Retooled vision unveiled for highway-capping Stitch project downtown

Despite a crushing financial setback last summer, downtown Atlanta leaders say a highway-capping greenspace project that will create a new neighborhood and spark an economic resurgence is alive, well, and moving toward construction-readiness in a matter of months. 

Central Atlanta Progress, a nonprofit community development organization, today unveiled fresh renderings for the retooled initial phase of The Stitch project. They illustrate how space over downtown’s multi-lane Connector freeway might spring to life with features that now call for a performance and shade pavilion, interactive water fountain (with “fog forest” capabilities), and gardens, along with pathways, other social spaces, and a large contemporary playground. 

The Phase 1 section would be bounded by Peachtree Street (to the west), Courtland Street (east), and Ralph McGill Boulevard (south). St. Luke's Episcopal Church's campus would rim the site to the north, according to CAP’s new visuals, as seen in the gallery above. 

Previously, Stitch Phase 1 plans had been focused on the same general area but were larger, totaling 5.7 acres of 14 acres envisioned above the freeway overall. 

According to CAP officials, the Stitch is moving toward becoming permitted and shovel-ready by mid-2026, with $50 million secured to move the design phase forward and help create The Stitch Special Assessment District. That measure, approved by the Atlanta City Council in April, is intended to primarily help cover the Stitch’s operations, administration, maintenance, and programs costs, as funded by property-owning taxpayers within the district. Similar tax districts have helped fund construction of the Atlanta Beltline and Truist Park/The Battery Atlanta.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump in July, rescinded $151.4 million in federal grant funds that had been awarded to the Stitch project in early 2024. That funding constituted roughly 3/4th of the estimated cost to design and build the Stitch’s first phase.

In the wake of that setback, Stitch leadership including project director Jack Cebe vowed that the phase-one project would move forward regardless. Working in the Stitch’s favor, as Cebe relayed in August, is a reaffirmed commitment to see it through from the Georgia Department of Transportation and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens’ office, though full completion could take well over a decade.  

As outlined in CAP’s State of Downtown report published today, the Stitch’s ultimate goal calls for creating a new neighborhood from scratch between downtown and Midtown. According to CAP’s tabulations, the Stitch is predicted to generate $9 billion in economic value and 4,500 jobs, all connected to transit and nearby employment centers. 

Interesting note: To help Atlantans visualize The Stitch in an IRL context, CAP officials say “immersive augmented reality visuals” via a mural and QR code are now publicly available on the Medical Arts building (384 Peachtree St. NE) near the future park site 

A.J. Robinson, longtime president of CAP and the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District, said in a statement today a downtown “that’s more vibrant and connected than ever” is taking shape. Below are a few wonk-friendly highlights of CAP’s State of Downtown report that could help qualify that: 

CAP’s 2025 downtown breakdown: 

• Residential population: 34,041 (up 44 percent since 2010);
• Daytime population: 166,481;
• Resident spending: $139+ million annually;
• Office space: 18.3 million square feet (71 percent occupancy, at $29 per square foot, per CAP);
• Retail space: 2.6 million square feet, 91 percent occupancy, at $29 per square foot. (Nearly 273,000 square feet of retail space remains available today, per CAP’s calculations);
• Housing units: 17,753 (CAP projects that to increase by 28 percent within the next five years);
• Employment: 200,000+ total jobs across 4,268 businesses, including more than 200 small businesses;
• Development projects recently completed, under construction, or planned for the next five years total: $5.2 billion in new investment, including $1.7 billion completed as of 2024; $1.5 billion under construction; and another $2 billion planned, per CAP.
• Lastly, the breakdown of the $5.2 billion investments in downtown, according to CAP:
  • 7,100 residential units
  • 2,240 hotel rooms
  • 1.7 million square feet of commercial space
  • 2.3 million square feet of institutional space
  • 840 student housing beds

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