The City of Atlanta owns hundreds of acres in unincorporated DeKalb County, including the site of the former Atlanta Prison Farm. The City is constructing the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center on 85 of those acres, and has pledged to preserve more than 300 acres for green space.

In 2022 and 2023, the City partnered with stakeholders to explore the possibilities of expansion and protection of green space in what is known as the South River Forest. The group, convened and facilitated by the Atlanta Regional Commission, studied opportunities to protect, connect and activate 3,500 acres of green space in Atlanta and DeKalb County.

“This proposal envisions one of the largest protections of green space in the Metro Atlanta area," said Mayor Andre Dickens. "The City of Atlanta is intensely focused on green space expansion, adding more than 260 acres of green space in 2022 alone. The City has already committed to preserving hundreds of acres of green space that it owns in this area. We are a ready and eager partner in this work and look forward to engaging with stakeholders and our neighboring jurisdictions to restore and protect this green space for the health of our environment and the enjoyment of generations to come.”‍

The group issued their findings in February 2023, available at this link: Explore South River Forest; Co-Investing in SE Atlanta and SW DeKalb County.