A Community-Driven Riverscape
How Asking the Right Questions Sparked Plans for a Nature Preserve along Willingham Drive
Land use and development is a tricky thing to get right.
When Finding the Flint, a coalition of organizations looking to preserve and daylight the Flint River and its headwaters near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, was formed more than four years ago, the aim was as much to generate new ideas from residents as it was to impose plans for the spaces near the water’s edge.
A 7.25-acre plot that will become College Park’s first nature preserve after it’s sold to the city by the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) is one of those bottom-up ideas.
“Finding the Flint was meant to be provocative, to have people think differently about marginal spaces,” said Hannah Palmer, coordinator for Finding the Flint. “We provoked reactions but we also hoped to generate new ideas. The best part about this project is it didn’t come from planners but residents themselves.”
The idea of a park in this spot, running up against Woodward Academy’s athletic complex on the corner of Willingham Drive and Plant Street, wasn’t on the radar initially. It bubbled to the surface during Finding the Flint’s first public meeting in 2017. As Palmer explained in a recent post, the new park can continue to manage stormwater while serving as a buffer between residential areas and industrial activity on Willingham Drive.
It would be College Park’s first nature preserve and provide walking trails as well as an outdoor classroom along a Willingham corridor that is largely lacking sidewalks.
“It’s much needed in this area,” Palmer said. “It’s an area that’s rapidly changing with a mashup of residential and industrial. The city has always seen the value of a park because it serves as a buffer between Woodward Academy, Egan Park in East Point, historic College Park, and the more industrial activity along the railroad tracks.”
Completing the nature preserve will still require years of work, but it’s not the only exciting sign of progress for Finding the Flint and its founding partners, which include American Rivers, The Conservation Fund and the Atlanta Regional Commission.
The coalition has a rare opportunity on May 22 for volunteers to explore and help clean up the headwaters of the river inside the fence of the airport. You can register for this event here.
These are more small steps toward the ultimate goal of developing the headwaters as a centerpiece for public spaces and connected trails.
“I’ve talked about this site and the site near the Delta Flight Museum as bookends,” Palmer said. “If we start to establish these bookends we can think about all these spots in between. It’s just going to take another generation of people treating these creeks as if they have value and not just keeping them underground.”
Getting Outdoors in the Tri-Cities
While it may be a few years before you can explore nature off Willingham Drive, there’s still plenty of (socially distant) green space in the Tri-Cities. Here are four of our favorites.
Connally Nature Park (East Point)
This 27-acre park sits along Connally Drive and Mulberry Street in East Point. Featuring a mile of hiking trails and soaring white oaks (some more than a hundred feet tall!), it’s an easy place to forget you’re still inside the perimeter. This is the best time to visit, with pink lady’s slippers typically in bloom.
John R. Lewis Memorial Park (Hapeville)
Located at 488 King Arnold Street in Hapeville, the recently renamed John Lewis Memorial Park encompasses a range of outdoor spaces including playgrounds, ball fields, a dog park and, as of last summer, a skate park. The rolling green spaces make for a great place for a walk or a run, with plenty of shade.
Sumner Park (East Point)
The Tri-Cities newest dog park opened here at 1889 Lexington Avenue last September. The sprawling park connects to the new East Point PATH and includes tennis courts. The playground is currently closed due to pandemic restrictions. The legendary East Point Velodrome is also here.
Badgett Stadium (College Park)
If you’re a walker or runner, this is a great track open to the public. Tucked behind the Frank McClarin Success Academy at 3605 E Main Street, the track is adjacent to an Atlanta Hawks basketball court and playgrounds. There’s easy parking on College Street.
Kupcakerie Celebrates 5 Years
One of the great local business success stories in the Tri-Cities belongs to Kupcakerie in East Point. Your favorite cupcake shop hit a huge milestone this week, passing the five-year mark since it opened on Main St. nearly two years after co-owners Henry and Kascha Adeleye began selling cupcakes online.
Making it to five years is a big deal, with only half of new businesses typically getting to their fifth birthday. Kupcakerie is celebrating on Saturday with a $5 half-dozen cupcake special from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Show a screenshot of their Instagram post here for the discount.
Last-Minute Mother’s Day Gifts
Still looking for something for mom this weekend? Be sure to stop by Beer Girl Growlers and Bottleshop, which has a special popup in collaboration with Sorrel and the Sea on Saturday from 1 to 6 p.m. in the Hapeville Arts Alley shipping container. Pick up a last-minute flower arrangement, bath salts and chocolates from this Black Caribbean mother-daughter team. You can also pre-order a package that includes wine, bath salts and chocolate from Beer Girl today.