The parking needs of the black-tie set don't justify traffic that a deck in Piedmont Park would bring
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION EDITORIAL, Published on: 05/09/05

The vote last week by an 11-member task force favoring construction of a six-story parking deck in Atlanta's Piedmont Park is disappointing, but not surprising.

Most of the panelists were recommended to Mayor Shirley Franklin by the Atlanta Botanical Garden and the Piedmont Park Conservancy — two otherwise well-meaning organizations heavily promoting the misguided parking plan despite broad neighborhood opposition. A more balanced group of panelists might have been able to craft truly innovative solutions to mounting problems facing Piedmont Park and the surrounding neighborhood.

Furthermore, the deck proposal has drawn away public attention — and possibly public support — from a worthwhile master plan to make much-needed improvements to Piedmont Park in the coming decades. The master plan and the parking deck must still be approved by the City Council before any work can begin.

After years of neglect, Piedmont Park is now a victim of its own success, largely because of efforts by the conservancy to restore its luster. No longer just "Atlanta's back yard," Piedmont Park, along with the neighboring botanical garden, have become truly regional facilities. On sunny weekends, motorists with coolers, baby strollers and family pets in tow search frantically en masse for scarce on-street parking within walking distance.

But the proposed 800-space parking deck, cut into a little-used hillside and covered with vines, would ultimately do little to alleviate that crunch. In some ways, the deck might make the situation worse by encouraging even more visitors to drive instead of taking other means of transportation, such as MARTA.

Piedmont Park and the gardens have become popular with another demographic group as well: those attending weddings, prom parties and black-tie affairs at on-site event halls for whom a spacious new parking deck would be a welcome convenience. It's no secret that such special events would also represent a potentially lucrative revenue stream for both facilities.

The parking needs of a relatively small, well-heeled group of patrons, however, still isn't sufficient justification to increase the traffic volume in a place that by its very definition should be an oasis from the four-wheeling bustle of intown life.

Oscar Harris, a prominent architect and task force member, remains unconvinced the proposal is the right choice for Piedmont Park. "Is the proposed site the best location for the parking deck?" he asked before last week's vote. Despite the decision by the task force, the answer is still a resounding "no."