Life on the Rails
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.
Meanwhile, under the leadership of the Mayor and City Council with the involvement of Ray Weeks and other key leaders, negotiations with Vulcan Materials Company and Fulton County Commission resulted in the acquisition of the 138-acre Bellwood Quarry and underlying property in June 2006. The quarry, which will become a reservoir providing critical drinking water for the city, will be the centerpiece of one of the largest parks in the City. Its acquisition marked a key early achievement for the BeltLine.
The BeltLine Today
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.