ATLANTA — Thanksgiving week at Bark ATL means man's best friend gets to spend time with a few other friends. Alden Taylor has worked at the doggie daycare business for over a year, but he's used to the hustle and bustle of Atlanta.
"We've got about 70 dogs this week," Taylor said. "We've got to keep letting people know they can't come if they call or want boarding. We can't have them just because we're at capacity."
While Bark ATL is all booked up, Taylor said the area around it has plenty of room to grow. Developers will start construction on phase one of the Stitch in 2026. The project will bridge the divide between Downtown and Midtown Atlanta and include a park, pavilions, playgrounds and affordable housing. Phase one will consist of installing a new bridge over the 75/85 Connector and placing a park on top of it.
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Stitch development manager Jack Cebe said phase one will cover five acres from Courtland Street to Peachtree Street. It will cost around $202 million, of which $50 million will go toward road improvements.
"There's a huge opportunity to really reconnect the core of our city," Cebe said. “We'll have amenities really centered toward making those streets more safe and comfortable and friendly for walking and for the residents we hope will move to the area after we implement more of these community-focused projects."
Cebe said the project should help reduce traffic, as GDOT will likely work during off-peak hours in the middle of an otherwise busy stretch of Atlanta. As for the unhoused in the area, Cebe said churches and other nonprofits are working to provide meals, temporary housing and workforce training during construction.
Last week, Atlanta City Council passed legislation allowing the city to enter a grant agreement with the U.S. Department of Transportation. Atlanta City Council earmarked around $160 million in federal funds to go toward the Stitch. City Councilman Byron Amos of District 3 said the Stitch will connect historically underfunded and segregated neighborhoods to other parts of the city.
“As soon as we can start building and getting people to believe it can actually be done, I think it’ll be a great milestone,” Amos said. "Everyone knows all the negative connotations that came along with the development of the interstate project. Now, we have an opportunity to erase that, to do right by these communities that the interstate was built down."
Safety matters most to Alden Taylor. He said as long as he saw real change, he could live with a few dog days of inconvenience.
"There'd be more people, kids, families," Taylor said. "The city would have no choice but to clean up a little bit. It’s a good idea in theory. I just hope it’s executed in a humane way.”