It’s been an eventful couple of weeks for parking decks in Summerhill.
Early Saturday morning a crane truck crashed through the top level of a parking garage at the neighborhood’s new Publix, closing the grocer indefinitely and restricting access to fresh food for some in the community. (According to the mayor’s office, several options for partially or fully opening Publix soon are under review; emergency responders reported that only the crane operator was injured and hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.)
Meanwhile, about two blocks north, another parking structure has been turning heads in the area, if reader inquiries are any indication.
The parking deck's construction as of Sept. 1 along Fulton Street. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta
Visible from nearby interstates, the new parking garage has quickly stacked up a half-dozen stories over Fulton Street, immediately west of Georgia State University’s Convocation Center. The 200,000-square-foot facility debuted last year for GSU basketball games, graduations, concerts, and other events, such as esports tourneys.
The parking deck is a facet of the arena not included in original project renderings, catching some passersby by surprise as to what it actually is.
GSU spokesperson Andrea Anne Jones confirmed to Urbanize Atlanta on Aug. 29 the new structure will be used for parking. No other details have been made available since, despite repeated inquiries.
Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta
Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta
The $85-million Convocation Center project broke ground on 6 vacant acres in late 2020 and began hosting events a year ago, with capacity for 7,300 spectators for men’s and women’s basketball games, and up to 8,000 for concerts.
Today, parking for the facility is staged in GSU’s Blue lot, located across the street to the south.
The Summerhill facility was hailed by GSU as an upgrade from its former sports arena downtown, which opened in 1972 with a max capacity of 3,500 seats.
The GSU Convocation Center's southwest corner, where the parking garage is rising, as shown in renderings.
Courtesy of Georgia State University
...
Follow us on social media:
• Summerhill news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)
