Trolleys and a citywide parks district would benefit Piedmont Park more than a vehicular lot ever could

Published on: 12/28/04
The vote last Tuesday by the Piedmont Park Conservancy approving a six-story parking deck in Atlanta's signature park was certainly disappointing but not unexpected.

For starters, its members had OK'd the plan during an earlier meeting that was closed to the public in violation of the state's sunshine laws. A subsequent rebuke from the state attorney general's office forced the vote into the open where it rightfully belonged, but it unfortunately did nothing to improve the board's judgment.

By trying to hide from critics the first time, the conservancy only succeeded in fueling speculation that its support for the parking deck was fated even before the votes were cast. That's too bad, because the conservancy's hopes for a 53-acre expansion of Piedmont Park are worthwhile even if its plans for funding the expansion with parking revenues are not. From the outset, conservancy staffers have been blinded by the neighboring Atlanta Botanical Garden's offer to pay the roughly $15 million in construction costs. But this is one gift horse that bears closer examination.

The conservancy, a nonprofit caretaker for the city-owned park, contends that the 800-space structure will relieve traffic congestion and ease the parking crunch in the surrounding neighborhoods. But a far more likely scenario is that the proposed deck could worsen the problem by encouraging visitors to drive instead of riding MARTA, biking or walking to the park.

Given the abundance of underutilized, privately owned parking lots in the area, it makes more sense to link them to Piedmont Park with a dedicated trolley service. That alternative would be a more effective way to minimize the impact of vehicular traffic, especially when the park is packed on sunny weekends and during special events.

So is there any way the conservancy can continue to honor its mission as a responsible steward of Piedmont Park without turning it into a parking lot with trees? A far superior, long range plan to create a citywide parks district backed by Mayor Shirley Franklin deserves a second look. Administered by a board comprised of the mayor and other city officials, the park district would serve as a conduit for charitable gifts and foundation grants for green space and would leverage those monies to pay for improvements at Piedmont Park and other facilities.

Similar districts in other municipalities have become magnets for contributions from philanthropists and others unwilling to give directly to private foundations or to city parks departments. A majority of the City Council initially rejected the idea, with some fearing it would dilute control over how money for green space is spent in their respective districts. Given the sorry state of the city's parks in general and the misguided parking deck proposal in particular, the council should reverse its objections to the parks district.