Overview
The city of Atlanta, LivableBuckhead, BATMA, Councilman Shook and many others are working hard to increase green space in Buckhead. One of the concepts in the planning stages is a bike and walking trail that travels along the GA400 corridor. Essentially, it would start near the toll booth and run south, eventually connecting to the Belt Line. Part of this trail is proposed to go through Peachtree Park (Highland Drive and the connector between Highland/Martina and E. Paces Ferry).
Process to Date
BATMA, which is run by Denise Starling, has been engaged in the early design stages of this trail for some time. While they have certainly made the PPCA board aware of this project, we have not been deeply engaged in active dialog until the beginning of February. At this first official meeting that we had, Denise and her team shared the vision for the bike trail and listened to our concerns.
Since then, this topic was discussed at the most recent PPCA board meeting and we decided to form a sub-committee to work with BATMA to ensure all neighborhood concerns are known and addressed as well as possible.
What We Know at This Stage
This project has a great deal of sponsorship across the city and is very likely to happen. During past surveys of citizens, trails and connectivity have constantly been referenced as desired enhancements to the Buckhead area. Over half of the necessary funding has already been raised and there are plans to enter a detailed design stage in the coming months.
The current proposed trail goes through Peachtree Park. It enters near the Lenox bridge, travels across the current sidewalk to the bottom of Martina/Highland and then goes up Highland to Peachtree. While this trail location is not finalized and the board has not endorsed this decision, there doesn’t appear to be other good options.
A great way to be informed about this project is to go online to http://livablebuckhead.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Buckhead_Trails_Overview.pdf and review the presentation they have developed to inform citizens. At this stage in the process, the team is in conceptual design. This means they are trying to finalize the exact locations where the trail will travel and work with neighbors on any concerning issues.
Concerns Raised by Board and Neighbors
There are 3 primary issues that have been raised so far regarding this proposed trail. They are parking, security and speed/safety. BATMA has heard all of these concerns and is very open to working with us to address them. Future meetings with neighbors and further communication with BATMA will work to address specific solutions to each of these concerns.
Next Steps
We are planning a meeting to allow all Highland and lower Martina residents to come and hear the proposals and voice any concerns they may have. We will then nominate a sub-committee that will work with BATMA to get the best possible results for Peachtree Park. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Ed Holmes at ed.holmes@peoplenet.com.
