Westside Atlanta communities will get two new parks next year, boosting greenspace, livability

In the last few years, the neighborhoods of English Avenue and Vine City on the western edge of downtown Atlanta have seen investments of money, time, and sweat equity, as Mercedes-Benz Stadium rises just to the east.

Now, according to the Saporta Report, the neighborhoods will finally see the construction of not one but two parks to add acres of needed greenspace.

The long-anticipated Rodney Cook Sr. Park and smaller Boone Park West will serve as community spaces while combating longstanding drainage and flooding problems in the area.

Construction of the parks is made possible by a range of organizations, including Park Pride and the Trust for Public Land.

HGOR

While construction of the two parks is big news, the Westside greenspaces are mere precursors for what’s destined to come nearby, officials say.

Plans are still in development for the creation of what will become Atlanta's largest public park: Bellwood Quarry.

Located to the northwest of Vine City, Bellwood Quarry and Reservoir Park will comprise nearly 300 acres and will feature a massive lake—a former quarry, filled with water from the Chattahoochee—nature trails, and plenty of recreation space. (By comparison, sprawling Piedmont Park is 185 acres).

Eventually, Vine City and English Avenue could connect via a network of trails and parks along Proctor Creek to Bellwood Quarry and the Chattahoochee River.

Officials say construction on Rodney Cook Sr. Park (16 acres when finished) and Boone Park West (roughly four acres) should be completed by the end of 2018. The former is in early stages of construction already, as a recent visit to the site proved:

Photos: Jonathan Phillips, Curbed Atlanta

• Two parks, multiple benefits on schedule for westside next year [Saporta Report]
• On Atlanta’s Westside, Vine City park has dazzling renderings, May start date [Curbed Atlanta]