition of about nine acres of land by the City of Atlanta for the Department of Parks and Recreation to develop its first-ever park that anticipates direct access to the Chattahoochee River.
Referred to as Lower Paul Park, the newly acquired land was made possible as a result of continued partnerships with The Conservation Fund and Park Pride, two of the organizations who are members of the mayor’s newly announced Greenspace Advisory Council. The purchase of these properties will bring future access to the Chattahoochee River.
“Acquiring this land allows the City to provide our residents with public access to the Chattahoochee River and offer needed parkland to the Riverside community— all while preserving beautiful greenspace for future generations,” said Dickens. “Partnerships between the City and greenspace advocates are vital for our Administration to continue to preserve Atlanta’s open spaces.”
Officially acquired on March 4, the assemblage for Lower Paul Park consists of 17 greenspace properties within the Northwest Atlanta Riverside neighborhood and will allow future access to the Chattahoochee River. Through a partnership with The Conservation Fund, three parcels were donated for the assemblage by Georgia Power. The City’s purchase contributes to the Trust for Public Land’s Chattahoochee Riverlands vision—a linear, 53-mileriver corridor network of Greenways, Blueways and parks to reunite the Chattahoochee River with metro Atlanta.
Regional Counsel and Georgia and Alabama Associate State Director, Stacy Funderburke said, “The Conservation Fund is proud to once again partner with the City of Atlanta Parks Department to make the community vision for a new greenspace along the Chattahoochee River in Northwest Atlanta a reality. This five-year long property assemblage will now result in a vibrant new greenspace for the Riverside neighborhood and greatly increase access andrecreational connectivity to the Chattahoochee River.”
The Atlanta City Council authorized the purchase of 15 of the parcels in 2021 and additional funding was made possible in part due to grants received by Park Pride and an EPA/Brownfield grant received by The Conservation Fund. Georgia Power and Riverwalk Atlanta donated properties toward the park assemblage as well.
While park specific features are being determined through a park visioning plan led by local nonprofit Park Pride, through continued collaboration with other property owners and stakeholders, the park is anticipated to include a Chattahoochee River Trail with direct access to the Chattahoochee River and a connection to the Whetstone Creek PATH multi-use Trail. Additional details of the visioning process can be found here: https://lowerpaulpark.wixsite.com/visioning
Thom Chandler
Thom Chandler is the editor of The Georgia Sun and has been writing, editing and managing websites and blogs since 1995. He is a lifelong Georgian and one of those increasingly rare Atlanta natives.
