Group to transform this vacant property into public green space in the heart of midtown
One of the largest undeveloped properties in midtown Atlanta won't be another skyscraper. Instead it will be an attraction.
Midtown Alliance just unveiled plans to create a signature public space in the heart of Atlanta on 14th Street.
It won't be a traditional park like Piedmont Park half a mile away. But it will have green space and much more.
'Staggering that it's never been developed. This is the largest undeveloped site in midtown,' said Kevin Green, Midtown Alliance president and CEO. 'It just sat here as midtown grew up around all it.'
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
There have been 140 new buildings in the last 20 years in just one square mile of midtown. But there has only been just over an acre of public green space.
'What would make you walk into this site and say wow,' Green said.
Green can't say yet what the sale price will be, but they'll close in May on buying this site, paid for through local businesses as part of the Midtown Improvement District. They have been looking for years to purchase a property to protect it as open space.
'And we always had our eye on this site, but it was always under contract, always something planned. Ultimately when that fell through, real estate market cooled, we saw it as an opportunity,' Green said.
TRENDING STORIES:
Georgia Tech student realizes his classmate is the doctor who delivered him
Study: GA city among top 15 most challenging cities for allergies
Social Security Administration to require in-person identity checks
The property sits between Peachtree Street and West Peachtree Street near the Arts Center, MARTA station and Colony Square. The idea is not a traditional park, but more urbanized and more amenities.
'This is going to serve a different function than Piedmont Park. This is in a dense, urban area. There's about 45,000 people in a 7-mile walk of this site,' Green said. 'We really view this as what would it take to make this one of the best free things to do in Atlanta.'
Once the sale is final, Midtown Alliance will start taking public input on what should go at the site. Then they will begin a fundraising campaign with work likely taking a couple of years to complete.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Neighbors, business owners on Cascade Road fed up with years of construction
Neighbors and business owners along a busy corridor in southwest Atlanta just want to see the end to construction and detours. For over three years, more than two miles of Cascade Road have been under construction. 'We are watching our community slowly poisoned to death,' one neighbor said. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Business owners spoke out during a standing-room-only community meeting Tuesday night. 'I don't know if I can make it though the peak season because of construction,' one owner said. Neighbors have also complained about sections of the road already completed. Channel 2 Action News showed you video last month of the narrow lanes. After the sidewalks were widened for bikers and walkers, it left little room for cars, let alone buses, garbage trucks and emergency vehicles to pass each other. Atlanta City Councilmember Marci Collier Overstreet said the goal of the project was to slow down traffic and make it safe. Officials brought out two firetrucks last week to see if they fit side-by-side. 'The demonstration showed it was too narrow…100%," Overstreet said. TRENDING STORIES: Immigration protest ends with tear gas, 6 arrests along Buford Highway Vigil held for Morehouse College student who disappeared after car crash They were once best friends, then one killed the other. We take you inside this bizarre murder case The new work to fix what was a poor design sets the project back even further. Overstreet said the city and organizations are trying to help businesses make it through. 'It is a long journey, going on way too long, and we'll all be better off once we're on the other side of this and it's buttoned up,' she said. Channel 2 Action News reached out to the Atlanta Department of Transportation, but officials did not give a hard date for the project's completion. Another council member mentioned the end of summer and Labor Day as the goal. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Township Seeks Cannabis Funds for Legal Challenge
Green Charter Township has been locked in a legal battle with Gotion, a Chinese battery manufacturer, for more than a year now. At one time, Gotion was set to build a $2.6 billion electric vehicle battery factory near the central Michigan town. Most Read on IEN Ship Carrying 3,000 Vehicles Abandoned in Pacific Ocean Raccoon Break-In Snarls Airbus Jet Production PODCAST: Ford Sues Lawyers; Shoemaker Outsmarts Tariffs; RIP Penny Oreo Maker Mondelez Sues Aldi But last year, after new leadership in Green Township changed its mind about the project, Gotion filed suit, alleging it stands to lose millions if the deal does not go through as originally agreed upon. Green leaders have countered with arguments that the township's previous leaders were never authorized to execute a development deal with Gotion. Now Green is digging in for its standoff in court with Gotion and seeking funds from a somewhat unlikely source to help pay for the challenge to a judge's decision in favor of the battery maker. According to the Detroit News, the township has submitted a request for $200,000 of Mecosta County's cannabis excise tax revenue to help cover legal bills. It's equal to about 30% of cannabis tax funding awarded to the county by the state. The problem is that Green Township doesn't allow cannabis retailers to set up shop within its confines. As the report points out, most of the dispensaries in Mecosta County are in nearby Big Rapids. It's caused some controversy over Green wanting a piece of the revenue from an industry it banned. Green Township's issues with Gotion not only stem from the deal forged with its former leadership. There are also concerns regarding the environmental impact of the factory and Gotion's ties to China. If the plant is eventually built as originally planned, it could create as many as 2,350 jobs while gobbling up $175 million in state incentives. Click here to subscribe to our daily newsletter featuring breaking manufacturing industry news.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Former library fiscal officer owes over $1.7K, state auditor says
The former Dayton Metro Library fiscal officer will have to pay back over $1,700 after she failed to submit federal tax withholdings on time. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Christina Sanders, the former fiscal officer for Dayton Metro Library, failed to submit federal tax withholdings on time, resulting in late fees and penalties, according to an Ohio Auditor of State media release. A finding for recovery of $1,751.54 was issued Tuesday against Sanders. TRENDING STORIES: Woman unable to walk, sues hospital after surgeon operated on the wrong knee 6-year-old hit, killed by car in Harrison Township Argument leads to deadly shooting in Fairborn, police say The finding against Sanders was reported in an audit of the library's finances from January 1 through December 31 in 2023, according to the release. As a result of late federal tax filings, auditors identified penalties paid by the library in two quarters in 2021. There wouldn't have been any late fees if the payroll withholdings had been paid on time, according to the release. A spokesperson for the Ohio Auditor of State said in the release that Sanders and her bonding company are jointly and severally liable for the total. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]