New 12-acre park coming to Southwest Atlanta

A new 12-acre park coming to southwest Atlanta will be one of the largest parks in the area, city officials announced this week.

The city is expected to close on the land purchase from The Conservation Fund, a national group that works to preserve land, later this year, according to a news release. The new park, located in the Cascade neighborhood, is considered one of the largest greenspace acquisitions in Southwest Atlanta.

The park sits in District 11, an area the city says has been historically low on greenspace. Some of the major greenery in the area includes the Cascade Springs Nature Preserve and Melvin Drive Park.

The park, which will sit at 4391 Danforth Road near subdivisions and not far from the Southwest Arts Center, fulfills a commitment from Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms ensuring every neighborhood planning unit had a park, the release said.

Bottoms said parks help provide Atlanta residents with “healthy recreation opportunities.”

Plans for the park are still underway, but Councilmember Marci Collier Overstreet said she will work with Neighborhood Planning Unit-Q, which includes the Midwest Cascade and Regency Trace neighborhoods, to develop a park that “is in the best interests of the families who live there.”

Once the deal on the Danforth Road park closes, the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation will be responsible for the upkeep of the property.