Long-time Candler Park residents know that the fence between Iverson Park and the adjacent MARTA station has been a source of endless debate. But a new proposal offers a different kind of vision.
By Dillon Thompson. Photos by Christina Hodgen.
On December 18, 2023, the CPNO Board heard a proposal to install a gate on the fence that currently separates Iverson Park from the Edgewood/Candler Park MARTA station.
The fence has been in place for approximately three decades, and as long-time residents of Candler Park know, there have been several recurring debates about taking it down. At February’s CPNO Monthly Meeting, residents will get another chance to delve into the issue — this time, with a proposal notably different from those discussed in the past.
As many residents noted to The Messenger, previous proposals have suggested taking down the fence completely. This new proposal instead recommends adding a gate to the park’s southeast corner, where there is currently a footpath ending just short of the fence.
The plan was put together by Sinan Sinharoy and will be discussed in full during the members’ meeting on Feb. 19. All those interested in hearing about and commenting on the proposal are welcome to attend online or in person.
A decades-long debate
The MARTA station’s proximity to Iverson Park has long been a concern for residents of the nearby streets. Some have cited fears of increased crime and the risk of children or animals running through the park and out onto DeKalb Avenue.
However, proponents of the new plan argue it would increase accessibility and encourage more public transit use. As of now, residents to the north and east have to travel past Iverson Park and down to Oakdale Road — a roughly 0.4-mile walk — to reach the station.
“Providing a gate to Iverson Park through the fence could improve MARTA access for Candler Park residents living on the east side of our neighborhood,” Larry Compton, the CPNO board’s safety chair and a resident of the area, told The Messenger in a statement. “However, there are also legitimate and recent safety concerns for residents in the vicinity of Iverson Park.”
Sinharoy, a city planner who lives on Sheppard Place (a few blocks to the park’s Northeast), said he put together his proposal after taking his son to Moving In The Spirit, a dance studio next to the Edgewood side of the station.
“He was three years old at the time and I was pushing him in a stroller [down DeKalb],” Sinharoy told The Messenger, “and there were just multiple obstructions there that made it difficult to access the station.”
Betsy Goss, a 42-year resident whose home is directly opposite the park, remembers the days when there was no fence. In the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, Goss tells The Messenger, there were greater concerns about crime and cases of stray dogs running wild in the park.
These days, though, Goss — who is part of the Friends of Iverson Park volunteer group (which has no official position on the issue) — is more worried about children, who she says use the park more than anyone. She also cited concerns that a new cut-through could bring excess trash into the park, which she and other residents work so hard to keep clean.
“We’re just proud of our park and want to take care of it,” Goss told The Messenger.
Finding a compromise
Eric Dusenbury, a 31-year resident who lives at the corner of Iverson Street and Candler Park Drive, is in favor of adding a cut-through. While he says a proposal to remove the fence completely would be a “different story,” he thinks the benefits of a gate outweigh the risks.
“It’s not a huge inconvenience [as it currently is],” Dusenbury said. “But it is an inconvenience having to walk a little farther.”
Ultimately, Dusenbury thinks the safety concerns are overblown. He also remembers the scenes of the ‘90s — including people occasionally hanging out and drinking inside the park — but was quick to note that the surrounding area is much different than it once was.
“Those views are from decades ago, when there was an official entry there,” Dusenbury told The Messenger. “Things have changed — we have gentrified, Edgewood has gentrified, and I don’t think the crime concern is justified as it was earlier.”
As Dusenbury noted and Sinharoy’s proposal points out, the Inman Park/Reynoldstown MARTA station has a similar cut-through, with a path leading to the Freedom Park trail and several surrounding homes. However, as Compton says, a gate would likely be safer than a total opening.
“If a gate is installed, provisions must be made for auto-locking outside of normal park hours, adequate lighting, and cameras,” he said. “Keeping the current fence is also a viable option since it is proven to enhance the safety of surrounding areas.”
Some residents raised concerns around the logistics of a gate which, according to Sinharoy’s plan, could be made safer through security cameras, increased lighting or by locking the door at night. As Goss pointed out, that would likely involve a good bit of extra money and manpower.
According to Lauren Welsh, executive director of the Little 5 Points Alliance, reconnecting Iverson with the MARTA station would potentially open the neighborhood to grant money, which could be used to install the gate, add a ramp to the footpath, or improve the area in other ways.
A long list of pros and cons
Allen Broyles, who has lived across from the park since 1999, is also in support of the cut-through. He said he believes the safety concerns aren’t a “real issue” anymore, but ultimately, his biggest focus is on opening the neighborhood to MARTA — and by extension, the surrounding area.
“I’m just interested in the connection of communities in Atlanta,” Broyles told The Messenger. “We’ve got a public good in the park and a public good in MARTA, and I don’t know how we have the right to keep those separate.”
Sinharoy said he’s also passionate about connecting Candler Park to the amenities on the Edgewood side of the station — which now include a wine store, a sandwich shop, and the dance studio where his son takes lessons.
“I hope the conversation will be different this time around, because there are a lot more benefits to Candler Park residents,” he told The Messenger.
Goss, for her part, is most worried about preserving the park as a staple of the neighborhood.
“It’s such an important part of our community to have something that isn’t just the main Candler Park,” she said.
Dillon Thompson is a one-year resident of Candler Park and serves as editor for The Messenger.