Under Construction Now: Plazas, Parklets, Promenades and More
Check out our round-up of the public improvements happening now in Midtown ATL.
Published: 06/02/22
Maybe it’s just our dedicated staff of 40+ urban enthusiasts. But if you take a walk around Midtown Atlanta right now, how can you not feel energized by the sight of shovels going into the ground and the sound of hammers driving nails into 2x4s? Work continues on a range of public improvement projects in the spaces between buildings that will soon make Midtown an even more inviting place. A place where people can experience the best of their city in the open air, along tree-lined sidewalks that lead to colorful new discoveries. Here’s a quick update on what we’re working on today:
Tree well work on the Commercial Row Commons site at the corner of Peachtree Place and Peachtree Street.
Commercial Row Commons
Construction continues at the intersection of Peachtree Street and Peachtree Place to build the new public plaza space fronting the Commercial Row buildings. Work on the site area west of Peachtree is nearing completion, with crews recently finishing hardscaping and landscaping. Later this summer, utilities will be buried, crews will hang temporary art installations from a catenary system above the plaza, and Willie Cole’s “Sole Sitter” sculpture will be installed on a prominent corner overlooking Peachtree Street.
The parklets will be located between the new Spring Street Bike lane and the sidewalk, inside former parking spaces rendered inaccessible by the bike lane's construction.
Spring Street Parklets
Two parklets are taking shape along the west side of Spring Street between 8th Street and Peachtree Place. The parklets are expansions of sidewalk space into adjacent on-street parking spaces that were rendered inaccessible when the City of Atlanta implemented the protected bike lane last year. Midtown Green will oversee operations and maintenance of the parklets, and Midtown Alliance staff will schedule programming such as live music in the parklets that is free of charge and welcome for all to enjoy. Construction of the parklets is slated to be completed later this month. Learn more about them here.
Left: low granite walls in the West Peachtree plaza are repaired to prepare for the installation of new benches (right).
North Avenue MARTA Station Plaza Upgrades
Midtown Alliance is working with MARTA on upgrades to the West Peachtree plaza of the North Avenue Station. Crews are currently installing and painting benches and repairing the low granite walls. Next up will be building new box planters to replace the empty tree wells. Also, existing site furnishings (bollards, bike racks, handrails and lights) will be painted a “sunny tangerine” to add visual impact to the plaza. Midtown Alliance is working with MARTA on future programming ideas, such as live music and food trucks, to welcome transit riders and pedestrians back to the refurbished plaza.
Concrete is being poured between 10th and 11th Streets for the first phase of Midtown's Art Walk.
Art Walk
Construction has kicked off on Midtown’s Art Walk, a pedestrian promenade that will be equal parts enhanced streetscape and linear park. Crews are pouring concrete for the first phase of the project from 10th to 11th Street, and this phase of construction will also include new landscaping, lighting, wayfinding elements, upgraded hardscape and colorful crosswalks. Upon completion, Art Walk will stretch five blocks between the Midtown MARTA Station and the Arts Center MARTA Station. Read more about Art Walk.
Stay up to date with all of Midtown's public improvement projects here.
