Envisioned as a catalyst for development and a new center for the community, the Avondale Estates Town Green is the product of a collaborative effort between the City of Avondale Estates and a developer-led team to create a new town green. Although the site is a publicly owned property by the city, the park is a public/private development which provided a framework for efficient, cost-effective project management, constrained by both a tight budget and schedule.
On a site once devoid of opportunities for communal interaction, the Avondale Estates Town Green seeks to provide a gathering space for residents and visitors alike, acting as a bridge between its historic downtown and the exciting growth and revitalization that the city has begun to experience in recent years.

The 3-acre site is in a prominent position adjacent to the historic Tudor Village and along a major thoroughfare for both pedestrian and vehicular traffic. Once the site of a vacant building, surface parking lots, and an unsightly above-ground AT&T equipment hub, the park and an additional acre devoted to mixed-use development are ultimately the result of decades of planning that began with a vision for the community dating back to the early 2000s.

Historic Underpinnings
Founded in the early 1900s as one of the first planned communities in the United States, Avondale Estates was inspired by the Tudor architecture found at the birthplace of William Shakespeare. Nevertheless, the Avondale Estates' downtown had languished for decades.

Developed around a village center with small neighborhood parks and a lake, the city's design failed to provide a central gathering space. Responding to the previously fragmented and underdeveloped central business district, as well as abandoned and disused spaces within and near the downtown area, the Town Green fosters a greater sense of community by creating an area for people to draw together.

To that end, the park is the product of the city conducting a public engagement process to determine a vision for how the land would be utilized.

Public Engagement Process
Starting with a "Call for Ideas" from the community, meetings with public input helped to determine a preferred concept. SITE Solutions, the designated Landscape Architect, guided the community through an extensive process gaining feedback on desired uses, amenities, and design elements to consider within the park.

The community was clear in the principles that drove design recommendations, including being inclusive and welcoming; being a year-round draw that would bring people to live, shop, and dine downtown; maintaining flexibility to support several uses and high-volume events; and being good stewards of economic and
natural resources.

 
As a result, the design of the Town Green focuses on the creation of adaptable open spaces for a variety of planned events ranging in scale. The park engages multiple generations of the community by providing walking paths, a dog park, a performance/event stage, a pavilion for farmers' markets and other events, dedicated places for artists, and gardens that highlight the use of native plants.
Importantly, the design acknowledges the historical context of the city while also incorporating whimsical elements.

Program/Design
While it does not seek to replicate other existing spaces within Avondale Estates, the development of the Town Green acknowledges and compliments the city's origins as a garden suburb of Atlanta. In response to the site's challenges, the performance pavilion utilizes the existing location of AT&T equipment to serve, in part, as a screen for items that would have been cost-prohibitive to bury or relocate.

The event lawn was located in the northeast corner of the site to solve grading challenges while providing a large, flat green area for flexible event space.
Additional program locations and support amenities, i.e. the flexible performance lawn and play garden, are aligned to improve synergies with neighboring retail. A road that once divided the property has been reimagined as a pedestrian-only path that can accommodate food trucks and other vendors during events held on-site.

Overall, the park's curvilinear form is designed to create "rooms" that, together, create a cohesive whole. Locally crafted birdhouses that mimic the city's Tudor revival style of architecture dot the site, allowing for moments of discovery.

Environmental Issues
Productive, multi-use systems, and environmental features (i.e. stormwater and green infrastructure, native plant materials, and pollinator and habitat gardens) have been incorporated to achieve the community's expressed desire to be good stewards of natural resources.

The Town Green incorporates large, below-grade stormwater detention vaults to capture water onsite, as well as runoff from the adjacent historic downtown which previously lacked the ability for
stormwater detention.

The planting palette utilizes native and adapted plantings that are suited to the site and create a welcome respite for pollinators. With more than 75% native species utilized, the plantings within the park provide habitat, food, and nesting resources, as well.

Volunteer Stewards
Addressing the concerns of residents from the outset of the project, the design is also budget-conscious. A group of dedicated community members, all with professionally related design/construction backgrounds, served on the Avondale Estates Greenspace Committee and provided feedback to SITE Solutions to ensure concepts were aligning with what makes Avondale Estates distinctive.

The community members also offered valuable guidance on budgets and maintenance costs, and at times, eliminated some inspired ideas to remain within the targeted budget range.

Market Impact
The Avondale Estates Town Green fulfills societal and market needs, promoting a healthy lifestyle that is increasingly sought after across the U.S. and beyond. The city's investment has stimulated private development and transformed the park into a hub for community events. Its accessibility and welcoming atmosphere encourage a healthier lifestyle. The park is within walking and biking distance of adjacent neighborhoods, reducing the need for vehicular travel.

The inspired design and the excellent features of the Town Green have made it a source of pride for the citizens of Avondale Estates. The park won recent awards from the ULI and the Atlanta Regional Commission.

Assistant city manager Shannon Powell states, "We are very proud of the intentional design and programming decisions that provide options for people of all backgrounds, ages, and abilities - from the path system and benches to an inclusive playground that supports children with sensory development challenges."

"The park was conceived to serve as an amenity to residents and businesses and to act as a catalyst for economic development in our Downtown Master Plan," adds Mayor Johnathon Elmor. "I am proud and pleased to have turned that plan into a first-class amenity that will continue to shape Avondale Estate well into
the future."

Team List
Landscape Architect: Site Solutions Landscape Architecture
(Scott Jones)
Architects: SSOE (Formerly Stevens & Wilkinson)
Developers: Fabric Developers, LLC
Contractors: Reeves + Young