If you took a quick poll of Atlanta residents, how many could honestly say they’ve heard of Bellwood Quarry? It won’t be long until it will be hard to find anyone who hasn’t heard of it.
Why? Bellwood Quarry is about to be the featured attraction in Atlanta’s newest – and largest – park, Westside Park. At nearly 100 acres larger than the next largest park, Piedmont, Westside Park will be the crown jewel of the Atlanta Beltline.
Westside Park – What is It?
With a tentative opening date of late summer 2021, Westside Park will look nothing like it did 10, or even 2, years ago. The grounds of this 280-acre behemoth of greenspace were formerly industrial – a quarry, in fact.
The quarry manufactured gravel and limestone for local construction projects. When business slowed, the owner of the property wiggled free from their lease with the city and the real start of the park began.
The quarry itself is a massive hole in the ground surrounded by dense forest. It sits in the heart of Atlanta’s Westside between Bankhead, Grove Park, and Johnson Rd. The Quarry and the surrounding lands which will form the park will link up to the BeltLine via the Westside BeltLine Connector Trail, Proctor Creek Greenway, and Bankhead MARTA Station.
Many residents have probably seen the quarry before and haven’t realized it. The location has been used to film scenes from numerous shows and movies – everything from Hunger Games to Stranger Things.
Uninterrupted views of the Atlanta skyline and breathtaking reservoir framed by towering limestone walls ensure that the new version of the quarry will continue to be a destination for the film industry.
Another brilliant aspect of the park is that it is part of the city’s watershed management plan. City engineers determined that the quarry could serve as an emergency drinking water supply for the city, holding up to 2.4 billion gallons in what would be a 45-acre reservoir.
But how? A 5-mile long tunnel was needed to connect the quarry to the Chattahoochee River and a nearby water treatment facility. With the city all-in on the project, they went ahead and purchased a custom-made drilling rig and even challenged city residents to name it. Driller Mike eventually took the crown, a tribute to the local activist/rapper/entrepreneur Killer Mike.
What’s Next for Westside Park?
The recent buzz surrounding the park has been all about Microsoft. Recently, the company announced the acquisition of 90 acres of land directly adjacent to the future park. Originally slated to be a planned mixed-use development, Microsoft swooped in and scooped up the land.
The Westside is primed for significant development with the Microsoft announcement. When the park opens later in 2021, there’s no doubt the area will continue to see further development for the foreseeable future.
Here are some homes currently on the market close to Westside Park:
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