Little Five Points, the center and joining point of Atlanta neighborhoods Candler Park and Inman Park, has been a staple of the city’s cultural and artistic scene for over 100 years.
In the center of the district lies Findley Plaza, a focal point of Little Five Points that has long been known as a bustling, vibrant gathering place, attracting visitors from across the city and beyond to its stores, theatres and music venues. However, in recent years it has also become a magnet for some of Atlanta’s unhoused community, as well as illegal activity. It is also exposed to dangerous traffic at a major intersection.
Lauren Welsh, the executive director of the Little Five Points Community Improvement District explained that the site’s raised tree beds have contributed to the disconnected nature of the plaza.
“They’re these really wide oval shaped tree wells that are raised off the ground,” Welsh said. “That has created these little cutout spots, where you really can’t set up chairs and a table easily.”
The plan for the restoration of the area includes moving the trees to the corner of the plaza to allow for more space in the middle and promote safety in the area. Welsh said the soon-to-be restored plaza brings hope to a community in Little Five Points that has longed for an improvement to its center.
“The design, they’re excited about [it], because they have seen a lot of the negative behavior that can occur in those little small spaces over the years, so they’ve been frustrated,” Welsh said. “They want a better public space that encourages more positive activity.”
Moreland Avenue, the four-lane highway that cuts through Little Five Points, complicates road safety in the neighborhood.
“Moreland is a really tough street because Moreland is a state road, so that means it’s run by the Georgia Department of Transportation, and it has 35 to 40,000 cars on it every day,” Welsh said. “It’s not a very typical street going through a neighborhood commercial district.”.
Patrice Hull, owner of ‘Stuff We Wanna Say’, a store in Little Five Points which sells custom bags and clothing, advocates for both the renovation and safety of the district.
“I don’t want anything to change,” Hull said. “I want to make sure that we preserve the culture, but it could use a little cleaning, and I think that will clean it up just a wee bit.”
Most residents approve of the renovation of Little Five Points and its intended impact on the safety of its streets. However, the construction process may pose issues to some independent stores in Little Five Points. Hull believes it will be worth the wait.
“[The construction] will have a negative impact in the short run, but a positive impact in the long run” Hull said. She hopes passers-by will notice that the shops are open for business behind the barriers. “I know you see what’s going on, but the stores are not closed.”
Hull already uses creative ways to bring attention to her store and products, which include playing music outside of the front entrance.
“The reason I play the music– and usually pretty loud– is because I need people over on the other side of the street [to say], ‘what is that? Oh, let’s go over here’,” Hull said.
Welsh plans to place a large banner along the construction site confirming that the stores are open. She said this will encourage people to visit the stores around the plaza, despite the confusing construction site in its surroundings.
“It’s a two-month project and it’s just trying to make sure people know that those businesses are open,” Welsh said. “We’ve got this huge banner that’s going up on the construction fence sometime next week.”
Although the project will take two months to complete, the CID took ten years to plan and finalize it.
“I gave some funds to it thinking, ‘oh, next year, we’re gonna have a new Plaza,’” Hull said. “Then a year went by, a year went by, a year went by, and then I thought ‘I’m not gonna see this [because of] the pandemic’. A lot of people were put out of business.”
Hull explained that when she came into work that day, she nearly cried seeing that the work had finally started.
“I didn’t know if I was going to make it through the pandemic, and so now, not only did I make it through the pandemic, I’m going to make it to see the modifications, and the renovations, so [I’m] excited, very excited,” Hull said.
Many others welcome the renovations and have high hopes for the future. Jeff Raw, a resident of Little Five Points for over 20 years, is excited for the change
“I’m definitely excited to see some change around here,” Raw said. “It’s been the same for forever, so it will be good to see it fixed up. I’m also looking forward to it being safer for pedestrians because there’s just so many accidents these days and I will feel safer about my daughter walking around the area.”
Although there’s lots of excitement around the redevelopments, many people still have concerns about preserving the character of the community.
“My biggest concern would probably be that the neighborhood loses its character,” Raw said. “This place that’s been around for so long and always had the same vibe, which is just not the same anymore. I just don’t want people to lose sight of what it used to be.”
Like other shop owners and residents, Raw hopes the renovation will add character, rather than taking away from it.
“There’s just so much potential,” Raw said. “I’m really looking forward to seeing the area come to life again and also seeing how people will adapt to the changes. I think it will definitely have a good impact on everyone.”
