HERE’S A QUICK READ TO CATCH YOU UP ON BELTLINE RAIL. WILL YOU HELP US MAKE IT HAPPEN?

Dear Microsoft, Airbnb, Amazon, and the new Googlers coming to town,

Welcome to Atlanta! Really excited - but totally not surprised - that you’ve chosen to bring your business and your employees here. Atlanta is a great city, but it’s got quirks, so here’s a few things to help make the move easier. And - yall are problem solvers by nature, so we have a favor to ask.

First off, don’t sweat the pollen. It’ll be gone soon. We hate it too, but it’s a small price to pay for our city’s amazing tree canopy. 

Next, we want to apologize in advance for the lack of viable housing options for your employees. Our city has dozens of vibrant, diverse and affordable neighborhoods - many of which will be out of reach for your employees due to lengthy commuting time. There are plenty of housing options near MARTA stations, but they might be a bit pricey for most of your workers. So that’s a bit of a pickle.

There are also a few things you need to know about the BeltLine. Always step off the trail if you stop moving. Stay to the right at all times. And - know that it’s supposed to have light rail. 

Yes, that crazy popular sidewalk is actually part of a visionary infrastructure project consisting of 22 miles of trail, greenspaces and RAIL. Now 20 years old, the BeltLine was originally designed to promote affordability and improve accessibility options for all Atlantans - including the thousands of people like you that move to our city each and every day. It’s like an ice cream sundae… except that in the past 20 years, only the cherry has been delivered, in the form of pavement. The rail will unlock more housing options, support the awesome diversity of our residents, and ensure that Atlanta is a great place to live and work - now and in the future.    

Happily, BeltLine Rail now released a white paper in January outlining how to fund the rail component of the BeltLine. It covers a handful of funding instruments that have proven successful in other cities. It also explains why BeltLine transit is the key to Atlanta’s sustainability. And City Council recently approved a plan to fund the trail component of the BeltLine. We can now focus on the rail component without distraction!     

We know moving is stressful and you’re super-busy, so we wrote a two-page summary of the white paper to get you up to speed quickly. You can read it here.

Here’s the favor. We could really use your help convincing our mayor and city council to accelerate the timeline on BeltLine rail. Current projections extend past 2050! Seriously. We are not making this up.  And

The pollen will wash away in a few days - but the problems of affordability, accessibility, and congestion in Atlanta are only getting worse. So let’s meet up for a walk on the BeltLine sometime soon to get acquainted, and figure out how to get this shovel-ready project moving. 

See you around town!

BeltLine Rail Now