A sprawling trail project meant to stitch together Hapeville, East Point and College Park with the long-overlooked Flint River moved a step closer to reality the previous week, as planners collected community input at a block party in downtown Hapeville. The Atlanta Regional Commission is leading the effort, known as the Flint Riverway, which envisions a 40-mile multi-use trail system threading through the South Metro area.
According to WABE, the trail would run along the Flint River and loop around College Park, Hapeville and East Point, eventually connecting to MARTA and the Atlanta BeltLine. Josh Phillipson, who is affiliated with the Atlanta Regional Commission, told the station that the river itself is difficult to access and largely hidden from the communities around it — a gap the project is designed to close. Phillipson also said pedestrians and cyclists currently cannot travel safely between Hapeville, East Point and College Park, underscoring one of the project's core motivations.
The vision, as described by the Atlanta Regional Commission, is to create a community-driven plan for connecting people to the Flint River while protecting it as a natural resource. The commission's planning area spans South Fulton, Clayton, Fayette and Spalding counties, far beyond the locations of the initial outreach events: block parties in Hapeville and Jonesboro and a river cleanup in Jonesboro.
Block Party Turns Into a Planning Session
The Hapeville gathering doubled as a hands-on planning session, with Alta Planning and Design working alongside the regional commission to collect ideas and run community outreach for the Flint Riverway, per WABE's report. Jordyn Jones-Raybon, who works for Alta Planning and Design, helped lead community mapping activities that asked attendees to suggest everything from bathroom locations to potential trail connections.
Daniel Scott, who lives in metro Atlanta, attended the block party and told WABE he plans to visit the Flint Riverway with his wife once the project gets underway. College Park Mayor Bianca Motley Broom was also on hand, according to the station's account of the event.
What the Trail Is Supposed to Deliver
Beyond recreation, the Atlanta Regional Commission says the project is meant to connect neighborhoods and create economic opportunities while activating the Flint River as a public amenity, as detailed in the commission's own announcement. Phillipson said the trail could serve as a catalyst for regional economic development, WABE reported. The commission has also framed the broader effort as a way to reconnect southside communities that have long been divided by major transportation infrastructure like roads and railways, according to its grant announcement.
The project's vision additionally calls for green infrastructure intended to manage stormwater and flooding along the corridor, as reported by Axios.
Federal Dollars and a Setback Along the Way
Money has already started flowing toward the concept. The Atlanta Regional Commission, Clayton County and the cities of College Park, East Point and Hapeville received a $50 million federal grant to build a multi-use trail connecting the Atlanta BeltLine and the Flint River, the commission announced. That funding is set to construct two trail segments totaling 2.6 miles — 1.6 miles in East Point and 1 mile in Clayton County — while also paying for scoping, design and engineering on an additional 13.2 miles across the four communities.
A later $14.9 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation pushed total federal investment in the broader trail network to $64.9 million, the commission said, with funds earmarked for engineering on 16 miles across eight segments and construction of 3.2 miles across four sections. Still, the project has not been without setbacks: Urbanize Atlanta reported that the concept lost tens of millions of dollars in federal funding that had been intended for construction and additional engineering and planning work.
Different Numbers, Same River
Not every official description of the project lines up neatly. While the Atlanta Regional Commission has described the Flint Riverway as a 40-mile multi-use trail, a separate commission announcement refers to the Flint River Gateway Trails network as a planned 31-mile system connecting the BeltLine, Clayton County, College Park, East Point and Hapeville — and yet another commission release puts the distance between the BeltLine in southwest Atlanta and the city of Lovejoy in Clayton County at 31.5 miles. The relationship between these varying figures has not been resolved in public materials.
Timeline Stretches Into 2028
The commission plans to spend throughout 2027 working on trail design, with public engagement and additional studies continuing across South Fulton, Clayton, Fayette and Spalding counties, Urbanize Atlanta reported. The goal is to have the plans formally adopted by the commission's board in the first half of 2028, per the same outlet's reporting.
In the meantime, the planning process includes developing design and network alternatives and bringing them back to residents for feedback, according to the project's public engagement portal. Community members are being asked to weigh in on trail design choices over the coming year, with the commission planning additional public engagement opportunities as the project moves forward, per WABE's reporting.
