In heart of Midtown, functional but temporary park to happen soon

One of Midtown’s most prominent corners is slated to become more functional and lively in coming months.

Midtown Alliance officials report this week that construction will begin sometime in the second quarter of 2022 on a multifaceted, temporary pocket at the northeast corner of Peachtree and 10th streets.

Construction bids have been submitted for the $350,000 project, which officials say will create three distinctive “outdoor rooms” from space that’s been more passive, apart from art pieces, a few cornhole boards, and a short-lived volleyball setup.

Those uses will include a fenced dog park, an activity zone for lawn games, and an area for general play, per Midtown Alliance. (At the corner, the popular, leased Autoeater sculpture was replaced last year by a rock-paper-scissors installation called “Conversation Peace.”)

Midtown Alliance leases the space—planned to be redeveloped, eventually—from controversial landholder Dewberry Corporation for $1 per year.

Construction of the temporary park was knocked off schedule by a sinkhole that began swallowing the lawn and required repairs by the city, according to Midtown Alliance.

The pocket park isn’t the only human-scale project within a couple of blocks that could help boost the neighborhood’s vibrancy.

Next door to the east, a standalone restaurant and former market building is being converted to an Asian concept called Stix with rooftop seating and a bar.

In January, construction began on the Midtown Alliance-led expansion of Art Walk from 10th Street north along Peachtree Walk. That $4.5-million project is converting the space into a more inviting promenade with new seating areas, landscapes, and murals.

A block from that work, construction is expected to wrap in April, weather permitting, on another pocket park called Commercial Row Commons where Peachtree Street meets Peachtree Place.

• Recent Midtown news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)