A day after Tech’s victory against Duke, the people of Atlanta flooded the streets for a different block party. The second annual Westside Stride, organized by Upper Westside CID (community improvement district), drew 20,000 people to hear live music and shop at local vendors along Howell Mill Road between 8th Street and 17th Street, just west of campus.
The cloudless sky on Sunday, Oct. 6, made shade a commodity. Some vendors, such as Sisters Lemonade, Rhoot Man Beverage Co. and Coca-Cola, took advantage of this by offering beverages. Food offerings included poutine, barbeque, two Greek vendors, popsicles and a few bakeries. More than fifty other vendors were present, selling everything from clothing to art to perfume. Inflatables, pumpkin painting and a petting zoo attracted many families with young kids. People of all ages mingled and enjoyed music from five stages set up along the route.
The Technique spoke to Tech alumnus Katherine Meiser, EE 18’, who lives in Underwood Hills and biked to the festival with her boyfriend.
“I obviously love seeing people out and about, especially after COVID,” Meiser said. “It gives me such a warm feeling to see everyone enjoying themselves, and it’s a good opportunity to experience new food.”
MARTA showcased their new fully-electric bus, giving people an opportunity to practice loading their bikes onto the rack on the front of the bus. They also highlighted the rooftop charging arm, which will allow the bus to charge at stops instead of returning to the depot.
A representative from the Atlanta Department of City Planning was promoting the ongoing community meetings for the revision of Atlanta’s Comprehensive Development Plan, Plan A, and its zoning code.
Engineers also worked to gather feedback on the Chattahoochee Avenue Improvements and Collier Road Multimodal Study, which are partially funded by the CID. The Chattahoochee Avenue project is slated to start construction in 2026 and will add a shared-use path between Howell Mill Road and Ellsworth Industrial Blvd and improve lighting along the corridor.
Upper Westside CID Executive Director Elizabeth Hollister and Program Director Adeline Collot, MCRP 2015 and 2016, explained that the CID collects a property tax to raise funds for mobility infrastructure, parks and art projects to help the community accommodate growth. The CID is currently working on two trail projects and the Howell Mill Complete Streets project, which began in 2016.
“We recognize [that] Howell Mill is not going to get any wider,” Hollister said. “None of our roads are going to get any wider, so we really have to think holistically about how we move people through and into this area.”
Progress on the Howell Mill Complete Streets project was visible in the form of new pedestrian crossing islands and a red sidewalk stretching two blocks, which will become a raised bike lane extending all the way to Morris St.
“This festival is a chance for us to celebrate all the ways we and the City of Atlanta are working to improve connectivity on the Westside,” Hollister said. “The local sponsors are really excited to showcase their buildings and tenants and celebrate all of this growth and excitement on the Westside.”
Collot explained that the CID used last year’s Westside Stride to launch the Huff Road study, which concluded this year. She added that they want residents, particularly Tech students, to submit concerns on their website to guide future projects.
“We would love to hear from the student community that is trying to travel from the Upper Westside to Tech’s campus,” Collot said. “We’ve been considering a cycle track on 10th Street and want to understand the types of improvements that would be well utilized… It’s really helpful to understand what some of the difficult points are [for students].”
More information about Upper Westside CID can be found at upperwestsideatl.org. To the east of campus, the Midtown Improvement District funds programs and projects that are carried out by Midtown Alliance, which can be found at midtownatl.com.