The City of Atlanta is inviting residents and community partners to participate in the next Restoration Memorial & Preserve planning session on Saturday, April 18, as the community engagement process moves into the concept design phase for the former Atlanta Prison Farm site.
The Restoration Memorial & Preserve planning effort focuses on more than future design. It is rooted in listening, stewardship, and acknowledging the site’s layered history — from Indigenous land stewardship and agricultural labor to incarceration and civic change.
“The land itself holds environmental, historical, and community significance,” said Andre Dickens. “I’m counting on the community to help us figure out how we can honor all three.”
Located adjacent to Intrenchment Creek near Key Road SE, the more than 125-acre site sits within the broader South River watershed. The City’s long-term vision is to create a public green space that supports ecological restoration while offering opportunities for reflection, education, recreation, and healing.
Topics covered so far in 2026 meetings
Since February, residents have helped shape the planning process through three earlier engagement sessions focused on:
- Session 1: Research overview — how the master planning process will unfold
- Session 2: History and memorialization — how the site’s history should be recognized and interpreted
- Session 3: Programming — what features and experiences should be included in the future preserve
These conversations are helping guide the next stage of planning.
What the April 18 meeting will cover
The fourth session will focus on concept design, giving residents the opportunity to explore how the site could be laid out and how different spaces may connect across the preserve.
Participants will be able to:
- review early layout concepts
- share ideas about trails, green space, and memorial areas
- help shape how the preserve supports reflection, education, recreation, and ecological restoration
The meeting is designed as a drop-in session, allowing residents to attend at any time during the four-hour window and speak directly with the project team.
“The process won’t necessarily be easy or simple,” Mayor Dickens said. “But we are committed to getting this right.”
Join the meeting
Community Meeting Session 4: Concept Design
Saturday, April 18, 2026
10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Rosel Fann Recreation Center
Can’t attend? Take the survey by April 20
If you’re unable to attend the April 18 session, you can still participate by completing the public survey, open through April 20.
“You are not just planning how we will use the land,” Mayor Dickens said. “You are planning for all those coming after us, too.”
