Atlanta City Council: Are You Ready to Get on Board With BeltLine Rail?
Left: An undeveloped segment of the BeltLine as it stands today. Right: Same BeltLine segment, exhibiting proposed placement of multi-use trail and transit. Image credit: Atlanta Development Authority
Why doesn't rail on the BeltLine - a project Atlantans overwhelmingly support - enjoy greater support among city officials? We know it’s not due to a lack of money. Indeed, BeltLine Rail Now's funding white paper provides a detailed blueprint of the funding mechanisms four other cities have used successfully to support core-of-the-city light rail projects.
Rail on the BeltLine has been downgraded to afterthought status due to a lack of political will, which has its genesis in a variety of reasons:
Elected officials routinely prioritize their own projects over those initiated by their predecessors. Such prioritization directly affects the flow of funding, prompting a quiet ending to many projects of prior administrations, however worthwhile may might be.
The Great Recession of 2009 prompted real estate projects to come to a grinding halt, and the projected haul from sales tax revenues declined precipitously.
As the recession ended around 2014, gentrification accelerated sharply across the United States and here in Atlanta, causing rents to soar and the displacement of many legacy residents. And although this phenomenon occurred throughout the city, the Atlanta BeltLine quickly became the poster child for displacement and a lack of affordability.
In spite of these factors, citizen support for BeltLine transit is enormous. Consider:
--- 75% of respondents to a 2016 survey conducted by Atlanta BeltLine Inc indicated that they were not satisfied with the delay in BeltLine rail transit. 80% of respondents said they would ride it.
--- In 2016, Atlantans went to the polls to vote on an additional source of revenue for transit expansion in our city. Construction of rail on the BeltLine received top billing in presentations to Atlanta residents, who then voted overwhelmingly to support a 1/2-percent sales tax increase for more transit in Atlanta.
In spite of these compelling facts, there’s no rail on the BeltLine planned for several more years. The money is available. It's time for city of Atlanta officials to stop short-selling its citizens. Atlantans want rail and all of its wondrous benefits: mobility, accessibility, and affordability.. Moving forward with the BeltLine as a trail and parks project without rail is simply unacceptable.