A sprawling trail project meant to stitch together Hapeville, East Point and College Park with the long-overlooked Flint River moved a step closer to reality the previous week, as planners collected community input at a block party in downtown Hapeville. The Atlanta Regional Commission is leading the effort, known as the Flint Riverway, which envisions a 40-mile multi-use trail system threading through the South Metro area.
According to WABE, the trail would run along the Flint River and loop around College Park, Hapeville and East Point, eventually connecting to MARTA and the Atlanta BeltLine. Josh Phillipson, who is affiliated with the Atlanta Regional Commission, told the station that the river itself is difficult to access and largely hidden from the communities around it — a gap the project is designed to close. Phillipson also said pedestrians and cyclists currently cannot travel safely between Hapeville, East Point and College Park, underscoring one of the project’s core motivations.
The vision, as described by the Atlanta Regional Commission, is to create a community-driven plan for connecting people to the Flint River while protecting it as a natural resource. The commission’s planning area spans South Fulton, Clayton, Fayette and Spalding counties, far beyond the locations of the initial outreach events: block parties in Hapeville and Jonesboro and a river cleanup in Jonesboro.
Block Party Turns Into a Planning Session
The Hapeville gathering doubled as a hands-on planning session, with Alta Planning and Design working alongside the regional commission to collect ideas and run community outreach for the Flint Riverway, per WABE’s report. Jordyn Jones-Raybon, who works for Alta Planning and Design, helped lead community mapping activities that asked attendees to suggest everything from bathroom locations to potential trail connections…