A people-friendly overhaul is in the works for a downtown street with access to three MARTA stations, a variety of housing options, and numerous entertainment destinations, according to community development officials.

But first, Central Atlanta Progress and other project leaders want your 2 cents.

CAP and its Atlanta Downtown Improvement District are partnering with the City of Atlanta to redesign Forsyth Street, between Memorial Drive and Peachtree Street, to coincide with planned resurfacing.

Forsyth Street in the heart of downtown, as seen in December. Google Maps

By our calculations, the area in question covers about 1.1 miles, through the center of some of downtown’s oldest blocks.        

According to CAP and ADID heads, the redesign project will aim to improve Forsyth Street’s pavement conditions and, more importantly, transform it into “a safer, more multimodal street for all users.” The design efforts are considered a follow-up to the Multimodal Operations Study completed by CAP and ADID in 2020.

The section of Forsyth Street in question travels about a mile between the two red stars, from Memorial Drive (at bottom) to Peachtree Street. Google Maps

Starting from the south, the street in question passes several downtown landmarks, transit hubs, and other points of interest.

Those include venerable Magic City; MARTA’s Garnett station; Newport’s 222 Mitchell building and the eastern side of Hotel Row (both under redevelopment); Friedman’s Shoes; the Martin L. King, Jr. Federal Building; the historic but dilapidated Atlanta Constitution Building; MARTA’s Five Points station; the Forty-One Marietta office building; the Healey Building condos; the Rialto Center for the Arts; the revised Central Atlanta Library, and entrances to MARTA’s Peachtree Center station.

To begin the process of community engagement, a virtual meeting on the Forsyth Street redesign is planned for an hour on Zoom, starting at 6 p.m. Wednesday. Anyone interested can register here.

Brutalist landmark Central Atlanta Library's revised frontage along Forsyth Street. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Officials say community engagement will continue throughout the spring, with Forsyth Street’s design work scheduled to be completed by late summer.

Whatever comes of the community feedback and Forsyth redesign, let’s hope it’s more permanent than the people-friendly makeover of Peachtree Street (2021-2022).

• Recent downtown news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)