Wow! We had approximately 300 volunteers come out for our Earth Day Clean-Up on Saturday, April 21 to help prepare for the first urban farm on the Atlanta BeltLine! This huge, collaborative effort is actively transforming nearly 4 acres of former industrial property into new public space and an urban farm along the southwest section of the Atlanta BeltLine in the Adair Park and Capitol View neighborhoods.
Earth Day partners and volunteers worked all morning to remove invasive plants, litter, and building debris from the site to clear the way for the eventual planting of native plant species, brambles, berry bushes, and fruit trees.
This site, which was acquired by the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership, Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. and the City of Atlanta, is a formerly contaminated industrial site plagued by erosion and depleted soil. To date, the buildings on the site have been demolished, underground storage tanks and two acres of concrete and asphalt, tons of rubbish and invasive species have been removed, and the soil was tested and remediated with the help of a grant from the US. Environmental Protection Agency. Over the coming years the site will be transformed into a model urban farm using organic land care methods.
In the 37-second video below, you can see how this overgrown path turned into an open space in the course of three hours. Photos were taken from both sides of the same path.
A Special Thank You to our Planning Partners:
Thanks to planning and support from the following organizations, we’re significantly closer to planting the the Atlanta BeltLine urban farm:
- Atlanta BeltLine, Inc.
- Atlanta BeltLine Partnership
- Atlanta Community ToolBank
- Hands on Atlanta
- Keep Atlanta Beautiful
- Park Pride
- Trees Atlanta
- Historic Adair Park
- Republic Services
- Boutte Tree Service
- Astra Group
- Reeves Contracting
The Atlanta Audubon Society provided breakfast. City Councilmembers Joyce Sheperd, District 12, and Cleta Winslow, District 4, both attended in person and provided lunch.
Our Urban Farm Partners
These professionals have offered their continued collaboration as we build this farm together:
- Atlanta BeltLine Partnership
- Environmental Protection Agency
- DPRCA
- UGA College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences
- Trees Atlanta
- Southeastern Horticultural Society
- Atlanta Audubon Society
- Georgia Power
- Adair Park Today (neighborhood association)
- Capitol View Neighborhood Association
