City Council seeks federal funding for Downtown Atlanta's 'The Stitch' project

The Atlanta City Council has approved a plan to seek federal funding on a big project that would bring a lot more green space to Downtown.

The project, known as the Stitch, would be a three-quarter mile platform that would be placed over the Downtown Connector and be placed between Ted Turner Drive and Piedmont Avenue.

Designers say the platform would create the space for a 14-acre park in Atlanta as well as engender 14 million square feet of new development, which officials say would be focused on affordable housing and attracting residents Downtown.

The city council unanimously approved applying for a grant to help match the funding put fourth from the city and the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District. If approved, the city would have $21 million for the project's preliminary engineering.

"I am grateful to my peers on Council for their vision, as well as the state administrators and federal officials who are part of this effort," said Councilman Amir Farokhi, who introduced the bill. "Hopefully, this mass show of support will push this catalytic project to the top of the national application list. This is a generational opportunity to repair wounds of the past, add housing and park space to our center city, and prove that our ambitions can become reality."

The proposal also received letters of support from Rep. Nikema Williams, Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, and the Georgia Department of Transportation.

"It [the Stitch] will reconnect divided communities, [and] promote equitable-development and environmental justice through affordable housing and transportation," said Warnock. "[It will] catalyze economic development, facilitate people-focused mobility and community connectivity, enhance environmental resilience, and improve the health and wellbeing of Atlantans."

The bill now heads to Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens' desk for final approval. The final deadline to submit the formal application to the U.S. Department of Transportation is Oct. 13.