After four years Atlanta Parks and Recreation Commissioner Justin Cutler is set to exit the role, according to park insiders. He will host a going away party later this week.
Cutler joined in 2022, in the midst of some major Atlanta park improvements. He brought over 20 years of local government experience from places like Seattle, Westminster and Oregon, with a focus on “quality green space.”
When Cutler came to Atlanta, the national comprehensive ParkScore by the Trust for Public Land ranked the city 27th out of 100 park systems, up from 49th place in 2021.
In 2022 Cutler told SaportaReport his priorities: Create an ever-greener Atlanta, add parks within a 10-minute walk for all residents and increase access to low-income neighborhoods. As commissioner, he would oversee the development, maintenance and strategy for a system of over 400 parks.
The parks and recreation team then spent the next few years working on some major projects, like the Parks & Recreation Data Tool to keep residents near parks and link greenspace to better health.
It paid off. This year, Atlanta reached 18th in the national ParkScore ranking. Today, 85 percent of all city residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park. That’s higher than the national average of 76 percent.
The city also outperformed many others on park investment. With philanthropic dollars, Atlanta invests approximately $312 in parks per person, compared to a $154 national average.
In a LinkedIn post, Cutler said the new ranking reflects years of partnership and investment.
“This progress reflects intentional work around equity, joint use agreements, park investments, recreation programming, connectivity maintenance, safety and community engagement,” Cutler said in the post.
But Cutler departs amid conflict around city parks. The city is considering budget plans that would shrink the park’s general fund spending by five percent, down to $54.6 million. This raised concern from park advocates, like Park Pride President and CEO Michael Halicki, who, in a recent Atlanta Journal-Constitution opinion piece, said the current funding levels would be “losing ground” if the city added new parks and amenities.
In his LinkedIn post, Cutler said: “The work continues, and the future for Atlanta parks has never been brighter.”
SaportaReport has reached out to Cutler and the city for comment.
