Quote:
Originally Posted by sprtsluvr8
It happens.
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Alright sprtsluvr8 you are getting tossed around here pretty bad. I know we don’t see eye to eye on everything but here is my .02 worth.
First, I don’t want the Atlanta Zoo to ever move from its Grant Park home. This city is unique among those on the east coast in that we have a history as old as the nation but structures only as old as the late 19th century. We do not have to fortune of having very many structures to look to as surviving the times. The Atlanta Zoo has a history that is more than 100 years old and that history should be preserved.
Second, it would be different if that meant that the zoo was squeezed in some tiny corner as an after-thought. But the zoo sits on 40 acres of land in a very large (by Atlanta’s standards) public park. In fact the Atlanta Zoo consumes just over 1/4 of the 144 acre Grant Park.
However, having said that I do have some critiques to offer.
1) Security is abysmal!
I don’t know if anyone knows there is in fact a mini police precinct located on the South/West tip of the park. The building looks as if it was a dilapidated home that was hastily converted into an office. You hardly ever see the police driving around the area or biking it through the park to offer a deterrent to those that might need some deterring. I understand the area is trying to pull itself up from its boot-straps but you have to give visitors a least sense of safety.
2) MARTA is a joke.
For all those public transportation freaks out there let me just say something. MARTA is filthy, MARTA is often off schedule, MARTA changes there routs so often that unless you are a frequent rider there is no way to keep up, and MARTA riders do not appear like they would come across as the friendliest group of people. Say what you want but at some point in our lives we all have cast a stereotype on someone or a group of people. I know quite a few people that are very open and friendly with everyone but see MARTA as a safety hazard. It also doesn’t help that the state legislature has made it legal to carry a concealed firearm onto MARTA.
3) Parking is a nightmare.
The Piedmont Park Conservancy and the Atlanta Botanical Gardens have shown us that nature and infrastructure can work in tandem with each other. The parking deck that they finally go approval for will be so integrated into the park that unless you are watching the cars go in and out it is unlikely you will ever know it is there. The surface parking in Grant Park takes up an enormous amount of space. Fortunately the park has a very rolling terrain that such a large deck could be sunk into. I’m not talking about a Novare monstrosity that sticks 10 levels into the sky. But a 4 or 5 level gated underground parking garage might just do the trick. Manicure the land around it and you would never even know it was there. The Atlanta Zoo, the Cyclorama, and Grant Park all get plenty of parking and since the top of the deck would be at street level then that is where you would put the school and/or tour busses.
4) Grant Park is dark and wooded
Let the sun start dip towards the horizon and watch how fast the park gets dark very quickly. There are very few well lit walking paths and while the park has some of the most beautiful GIANT OAKS you can never get near them for all the foliage that thickly covers the ground. There are some grills littered around pick-nick tables with a gazebo thrown in the mix that leaves you thinking if they even tried to give the area rhyme or reason. There is no rod-iron gate or stone wall entrance that inspires the visitor to remember that this park holds with it the souls and memories of a lengthy past. Grant Park just has this “Well here I am just sitting around occupying space in a rundown South of I-20 neighborhood” feel.
The APD, Atlanta Zoo, Cyclorama, and Grant Park Conservancy need to sit down and have a “come to Jesus” meeting. The parking deck could be sunk into the (very unused) land behind the Cyclorama. The top of the deck could be large enough to hold a mini APD precinct as well as the administration offices off the Atlanta Zoo and still have room for the school and/or tour busses on top at street level. This would allow for the Atlanta Zoo the option of expanding their exhibit space all the way to the edge of the streets of Cherokee Ave, Atlanta Ave, and Boulevard and greatly increasing the acreage that they have available to them for exhibits. The Grant Park Conservancy could work with the groups to make sure that the project naturally connects nature with infrastructure.
Finally, Grant Park must be cleaned up. The renovation work that was completed on Piedmont Park has shown us that a public park can be an inviting and open public space and even be expanded while still preserving its architectural heritage. Grant Park needs a theme and an organized design that is welcoming and inviting to everyone.
Ok I’m done… take care everyone!
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