Perkerson Civic Association

The Atlanta Beltline

 

The Atlanta BeltLine is a $2.8 billion redevelopment project that will shape the way Atlanta grows throughout the next several decades. The project provides a network of public parks, multi-use trails and transit along a historic 22-mile railroad corridor circling downtown and connecting 45 neighborhoods directly to each other. The Atlanta BeltLine is the most comprehensive economic development effort ever undertaken in the City of Atlanta and among the largest, most wide-ranging urban redevelopment projects currently underway in the United States.

 

Websites on the BeltLine are listed at the bottom of the page.

History of the BeltLine

Atlanta's first name, Terminus, which referred to the city's founding at the southeastern end of the Western & Atlantic Railroad. The city's strong connection to the rails continued to grow, and in the mid-20th Century, 1,000 trains rumbled through the city every day.

The name "Belt Line" was coined for a loop of tracks that encircled Atlanta in its early years. After the Civil War, the loop was enlarged to expand local industry and commerce  as the ambitious, entrepreneurial young city quickly grew.

Eventually, commerce began to depend more on trucking and highways than on trains and railroads. As a result, some tracks – including many portions of the BeltLine – were abandoned and largely forgotten. Until now.

BeltLine's New Beginnings

Today, Atlanta has a unique opportunity to build the future by cultivating the past. In 1999, Georgia Tech graduate student Ryan Gravel proposed linking multiple city neighborhoods with a new transit system along the BeltLine. His thesis inspired the BeltLine and gained immediate interest and citizen support.  Over the years, Ryan's original concept has grown to include transit, parks and trails, neighborhood preservation and revitalization, mixed-use development, affordable housing, cleaner air, and an improved tax base – all advancing economic development and quality of life.

Among the first to recognize the BeltLine's enormous potential was former City Council President Cathy Woolard. She would become its most ardent early champion.

As the BeltLine proposal gained exposure and began to capture the public's imagination, further research was commissioned to hone its feasibility and potential.

In 2004, The Trust for Public Land commissioned internationally respected park planner Alexander Garvin to study greenspace opportunities, mile by mile, along the BeltLine corridor. Garvin's subsequent Emerald Necklace Study concluded that a connected park, trail and transit system along the BeltLine was achievable, and Garvin outlined a proposal for its realization.

Encouraged by this report, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin commissioned another study – this time to determine the feasibility of funding the BeltLine with a Tax Allocation District (TAD). Led by the BeltLine Tax Allocation District Steering Committee chaired by Carl Patton and Barney Simms, the study found that revenue generated from a BeltLine TAD would cover approximately 60 percent of estimated project costs – without requiring a tax increase. The study also forecast substantial long-term economic development benefits for the city.

A third study, by the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), the Inner Core Feasibility Study, looked at several transit options for the City of Atlanta and recommended the BeltLine for inclusion in its Alternatives Analysis Study. The Alternatives Analysis Study and the extensive public input that accompanied it ultimately led the MARTA Board in January 2007 to approve the full 22-mile loop of the BeltLine and a light rail mode of transit as its Locally Preferred Alternative, a critical early step in securing federal funding for the project.

Making the BeltLine Real

In April 2005, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin announced the creation of the BeltLine Partnership and named veteran civic and business leader Ray Weeks as Chairman. The BeltLine Partnership came together to help galvanize private sector and citizen support and to support the work being led by the Atlanta Development Authority (ADA) to move the 22-mile live-work-play-transit corridor from vision to reality.  The team including ADA, the BeltLine Partnership, City Departments and a team of consultants obtained significant public input about the project and created the BeltLine Redevelopment Plan, which was completed in November 2005.

The Redevelopment Plan provided a framework for moving the project forward by outlining the major public infrastructure projects that comprise the BeltLine project, by outlining the type and scope of development that is consistent with good planning practices, and by outlining the boundaries of the Tax Allocation District which was demonstrated to successfully provide a primary local funding source for the project.

Based on the viability of the project and tremendous public support generated, the Atlanta City Council, Fulton County Board of Commissioners, and the Atlanta Public School Board of Education approved the BeltLine Redevelopment Plan and the BeltLine TAD at the end of 2005.

 

In early 2006, with extensive pro bono assistance from a senior Boston Consulting Group team, the Atlanta Development Authority with support from the BeltLine Partnership created the Five-Year Work Plan. The Work Plan was informed by input from more than 10,000 community members and outlined the priorities, goals, organizational structure, and $427 million budget for the first five years of the BeltLine project. It was approved by Atlanta City Council in July 2006, and the stage was set for implementation of this visionary project.

To oversee implementation of the BeltLine, including coordination with City of Atlanta departments and ongoing community engagement, the Work Plan contemplated the creation of Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. (ABI).  Its formation was authorized by the board of the Atlanta Development Authority in late June 2006. Under the leadership of President and CEO Terri Montague and Board Chairman Cal Darden, ABI commenced operations in September 2006.

 

The BeltLine Partnership hired Valarie Wilson to serve as Executive Director in August 2006, and now focuses its efforts on securing private funding for the BeltLine, raising general awareness and broad-based support for the project, and mobilizing resources to address social concerns raised by new development around the BeltLine.

 

Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. and the BeltLine Partnership, in collaboration with multiple departments within the City of Atlanta, the Trust for Public Land, the PATH Foundation, MARTA, Fulton County, Atlanta Public Schools, and many community partners, are working diligently to make the BeltLine vision a reality. Land acquisition, trail development, robust community engagement, detailed master planning, fundraising, and key foundational studies are all underway. Please refer to the implementation section of the website for more detailed updates.

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Atlanta BeltLine Overview

The Atlanta BeltLine is a $2.8 billion redevelopment project that will shape the way Atlanta grows throughout the next several decades. The project provides a network of public parks, multi-use trails and transit along a historic 22-mile railroad corridor circling downtown and connecting 45 neighborhoods directly to each other. The Atlanta BeltLine is the most comprehensive economic development effort ever undertaken in the City of Atlanta and among the largest, most wide-ranging urban redevelopment projects currently underway in the United States.

At the heart of the Atlanta BeltLine is an integrated approach to land use, transportation, greenspace and sustainable development that will create a framework for future growth in the City of Atlanta. During the past 20 years, metro Atlanta’s growth has occurred in widely spread and disconnected pockets of development which have strained the region’s quality of life and economic growth. By attracting and organizing some of the region’s future growth around parks, transit, and trails, the BeltLine will help change the pattern of regional sprawl in the coming decades and lead to a vibrant and livable Atlanta with an enhanced quality of life.

Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. (ABI), formed by The Atlanta Development Authority in 2006, is the entity tasked with planning and executing the implementation of the Atlanta BeltLine in partnership with other public and private organizations, including City of Atlanta departments. The BeltLine Partnership is a non-profit organization committed to raising funds from private and philanthropic sources to support the Atlanta BeltLine. It works with neighborhoods, community organizations, faith organizations, businesses and other groups to raise general awareness and broad-based support for the Atlanta BeltLine.

Transit

A 22-mile loop of pedestrian-friendly rail transit along mostly abandoned former rail lines is the spine of the Atlanta BeltLine, which will weave its way through 45 neighborhoods surrounding Atlanta’s urban core. BeltLine transit will also connect to existing MARTA service in up to five locations and to future transit systems, such as the Peachtree Streetcar and commuter rail lines.

 

Trails

A 33-mile network of multi-use trails will help create a new public realm and pedestrian friendly-environment that will include the core 22-miles that follow the railroad segments, plus numerous extensions to link together many of the existing parks and trails surrounding the BeltLine.

 

Parks

The Atlanta BeltLine will increase Atlanta’s greenspace by nearly 40% as the project adds nearly 1,300 acres of new parks and greenspace throughout 25 years. The BeltLine will create a linear park with 33 miles of multi-use trails connecting 40 parks, including approximately 700 acres of existing parks.

    

Economic Development

The Atlanta BeltLine is expected to generate more than $20 billion of new economic development throughout the 25 years of the Tax Allocation District and approximately 30,000 new jobs.

 

Affordable Workforce Housing

Over the span of 25 years, the Atlanta BeltLine is projected to create more than 5,000 new units of affordable workforce housing by dedicating 15% of the net proceeds of the BeltLine Tax Allocation District bond proceeds to the BeltLine Affordable Housing Trust Fund; these will be a combination of owner-occupied and rental units.

 

Workforce Development and Community Benefits

The Atlanta BeltLine has a first-source jobs policy in place to train local residents for jobs where BeltLine developments and infrastructure occurs. ABI is also working with communities and developers to establish community benefits agreements that will produce amenities and services that residents desire and create new jobs in economically viable businesses.

 

Environmental Clean-Up and Reuse

The Atlanta BeltLine has approximately 1,100 acres of brownfields that are slated to be remediated and redeveloped. This will create new opportunities for public spaces and economic development while improving the city’s natural and built environment.

 

Public Art & Historic Preservation

Public Art is a vital component of the Atlanta BeltLine, a new public realm that can redefine how one experiences the city. The industrial character of much of the BeltLine corridor provides many unique opportunities for art, and ABI is incorporating potential sites for public art in the Master Plans for the Atlanta BeltLine's 10 subareas.  ABI is also working to identify unique and historic structures and sites along the BeltLine that preserve the city’s rich and diverse character and neighborhoods.

 

Community Engagement

The Atlanta BeltLine is being built with an unprecedented level of community input. An important component of BeltLine implementation since its early planning, the Citizen Participation Framework approved by Atlanta City Council in July 2006 has institutionalized avenues for the community to participate in the planning and development of the BeltLine.

 

Funding

The Atlanta Beltline is anticipated to cost $2.8 billion.  It will be funded through local, state, and federal public funds as well as private philanthropic contributions.

 

Partners

In addition to Atlanta BeltLine, Inc., the BeltLine Partnership and The Atlanta Development Authority, a number of departments within the City of Atlanta, the PATH Foundation, The Trust for Public Land, MARTA, and many private, public and non-profit organizations are playing key roles in making the BeltLine happen.

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Website: The Atlanta Beltline

Website: The Beltline Partnership