ALTANTA-Downtown Atlanta is working to spark new development by identifying underutilized parcels of land—and facilitating funding for developers to build there. Central Atlanta Progress, a downtown development group, issued a map during Downtown Development Day last week that reveals five key areas it sees as ready for large redevelopments.

CAP's map includes an area near Five Points MARTA Station called the "Gulch," Fairlie-Poplar, Sweet Auburn and the so-called "railroad district" near Castleberry Hill. Jennifer Ball, vice president of planning for Central Atlanta Progress, tells GlobeSt.com there are 467 underutilized acres of land available in Atlanta's urban core that are prime for development.

"We’ve identified catalytic sites and locations that are critical to achieving the long-term goals to turn downtown Atlanta into a walkable mixed-use district," Ball says. "Other cities have tackled the issue of underutilized parcels and it has led to transformative projects. With these five sites, we are working to encourage rehabilitation, redevelopment or investments that forward that goal."