May 21, 2024 - Update, The Stone Mountain greenspace still needs your help!

The city has purchased the land, however there are still attempts to develop on the greenspace. Private real-estate development of this precious greenspace is not in the spirit of environmental nor social responsibility. We are updating our petition to request additional, legal protection for the land. We are asking the council to put a land trust in place that protects the space from private development indefinitely. We believe it is imperative for the land to remain public and maintained by the City of Stone Mountain. Our other parks, VFW and McCurdy were donated to the city under the promise that these areas would remain parks. The city should do no less, but to promise to protect this space as designated for public gathering. 

The greenspace on Main Street is uniquely positioned to be the only park in our city that is centrally located and can serve the largest number of residents and visitors to our city. It can hold more people than any of the other parks, and the proximity of this beautiful park to the business district will have a positive impact on restaurant and retail businesses, as well as becoming a natural attraction that draws more visitors. 

We’ve spoken before about the importance of protecting our city from flooding. Our historic central business district is downhill from the greenspace and in serious peril if the greenspace were to be paved over. A retention pond on the greenspace to account for drainage would render Mainstreet miserable from mosquitoes. Retention ponds also fail, are eye sores and require expensive maintenance.

Virtually every successful city has a central park, and revenue generation through events is entirely possible without any further investment on the city’s part. Please hear our concerns as citizens. Your legacy as a council is dependent on your ability to protect the environment and work for all citizens, not the investors alone. 

Call for Action:

Attend city hall meetings and speak on the importance of preserving greenspace for our city. If you are unable to attend in person, write the council members expressing the need for this parcel to remain green and 100% public. 

City Council:

Anita Bass - abass@stonemountaincity.org

Mark Marianos - mmarianos@stonemountaincity.org

Ryan Smith -  rsmith@stonemountaincity.org

Gil Freeman - gfreeman@stonemountaincity.org

Shawnette Bryant - sbryant@stonemountaincity.org

Teresa Crowe- tcrowe@stonemountaincity.org

Mayor - Dr. Beverly Jones mayor@stonemountaincity.org

City Administrators:

City Manager, Darentta Tyus manager@stonemountaincity.org

City Clerk - Shawntez Edmonson - sedmondson@stonemountaincity.org