When Carter Johnson decided to uproot from Midtown in 2014, having Centennial Olympic Park nearby was a huge factor in his decision to move south, into Atlanta’s historic core.

Only so many places downtown, after all, have ample space for Johnson's Great Dane to frolic several times a day.

But Johnson and his growing contingent of downtown neighbors have been without that 22-acre amenity for more than six months, following a decision by the park's operator, Georgia World Congress Center, to erect gates around the perimeter in early July.

A quick recap: Sections of the park, such as the playground near Georgia Aquarium, have been closed since the COVID-19 pandemic’s earliest days. The park’s centerpiece lawns, promenades, ampitheater, and plazas, however, remained open until late May, when the Georgia National Guard and other police forces moved in and faced protestors in the wake of George Floyd’s killing by police in Minneapolis. The park's section of downtown had become ground zero for Atlanta's civil unrest. 

Days later, GWCC officials announced the private venue would close indefinitely, citing the financial impact of the coronavirus and its pummeling of the hospitality industry. GWCC maintains the park with funding culled from events, which had been postponed or cancelled. Barricades ensued.  

Later in the summer, Johnson spearheaded a Change.org petition that called for re-opening the park, allowing “5,000 permanent residents of [Atlanta’s] core” access to their “front lawn” again. It gathered a few hundred signatures but effected no change.  

Johnson has kept an eye on the park since, recently telling Urbanize Atlanta the well-policed grounds have been “immaculately maintained” as events staged by GWCC—including a Big Night Out concert series attended by thousands in October—lent hope the fences might soon come down.

But will they? The answer appears to be ... maybe. 

GWCC spokesperson Holly Richmond wrote in an email that the park will remain closed for the foreseeable future, but that “things are moving in a positive direction” and officials “hope to have news to share about reopening very soon.”

Maintaining the park, even as it’s been off-limits to the public, has cost $40,000 per month, and operating costs are all tied to what GWCC is able to host in its convention spaces, Richmond said.

Park upkeep costs upwards of $85,000 per month when it's open, she said. 

“Events beginning to return certainly helps, but we’re not back to the level of events pre-COVID,” she wrote. “All this to say that we’re aware how much people miss the park. We do too.”

The GWCC’s February calendar shows the Cheersport 2021 National Championships is coming to town, followed by a major volleyball tourney, the Capitol Hill Classic, that’s relocating from Washington D.C., where gatherings are more limited.

On the horizon are a regional dance competition, an international auto show, another volleyball tournament, and a CBD expo.  

Meanwhile, Johnson and his downtown cohorts are trying to stay optimistic, having found their interim greenspace fix nearby.

“It’s been a pain for the residents downtown, although unfortunately we’ve gotten used to the loss of greenspace—another ‘new normal,’” says Johnson. “Now, with the aquarium and World of Coke reopened, Pemberton Place has become our front lawn in Centennial’s stead.”

• Downtown (Urbanize Atlanta)