EPA Attorney Leif Palmer, Who Helped Pave Way for Atlantic Station, Dies at 66

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Leif Palmer, a former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency attorney whose legal work helped pave the way for the development of Atlanta's Atlantic Station, has died at the age of 66. Palmer, who lived in the Candler Park neighborhood, passed away on March 20, 2026, from complications of myasthenia gravis, a rare autoimmune disorder.

Why it matters

Atlantic Station is one of Atlanta's most successful and iconic mixed-use developments, transforming a former industrial brownfield site into a thriving commercial, residential and entertainment district. Palmer's legal expertise and innovative approach played a crucial role in overcoming the significant environmental and logistical challenges that had previously made the site seem undevelopable.

The details

In the early 1990s, the 138-acre Atlantic Steel site was an abandoned industrial area that had been designated as a federal brownfield due to extensive contamination. The site was also physically isolated from Midtown Atlanta by the construction of the Downtown Connector highway. Many believed the parcel could never be redeveloped, but Palmer, a young EPA attorney at the time, came up with a 'rather brilliant argument' that ultimately enabled the transformation of the site into Atlantic Station.

• In the early 1990s, the Atlantic Steel site was an abandoned industrial brownfield.
• Leif Palmer died on March 20, 2026.