Buckhead visioning document includes parks, diversified housing, public art

Ideas from new Ga. Highway 400 interchange to filling Lenox Square parking lots with towers are in play

By Michael Kahn Aug 7, 2017, 11:11am EDT

A rudimentary rendering of office towers standing in front of lenox square. — Could the future of Buckhead include Lenox Square’s parking lots becoming more active?

Affordability, greenspaces, and pedestrian amenities aren’t usually the first things that come to mind when someone talks about Buckhead. But a new plan—Buckhead REdeFINED—lays out initiatives that community leaders hope will change that reality.

The lengthy new report (coming in at 171 pages) has been a long time in the works. Overall, it’s a comprehensive look at addressing livability, affordability, recreation, commerce, and transportation in Buckhead.

Overarching goals include the development of a district-wide, multi-use trail that celebrates the history and culture of the area. Denise Starling, Livable Buckhead director, joked that many Atlantans may not realize it, but there’s plenty of history to be discovered in the district.

The trail network would build on the success of PATH400, winding from the Lenox MARTA Station to the Atlanta History Center via Tower Place and Buckhead Village.

Beyond pedestrian connectivity, the report outlines corridor enhancements and the addition of street art to make Buckhead’s auto-oriented areas more pedestrian-friendly. And for motorists, a potential new interchange at Ga. Highway 400 and East Paces Ferry Road could ease congestion throughout the district.

In what could be the biggest surprise, the report delves into methods for diversified housing opportunities within an area usually associated with high rents and million-dollar estates.

Through employer partnerships, new housing types, and increased transit access, Buckhead plans to better address housing in the district for those who work in the service industries that keep the area buzzing, the report shows.

Officials hope the major initiatives highlighted in the meaty report will translate into major changes in the district within the next 15 years.

In the meantime, with a defined 100-day action plan and more than two dozen “short-term” projects identified, it looks like the Park Over GA400 concept isn’t the only big idea in Buckhead.