Buckhead’s Ga. Highway 400-capping park idea co-opted by Sandy Springs

Atlanta has a case of highway-capping fever.

First, Buckhead proposed a park over Ga. Highway 400; then downtown released their vision for capping the Connector with Stitch; and now, Sandy Springs is jumping on the bandwagon with an ambitious vision for an above-freeway park of their own.

According to Reporter Newspapers, the City of Sandy Springs unveiled its intentions to study the potential of a highway-capping park above Ga. Highway 400 at Johnson Ferry Road. Part of their updated land-use plan, the 20-acre park — more than double the size of Buckhead’s hypothetical green space — would be located just south of the Interstate 285 interchange.

Rogers Partners

The bridge would connect Pill Hill and the Medical Center MARTA Station on the eastern side of the highway with both planned and existing corporate centers on the western side. It would also sit along the planned Sandy Springs portion of PATH400, which is slated to pass through the interchange.

Wording of the comprehensive plan indicates the city truly intends to go beyond just studying the park, hinting at a potential private-sector contribution to bring the project to fruition:

Of course, the proposal is in its early infancy, but the city’s no stranger to undertaking massive projects.

Currently, Sandy Springs is transforming 14 acres of land along Roswell Road into a mixed-use city center with a 4-acre park, theater, government offices, retail, and residential — all above an underground parking structure.

• Buckhead’s park over Ga. 400 inspires Sandy Springs version [Reporter Newspapers]