How Atlanta’s Beltline is shaping housing access and community investment
Writer: Eleana Teran
April 2025 — Atlanta is taking another step toward expanding equitable greenspace access with the launch of a new 8-acre park along the Beltline’s Westside Trail, reinforcing the city’s ongoing investment in community-centered development.
The construction on Enota Park is set to begin on Earth Day, April 22, in the Westview neighborhood. The project represents one of the largest green space investments along the corridor. The $22 million development is expected to take 18 months to complete, with an opening planned for summer 2026. Once finished, the park will feature a splash pad, half-court basketball area, boardwalk, play spaces, seating, restrooms, open lawns, and a performance pavilion.
The park’s funding is a blend of public and philanthropic contributions. Recently, the Atlanta Beltline Partnership secured $1.85 million in new funding commitments from a coalition of corporate and foundation partners.
Among the latest donors are Friends of the Atlanta Beltline with a $750,000 donation, Georgia Power contributing $500,000, Norfolk Southern and The Fraser-Parker Foundation each donating $250,000, and an anonymous supporter giving $100,000.
These recent contributions build on a strong foundation of earlier philanthropic support from over a dozen organizations, including The Coca-Cola Foundation, Truist Trusteed Foundations, the Home Depot Foundation, among others. On the public side, significant financial backing has been provided through the Atlanta Beltline Tax Allocation District, the State Fiscal Recovery Fund, and the city’s Moving Atlanta Forward infrastructure bond and sales tax initiative. Additional resources have also been directed from Georgia’s Improving Neighborhood Outcomes grant program.
While this project brings new amenities to the neighborhood, Atlanta Beltline is also working to ensure that long-time residents can remain in their homes and benefit from neighborhood enhancements. A cornerstone of this effort is the Legacy Resident Retention Program (LRRP), Atlanta’s largest anti-displacement initiative.
Launched in 2020, the LRRP helps stabilize homeownership by covering property tax increases for eligible low-income homeowners. To date, the program supports 250 households across the Westside and Southside Beltline neighborhoods — empowering families to stay rooted in their communities and build generational wealth in the face of rising real estate values. Since enrolling, participants have seen their home value rise by a combined $10.8 million, with the average homeowner gaining nearly $50,000 in equity.
“The main challenge right now is affordability,” said Corey Deal, executive officer of the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association, in an interview with Invest:. He noted that more than a quarter (28%) of a home’s price comes from fees and regulatory expenses while highlighting “with a constrained housing supply and obstacles to turning land into homes, prices continue to rise.”
The LRRP is just one part of the Beltline’s broader push for equitable development. In 2024 alone, Atlanta Beltline helped deliver 569 affordable housing units, nearly double its annual target, and it’s now 74% of the way toward its 2030 goal of creating or preserving 5,6000 affordable units within the Beltline Tax Allocation District. These housing milestones support the citywide goal of 20,000 affordable units by 2030 championed by Mayor Andre Dickens.
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