A render of The Stitch
ATLANTA - A plan to cover part of Atlanta's Downtown Connector with a massive green space is moving forward, and officials plan to share an update on the project on Wednesday.
The project, known as The Stitch, would be a three-quarter mile platform that would be placed over the Downtown Connector and be placed between Ted Turner Drive and Piedmont Avenue.
Designers say the platform would create the space for a 14-acre park in Atlanta as well as engender 14 million square feet of new development, which officials say would be focused on affordable housing and attracting residents to Downtown.
Sections in the proposal include Hospital Square, which would be between St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and the Civic Center MARTA Station, Peachtree Green, and Energy Park in Old Fourth Ward.
The city estimates the project will create 3,000 affordable housing units and 13,000 new jobs.
Officials estimate the cost of the project would be around $713 million. Earlier this year, Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock announced a federal grant of more than $157 million to fund the first phase of the project. Rep. Nikema Williams, who represents Atlanta, supported the project in the House of Representatives.
"The Stitch will reclaim a massive part of our city from infrastructure that divided the Black neighborhoods of Buttermilk Bottoms, Bedford Pines, and Sweet Auburn. And with a new connection to the BeltLine, we are increasing pathways to opportunity for communities that have historically been overlooked for federal investments," Williams said in a statement. "Reconnecting our communities with a focus on equity is why I passed the legislation that funded these transformational grants. I will keep working with Central Atlanta Progress and the Atlanta Regional Commission to build these visionary projects that serve everyone."
The first phase would be construction between Peachtree and Courtland streets over the Downtown Connector.
Construction for the project is estimated to take about a decade depending on additional funding, with phase 1 beginning in 2026.