In September 1946, Chastain Park was dedicated to Troy Chastain. He was the Fulton County commissioner who built out the county park system, Urbanize Atlanta puts the park at 268 acres today. Eighty years on, the park's largest project in a generation is going onto land its original designer left out.
The project is called the Palisades. The Chastain Park Conservancy expects construction to begin November 1 and to take 12 to 16 months. Most of Chastain is laid out for scheduled activity: golf, tennis, horses, concerts and an event calendar that fills nearly every weekend. The Palisades is planned as the first large part of the park built around passive greenspace. That means walking, looking out from high ground and spending time in the woods without a reservation.
Land the golf course left behind
The Palisades sits near the park's south end, along the winding banks of Nancy Creek and Lake Forrest Drive. Urbanize reviewed design plans from the late 1930s. They show that H. Chandler Egan left out somewhere between 30 and 40 acres south of the creek, possibly to hold extra fill dirt while North Fulton Golf Course was being built.
The planners' own description of what happened to that land since is blunt:
"an 80-year-old dumping ground situated within a significantly unhealthy and ecologically challenged upland forest," where "countless mounds of imported fill, construction waste, and trash can be found."
Urbanize printed that language from the expansion planners. The site has stayed inside the park's boundary the whole time, but it has never been a usable part of the park. The same report says not all of Chastain's acreage is open to the public or particularly useful. The Palisades is where the Conservancy is starting to change that.
Sources describe the size two ways. The Conservancy says it will turn about 30 acres of underused natural land into public greenspace. Urbanize describes about 40 acres in total being restored and opened up around the Palisades along Lake Forrest Drive. The gap likely comes from where each source draws the line. Both describe the same stretch south of the creek.
What the public asked for in the 2025 plan
The Palisades did not begin as a donor's idea or a city mandate. According to the Conservancy's July 14 announcement, it came out of the 2025 Chastain Park Comprehensive Plan Update, which drew extensive public input and was approved by the Atlanta City Council. The Conservancy says one message came through consistently during that process. People wanted more passive greenspace: places to walk, explore, reflect and be in nature.
That request fits the rest of the park. Chastain already has a public golf course, the Agape Tennis Center, Chastain Horse Park, Farm Chastain and a large amphitheatre. Each of these runs on schedules, tee times, lessons or tickets. The plan update asked for land that runs on none of those. Conservancy president and CEO Rosa McHugh described the vision to Urbanize as "centered around creating more spaces where people naturally want to spend time outdoors together."
What gets built
Lord Aeck Sargent designed the Palisades and SG Contracting will build it. Perez Planning + Design, Kimley Horn and PROS Consulting are also listed among the planners on the wider park work. The Conservancy lists these features:
- A one-mile trail system through mature forest
- A native tree arboretum
- A natural play space built for exploring and imaginative play
- An outdoor native plant garden
- Overlooks facing the golf course and the Nancy Creek valley
- Environmental restoration of wildlife habitat along the creek corridor
- A 153-foot pedestrian bridge over Nancy Creek
- A new entrance drive and parking area serving the Conservancy offices, Farm Chastain and the trails
Urbanize adds two details. The plan includes three public greens totaling 3 acres, and project officials say they sit about 40 feet above the public golf course. Urbanize also reports that the soft nature trails will connect to the PATH Foundation trails that already circle the park.
The overlooks are what make this land different. The rest of Chastain looks out across open fairways. The Palisades is high ground above those fairways, and project officials describe the views as ones the public has never had.
A new way into the park from Lake Forrest Drive
For people who reach Chastain from the south or west, the access changes may matter more day to day than the trails. A new entrance drive and parking area on the Palisades side would make Lake Forrest Drive a real front door to Farm Chastain and the Conservancy offices. Right now it is mostly the road along the park's edge.
The City of Sandy Springs is working toward the same edge from its side. Rough Draft Atlanta reported in June that the city approved $271,700 for phase two of the Lake Forrest Drive sidewalk. That phase runs from Mount Paran Road to the boundary with Atlanta and Chastain Park. At that point, utility poles still had to be moved and right-of-way bought, a construction bid was expected within two weeks, and construction was planned for 2026. We have not found a newer status report. Nothing published so far confirms whether work has started.
There is also a longer-term idea. A project description quoted by Urbanize says the Palisades site "has been selected as the gateway that connects PATH400 to the Atlanta Beltline." That describes a planned role for the site. No timeline for building the link has been published.
Where the money stands
The Conservancy said in July that it had raised more than $12 million and had about $1 million left to reach its goal. Urbanize put the campaign goal at $13 million. The final push was The Gilded Trail on August 8. It began with a Trailblazer Dinner at The Chastain restaurant and moved on to Boots & Bubbles at the St. Regis Atlanta.
Two days later, WSB reported that the Conservancy had raised more than $12 million and still needed $1 million. WSB said construction was still expected to begin November 1. No final gala total or groundbreaking ceremony has been announced. The Conservancy has also not published notices about trail closures, parking changes or Farm Chastain access while construction is underway. November 1 is an expected start date. If work begins then, the 12 to 16 month timeline points to an opening somewhere between November 2027 and early 2028.
October before the work begins
The rest of the park is in its busiest season, and the Conservancy calendar for the rest of October shows why a quiet section stood out in the plan:
- Through October 15: The Chastain Challenge asks participants to log 100 miles between September 1 and October 15. A new app tracks activity, and group walks, runs and meetups are on the schedule.
- October 11: Second Sunday.
- October 17: The Chastain Horse Park festival.
- October 18: The Chastain Park Auto Show runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with cars, food vendors and community partners.
- October 28: A moonshine workshop at Farm Chastain.
- October 30: Glow Chastain, a free trick-or-treat event at the playground from 5 to 7 p.m., with music and activities. Costumes are encouraged.
Dine Chastain was held at Farm Chastain on October 8. Saints + Council, Cuevacia, Pendolino, Le Bon Nosh, CHOPS, Fogo de Chão and Cheese Me were listed as food participants. The amphitheatre still has Rawayana on October 23 and Steve Lacy on October 30 and 31. Those are the last 2026 dates on its current schedule. The venue has not formally announced the end of its season.
Inside the park, there is a newer place to start a walk. Rough Draft Atlanta reported that GRABACUP, a coffee shop, opened in June at the Agape Tennis Center.
The moonshine workshop on October 28 falls days before the expected November 1 start date. Farm Chastain is the part of the park the new Palisades entrance drive is meant to serve.
When a park project like this one changes how a part of the neighborhood is reached and used, homeowners nearby often want to talk through how projects of this size have played out on blocks around other parks. If you're considering a move near Chastain or are simply curious how the Palisades fits into your long-term plans, David Kaufman is glad to hear from you. Get in touch.
