When you think of green spaces in Atlanta, two spots definitely top the list: the Atlanta Botanical Garden & the Atlanta Beltline. And for lovers of these two separate natural wonders, we’ve got some great news. The Atlanta Botanical Garden has launched their plan to connect the two–keep scrolling to get all the details!
Hold up. What’s happening?
This September, the Atlanta Botanical Garden plans to break ground on a nearly 8-acre expansion that will make it contiguous with the Atlanta Beltline. This will also open a second Garden entrance on the Beltline.
Atlanta Botanical Garden President & CEO Mary Pat Matheson said in a statement,
The start of construction marks a defining moment in the Garden’s history. Our expansion and new Beltline entrance will create an entirely new way for visitors to experience the Garden while expanding our capacity to educate, inspire and connect people with the natural world. After more than a decade of perseverance through economic headwinds and unforeseen circumstances, it’s incredibly rewarding to see this bold vision becoming a reality.
The project will enlarge the Garden by nearly 30%, in a stunning expansion. But that’s not all! It’s more than just quantity… the Garden is focused on quality too.
Here are some of the expansion highlights you can get excited for!
- European garden-inspired water terraces
- display gardens
- gushing fountains
- a new streetscape along Piedmont Avenue
- 800+ new trees, (including two dozen along the new Piedmont greenspace alone)
The Garden estimates that the tree plantings will result in a net gain of nearly 400,000 square feet of new canopy.
So, when will it be completed?
This project has been on the Garden’s to-do list for quite a while, and now they’re finally getting started.
The Garden has raised $149 million through a capital campaign for funding the expansion project, which will make the Garden the first major cultural attraction directly accessible from the Beltline.
Right now, the plan is for the Beltline expansion to be completed by 2029.