Meet Atlanta's Newest Public Park, CityPlace in Buckhead

Buckhead has taken lumps for its lack of green space, but that's rapidly changing. The new public park at CityPlace near Lenox Square isn't quite done yet, but the construction fence and heavy machinery hasn't precluded neighbors from enjoying this urban oasis. While construction gains steam on AMLI's 20-story apartment building and some adjacent low-rise development, the 2-acre green space at the center of the 16.5-acre site should open in August. And this isn't any ordinary park. The design team at HGOR — the firm behind the master plan for the site and the park's design — convinced the developer to treat water management as an amenity, exposing what would've been an underground retention tank and using the captured runoff to irrigate the entire site. At the heart of the park is a contender (alongside Historic Fourth Ward Park's centerpiece) for Atlanta's Sexiest Retention Pond, featuring aquatic plants and fun fountains. By keeping plant varieties and materials to a minimum, the park is simple and sleek. The result is walkable neighborhood-building at its greatest. And it's probably an improvement over pre-recession plans for the site that called for nine high-rises with more than 3,800 condo units.

[Photos by Michael Kahn, Curbed Atlanta.]

· With New Streets & Room for a Lake, CityPlace Plows Ahead [Curbed Atlanta]
· Buckhead's Newest Park Takes Shape at AMLI Development [Curbed Atlanta]
· 650 Apartments Set to Rise on Site of Buckhead Woods [Curbed Atlanta]