Shovels are just weeks away from meeting dirt for a greenspace initiative in Southwest Atlanta that’s been nearly 20 years in the making, Beltline officials tell Urbanize Atlanta. 

Thanks to nearly $2 million in fresh corporate and foundation-backed commitments, the Beltline expects to break ground on Enota Park’s multifaceted expansion in March. The greenspace is one of the original 13 “jewel parks” in the Beltline’s emerald necklace vision, and plans call for remaking it into a “signature Westside greenspace,” per Beltline officials. 

Atlanta Beltline Partnership recently tallied $1.85 million to help get the park project kickstarted. The donors were identified Wednesday as: a Friend of the Atlanta Beltline ($750,000); Georgia Power ($500,000); Norfolk Southern ($250,000); The Fraser-Parker Foundation ($250,000); and an anonymous contributor ($100,000).

Today, Enota Park is little more than a .3-acre playground surrounded by woods.

Envisioned as a gateway between the Westside Trail and Westview, the reimagined, expanded park will span 8 acres, or about half the size of Historic Fourth Ward Park on the Eastside Trail. 

Features will include a large pavilion covered by a solar shade structure, an activity field, splash pad, passive gardens, a new playground, recreation areas, and a basketball court. 

The park will also be constructed to showcase Proctor Creek, which emerges at the site from its below-ground starting point at Georgia World Congress Center, Beltline officials have said. 

Atlanta Beltline Inc. will manage the park's construction. Officials tell Urbanize the work is scheduled to finish in 18 months, meaning the new park would open to the public in late 2026. 

Rendering depicting a multipurpose playscape and solar shade structure at Enota Park. Atlanta Beltline Inc.; designs, Pond & Co.

As shown on a late-2023 map, the Enota Park project's location adjacent to the Westside Trail and Interstate 20 on Atlanta's southwest side. Atlanta Beltline Inc.

Rob Brawner, the partnership’s executive director, said $1.3 million in additional private funding still needs to be raised before the full vision for Enota Park can be built out. Fundraising efforts and outreach to other corporate and philanthropic groups is ongoing. 

Brawner predicted the park will become a “vital community asset” for historic Westview, students across the street at KIPP STRIVE Academy, and Beltline users young and old, according to an announcement. 

“This space will become a cornerstone of our community,” added Westview president Dustin Mitchell-Scott, “providing gathering spaces, recreational opportunities, and natural beauty that will benefit generations to come.”

It’s been a long time coming. 

Efforts to expand the park first showed promise back in 2007, when the Trust for Public Land began acquiring six different properties to add about 4 acres. The initiative gained momentum in 2017, when the U.S. Department of the Interior gifted a $600,000 grant. The following year, Beltline leaders selected Peachtree Corners-based engineers Pond & Co. to lead designs. Efforts to find a construction manager and finalize permitting began in early 2024.

A “sprayground plaza” and new structures planned at Enota Park. Atlanta Beltline Inc.; designs, Pond & Co.

Atlanta BeltLine Inc.

Beltline officials have said the park project will cost around $14 million. Public funding has been sourced from the Atlanta Beltline Tax Allocation District, the State Fiscal Recovery Fund, and the city's Moving Atlanta Forward Infrastructure Bond.

Previous philanthropic donations have come from more than a dozen foundations, per the Beltline. Those include The Home Depot Foundation, The Coca-Cola Foundation, and Truist Trusteed Foundations. 

Swing up to the gallery for more visuals depicting what’s in the works in Westview. 

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