Two acres of wooded greenspace that had been fenced off since the 1996 Olympic Games are now open to the public, offering views of the growing Midtown skyline and Atlanta’s water reservoirs in Berkeley Park.

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At the corner of 17th Street and Howell Mill Road, “The Hill at Waterworks” is one of the highest points in the city. 

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The effort to reopen the space was borne out of a grassroots group of nearby residents who have pushed for over five years to open up the hill, with support from the Upper Westside Improvement District and, eventually, the city’s Department of Watershed Management.

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The new space is currently home to several large trees and a few chairs — next, the improvement district is hoping to install a sculpture and benches. And the city could use bond or transportation tax dollars to install sidewalks along 17th Street to make the hill more accessible.