City adopts Piedmont and Chastain Park master plans after broad public engagement

The Community Development and Human Services Committee voted on Oct. 28 to adopt two 20-year master plans for major city parks: the Piedmont Park master plan (substitute ordinance 25-O-1491) and the Chastain Park master plan (substitute ordinance 25-O-1492). The committee opened public hearings for both plans, heard from Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) staff and conservancy representatives, and voted to incorporate each plan into the 2025 city comprehensive development plan (Plan—a).

DPR staff described the Piedmont Park update as a 20-year phased plan initiated by the Piedmont Park Conservancy in cooperation with DPR and developed by the consultant team Nelson Byrd Woltz with local firm Perez Planning and Design. The plan's implementation includes operational and maintenance improvements to begin by year-end, capital projects phased over two decades, and a fundraising campaign scheduled to launch in 2026 for the first capital phase. DPR told the committee the effort included robust public engagement: online surveys, interactive maps, six public input events, dozens of stakeholder and focus-group meetings and a steering committee; DPR reported more than 25,000 people were engaged and that NPUs A and B recommended approval.

Key elements cited for Piedmont include expanded park entrances, new walking paths around Clear Creek and Oak Hill, water-quality improvements near Lake Clara Miller, additional public-art opportunities and acquisition of parcels to enable an amphitheater and other programming.

On Chastain Park, DPR staff and consultants presented Discover Chastain, a 20-year plan that replaces the 2008 plan. DPR said engagement included five public meetings in the park, two online surveys (more than 1,500 responses), nine steering-committee meetings and 60 park-partner meetings. Priority themes include protecting natural areas and heritage, expanding passive green space, strengthening community connections, celebrating arts and culture, and improving connectivity. Near-term actions in the plan's first three years include renovating the Witch's Cave, establishing a trailhead and gateway, improving pedestrian access at Powers Ferry and Chastain Park Avenue, developing the Palisades area as public open space and renovating the pool and aquatic complex.

Both plans were recommended by DPR staff and park conservancies and were approved by the committee after public hearings: the Piedmont action was recorded as favorable (5'0yays, 0 nays) and the Chastain action was recorded as favorable (6'0yays, 0 nays).

Why it matters: The plans set a phased capital and operations roadmap for two of the city's largest urban parks, guiding land use, circulation, stormwater and cultural programming for the next two decades. The Piedmont plan in particular includes acquisition and capital projects timed to support large-event activation in South Downtown; Chastain identifies immediate improvements for recreation and access.

Provenance: Piedmont topic introduction at 00:56:12 (transcript block starting 3362.8901). Chastain topic introduction at 01:00:04 (transcript block starting 3319.255).