GA400 Trail
Mission
Identified as the spine of Buckhead’s future parks system in the Buckhead Collection, the GA400 trail offers the community the opportunity to leverage lands in public ownership to develop a community amenity that will provide local recreational and social opportunities including walkable and bikable connections to local schools and the commercial business district as well as to the Atlanta Beltline. The GA400 trail project will reinvent the GA400 corridor by reconnecting a community previously divided in half with the highway once given the moniker “the scar that will never heal.”
Working toward the mission laid out by Atlanta City Councilman Howard Shook and undertaken by a partnership comprised of Livable Buckhead, the Buckhead Community Improvement District and the PATH Foundation, the GA400 trail brings together some of Buckhead’s most notable community leaders with the southeast’s most notable and experienced trail builders with a single unified vision.
Initiatives
Buckhead Collection – The Buckhead Collection, funded by the Buckhead Community Improvement District and the Buckhead Coalition in 2010 identified the GA400 Trail as the spine of a collection of parks ranging from civic spaces, to conservation areas to neighborhood parks.
Feasibility Study – In the development of the Buckhead Collection, the GA400 trail was identified as an opportunity to provide a prominent feature of the Collection, the linkage that will tie the smaller parks together to create a coherent network. Due to its prominence in the plan, the project management team wanted to ensure that the project was indeed feasible. The findings of the Feasibility Study are available here. It is important to note that this study is not the actual design – it is conceptual and intended for initial planning only.
Design - Once The Buckhead Collection and GA400 Trail Feasibility Study were completed, efforts began to secure GDOT and City support for the project. Having secured concept approval in March 2012, the team entered into the actual design phase which is anticipated to be completed in March 2013. The design phase begins with public input to ensure the project is shaped by the needs, desires and concerns of the community.
During the summer, Livable Buckhead, working with AECOM, met with stakeholders, including residents, civic associations, commercial property owners and community leaders to gain feedback for the design of the GA400 trail. That feedback, along with experts’ advice, has led to the completion of approximately 30% of the design work for the trail project. Livable Buckhead’s executive director, Denise Starling along with AECOM design and planning consultant Carlos Perez, are now re-engaging stakeholders with the new designs. You can view the presentation here, and can request a live presentation by clicking here.
Construction – Construction for the trail is anticipated to begin in 2014. Our Partner, the PATH Foundation, will be leading the construction effort.
Public Engagement – Public Engagement is a key part of the trail throughout all stages of its development from the identification of the project, to the input informing the design, to communications regarding construction to ongoing maintenance needs. Through direct one-on-one conversations, media relations, presentations to neighborhood associations, social media and website techniques, Livable Buckhead will be providing information and receiving input. To schedule a meeting or send us a comment please click here. To sign up to receive our monthly newsletter, please enroll in our publications using the link to the right.
Resources
Project Schedule – Coming Soon
Project Factsheets – In an effort to address specific questions and concerns as well as provide ongoing status updates related to the GA400 trail, Livable Buckhead will be issuing periodic project factsheets. Each sheet will be posted here and we encourage you to share them with your friends and neighbors.
North Buckhead Civic Association GA400 Trail Survey, March 2012 – (Download)
Project Media
- Media Releases
- Articles
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Trail Studies
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Trail Organizations
