Just north of Atlanta’s newest Beltline section, a flood-solving greenspace project is transforming a formerly residential block and promising a new destination for historic southside neighborhoods. 

The City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management initiative in Peoplestown—officially called the “Custer Avenue Capacity Relief Multi-Benefit Stormwater Vault project”—started construction in earnest a year ago. 

Up to 30 feet deep in places, the project will include a 20-million-gallon vault for capturing stormwater in the historically flood-prone area—a unique functionality similar to Historic Fourth Ward Park and Vine City’s Rodney Cook Sr. Park, which both include large pond features.  

The project is requiring that 280,000 cubic yards of soil be excavated across a block once lined with single-family houses. 

View to the northeast, over the Custer Avenue Capacity Relief Multi-Benefit Stormwater Vault project. Urbanize Atlanta

A rendering provided in an April project update with tweaked designs for the 5-acre greenspace and stormwater solution. Pond; via City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management

The site—bounded by Atlanta Avenue, and Connally, Ormond, and Greenfield streets—is located about four blocks from both Georgia State University’s Center Parc Stadium and the Beltline’s Southside Trail. Grant Park’s The Beacon district is just southwest of the block in question. 

Above the stormwater vault, finalized designs call for a 5-acre greenspace. Features will include a splash pad, dog park, an elevated viewing structure, open fields, and a large playscapes section, according to renderings compiled by Pond & Company landscape architects. 

The project for years was a lightning rod for land-use controversy and neighborhood protests critical of the city’s proposed use of eminent domain to buy home properties, clear them off the block, and construct the stormwater fix. 

That ended in August 2022 when Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens’ office announced the city had reached “breakthrough agreements” with holdout Peoplestown homeowners. A series of public engagement events to help determine park design were held in 2024, prior to groundbreaking last year. 

The Peoplestown project is being funded with both water and sewer revenues, with additional funding from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act program.

The greenspace project's proximity to downtown Atlanta. Urbanize Atlanta

Pond; via City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management

According to a Department of Watershed Management update in April, construction of the vault is scheduled to begin in October. Construction of the actual park is now set to start next summer, once the vault is fully in place. 

The full project is on pace to be completed in December next year, a few months later than initially expected.  

For this latest installment of our Aerial Tours over Atlanta, find more context and project images in the gallery above. 

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• Peoplestown news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)