Gardens, soccer field bound for Five Points MARTA Station

July 29,2016

http://atlanta.curbed.com/2016/7/29/12319346/five-points-marta-gardens-soccer-field

MARTA is embracing a range of transit-oriented developments around many stations across their network in an attempt to boost ridership and revenue.

But a new addition to Five Points MARTA Station, in the heart of the system, may be the wackiest/most inventive to date.

According to WABE, Soccer in the Streets — a nonprofit that allows disadvantaged youth access to sports, mentoring, and tutoring — will construct a mini soccer field atop one of the concourses at Five Points Station. Measuring a mere 66 by 99 feet, the field will be the first soccer facility ever constructed in a transit station, according to the group.

Interesting tidbit: When the station was constructed, an amphitheater and other public spaces were included, but have been closed off for years due to safety concerns. The field will be a step forward to reclaiming the station for public use.

Plans call for the field to remain for at least five years.

Additionally, at a Central Atlanta Progress Town Hall Meeting, it was announced that a community garden would be established at the station in the coming year.

The news comes as the potential for development at Underground Atlanta picks up, too.