Parking deck planned for Chastain Park
Three-story deck would be located next to park gymnasium and is part of $36.3M facelift


The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/26/08

Chastain Park is in line for a makeover.

A proposed $36.3 million facelift includes replacing the tennis center, building wider sidewalks and —many concertgoers may like this— constructing a parking deck.

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The Atlanta City Council's community development/human resources committee on Tuesday unanimously approved a master plan for the city's largest park and one of the region's most popular concert venues. About 1 million users visit Chastain each year, park management officials say.

The plan will likely go before the entire City Council on Monday for a vote.

The deck —likely three levels— would be located next to the park gymnasium, about a quarter-mile south of the ampitheater. Chastain Park Conservancy leaders said the proposed deck would be covered by trees, which they say has allayed some concerns when the plan was presented to each of the city's 26 neighborhood planning units in recent months.

"Some wondered why [build a deck] and others said 'Have you been there?' " said Mark Root, the conservancy's executive director.

The neighborhood planning unit that encompasses Chastain supports the plan.

Committee members raised few questions about the deck Monday, much different than the hot debate in 2005 over a plan to build a six-story parking deck at Piedmont Park. Critics said the last thing Piedmont Park needs is more vehicles polluting the trees and plants. Supporters successfully argued to the City Council that the deck was needed for the park's expansion to 211 acres.

The parking deck for Piedmont, which has about 3 million visitors a year, is under construction.

A team of consultants hired to put together the Chastain plan found the lack of parking was the top complaint among parkgoers. The consultants' 128-page report noted some vehicles double-parked on roads, while others parked on medians and landscaped areas.

"While costly, a deck is a more land-efficient and an environmentally sustainable alternative to surface parking," the report said.

The Chastain master plan includes a new aquatic center, more drinking fountains, 12 additional acres of parkland and shuttle service to the park, possibly from the Lenox or Lindbergh Center MARTA stations.

Conservancy leaders said the major portions of the plan could take 8 to 10 years to complete. They said they are planning a fund-raising effort. The city has committed $2 million in bond money for some Chastain improvements.

The report includes other fund-raising ideas, such as impact fees, grants and selling naming rights to some Chastain facilities.

By The Numbers

268 —acres in Chastain Park

6,900 —the ampitheater's seating capacity

1,000 —parking spaces need on concert nights

300-350 —parking spaces in proposed deck

$10.9 million —proposed cost of parking deck

300,000 —annual ampitheater ticket sales


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