The future of Hulsey Yard

When I moved back into the city in 2000, my first apartment was at the Fulton Cotton Mill Lofts in Cabbagetown. While my apartment faced Oakland Cemetery, you couldn’t miss all the 18 wheelers rumbling up Boulevard or the boom-clangscreech coming from Hulsey Yard, which sat just behind the lofts.

Some nights, we’d sit on the rooftop deck and watch the trucks coming and going and CSX trains arriving with their shipments of cargo containers. Eventually, the sounds from the yard became part of the sonic fabric of the neighborhood and I hardly noticed them.

Even after I moved over to Highland Avenue, when the wind was right, I could still hear the trains and sounds from the yard. I cannot imagine how silent it must be at the lofts now that CSX has closed Husley Yard.

While CSX has announced no plans to sell the yard, the communities that stretch along its 70 linear acres – Cabbagetown, Old Fourth Ward, Inman Park and Reynoldstown – are proactively taking steps to create a master plan for the property. Lord Aeck Sargent is drafting a plan that envisions a significant greenspace with room for homes and retail to present to the Atlanta City Council when the time comes.

There’s also the question of getting the Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail across the yard. Currently, the trail uses Krog Street Tunnel to connect in Cabbagetown, but there’s no way a future streetcar or other light rail transit will fit.

If I could wave my magic wand, I’d transform Hulsey Yard into a park with affordable housing. Do we actually need a new “neighborhood” with more retail and offices? I don’t think so.

In a study by the Federal Reserve Bank and University of Chicago, Atlanta was ranked the 4th fastest-gentrifying city in America. That means buying a home or renting an apartment Intown moves further and further out of reach for many people. The City of Atlanta recently created an action plan for affordable housing, which you can read more about on page 31. Perhaps Hulsey Yard could be the centerpiece of that effort when CSX decides to sell.

a floor bedroom suite. The upstairs comprised of a suite and three additional bedrooms and bathrooms. In the basement, a wet bar in the bonus room is perfect for your special needs; plus, enjoy a potential sixth bedroom and bathroom suite. The property includes an attached two-car garage and room for a pool. Located near Druid Hills parks, award-winning schools, Emory Village, Emory University and the CDC, the location is ideal for Intown living.

Peggy