Upgrades would span from Lake Lanier to Newnan

ATLANTA — Backers of a wide-ranging plan to develop a network of parks and trails along a vast stretch of the Chattahoochee River say it holds the promise to transform the Atlanta metro region.

The Chattahoochee River Greenway Study aims to expand and connect existing greenspace to create a 100-mile corridor from Lake Lanier to Newnan, Georgia, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

The study is being administered by the Atlanta Regional Commission in conjunction with local communities and nonprofit groups.

The regional commission is expected to announce a firm in the next few weeks to develop the $1.5 million master plan, the newspaper reported. The cost of implementing that plan is unknown, but likely will be paid for with local tax dollars and some federal matching funds.

“With the continued growth of Atlanta, there’s a realization that across the metro area we don’t have enough park land and really don’t have enough great public spaces,” said George Dusenbury, the Georgia director for the Trust for Public Land, a driving force behind the effort.

The vision of a continuous trail along the river already has helped spur public and private investment along the waterway, the Atlanta newspaper reported.

Roswell, just north of Atlanta, is building its own river walk that connects to the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.

The surge in interest comes after decades of efforts to clean up the Chattahoochee.

Dusenbury said clean water, more than the economic recovery, is driving investment now. He credited the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper with filing a landmark lawsuit against Atlanta in the 1990s that forced the city to stop polluting the waterway.

“There’s an incredible amount of largely untouched greenspace, and there’s recognition looking at what other cities have done embracing their waterfronts,” Dusenbury said. “To protect the river, you need people to embrace and love the river.”