Parkgoers are nearing their last chances to give input on Piedmont Park’s first new master plan in 25 years before its official reveal in April at the 2025 Landmark Luncheon.
On Feb. 8 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. the Piedmont Park Conservancy will hold an in-person “community input session” where the public can hear about the existing park concepts. There will be a second in-person input session on Feb. 16 and two drop-in webinar sessions on Feb. 22 and Feb. 26.
For people who can’t make the sessions, there will be a virtual interactive platform open through March 8 called the community input hub.
It’s the culmination of a months-long information-gathering process as designers zero in on what the future of Piedmont Park should look like. The park’s last master plan was launched in 1995. For 25 years, it guided all developments and changes to the park. Now that plan has been largely implemented, and a team must lay out the next several decades of planning for the park’s future.
Designers kicked off community input in the summer of 2024. From there, Piedmont Park Conservancy President and CEO Doug Widener said it’s been an “iterative process.”
The plan started with the idea of making the park better and more beautiful. Taking in feedback through several rounds of input sessions helped designers narrow in on “key areas” like Lake Clara Meer improvements, active oval enhancements, park maintenance and connectivity.
“This is sort of the last round of ‘what do you think’ before we take those last ideas, insert them into a final plan and start running through approvals with our board of directors and the city of Atlanta to prepare for us launching it,” Widener said.
This is a concept plan — once planners start implementing the outline, there’s another layer of design that needs to be done. But this month’s opportunities are the last chance to give input on a conceptual level.
Widener said the plan will eventually cover every aspect of Piedmont Park, from maintenance issues to overhauls. He called it “basic stuff, some wow stuff and everything in between.”
“I’m just excited, because I can see clearly the comprehensive nature of this plan,” Widener said. “It really is comprehensive; it really looks at all the pieces of the park.”
The park director said he’s excited to get started on implementing the master plan. Once they get city approvals in 2025, the conservancy will spend the next several decades enacting every detail.
“I’m also excited to get started on, you know, implementing what will be a multi-phased, probably multi-decade plan to make all of it real,” Widener said.
Piedmont Park must become a wonderful park because it is the work of all people here. From authorities to citizen. Wait to see it in real time.
Piedmont Park is on its way to becoming a truly remarkable place thanks to the collective efforts of everyone here — from local officials to the community. Excited to see its transformation unfold in real time!