Chastain Park could gain a new place to watch the sunset

Catch up quick: The land for the proposed Palisades project sits inside Chastain's golf course but was never incorporated into its design because the land is separated by Nancy Creek and rises roughly 40 feet above the fairways.

• Cut off from the public, the area became an informal dumping ground and overrun with kudzu. When the private course operator's lease ended in 2016, the city and conservancy saw an opportunity to bring the land to life.

Zoom in: Plans include a mile of shaded trails, a pedestrian bridge over Nancy Creek, native forest restoration, a pollinator meadow, natural play area and an oval lawn overlooking the waterway and the golf course with western-facing views designed for watching the sunset.

Zoom out: The project is one of the centerpieces of Discover Chastain, a 20-year vision to add more flexible public spaces to a park dominated by golf, tennis, youth sports, swimming and concerts.

Between the lines: Chastain Park has plenty of things for people to do. It doesn't have many spots for them to simply be.

• A pandemic-era experiment allowing people to use the golf courses for open space revealed an unmet demand for passive places, conservancy executive director Rosa McHugh told Axios.
• The Palisades, McHugh said, would provide flat green spaces for people to "throw a blanket, read a book, do yoga, do tai chi, bring your family and enjoy green space in a more passive manner."

What's next: The conservancy hopes an Aug. 8 Gilded Trail Gala closes much of the remaining gap.

• If fundraising comes together, construction could begin before year's end and wrap in about a year.