Yes in Our Backyards – Amsterdam Walk ONLY with Beltline Rail
A new development has been on the table for the past few years at Amsterdam Walk, a prime location adjacent to Piedmont Park along the Beltline Eastside Trail. As proposed by Portman Holdings, this mixed-use development would transform the area into a much more dense community with apartments/condos, shopping, dining, and office space in one of the city’s most desirable locations. The concept is far from perfect, but it is a massive step in the right direction necessary for Atlanta to become the transit-oriented city promised by Mayor Dickens during his first campaign (and seemingly tossed out as he launches his second campaign). Except for one vital problem: the proposal heavily favors cars over public transit.
Traffic on Monroe Drive at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 17, 2025. Photo credit: Beltline Rail Now.
Currently, the location is home to a handful of notable local businesses: Red Light Cafe, Mathnasium, Sean’s Harvest Market, Urban Body Fitness, Boomerang, and a few others. However, the underutilized space is ripe with potential, especially with the promised inclusion of light rail. And Amsterdam Walk is up-zoned—like all of the former light industrial Beltline properties—for density to support this vision. In fact, Portman Holdings, the developer, doesn't need a rezoning at all, except for two things: the number of dwelling units and the number of parking spaces.
On April 21, the Atlanta City Council will vote on two zoning exceptions for this property: first, the inclusion of about 1,000 dwelling units (including around 20% earmarked as affordable housing) and second, the over 1,400 parking spaces that are projected to lead to 3,000-4,000 additional daily car trips on Monroe Drive. This becomes even more significant considering the Complete/Safer Street project planned for Monroe, which includes modifying the road from four lanes (with two lanes traveling north and two going south) to three (with one through-lane in each direction and a center turning lane).
Traffic on Monroe is horrendous, and poor decisions with Atlanta’s continuing population increase will only cause it to get worse. So, what can be done? One part of the solution is to increase density to make it easier for people to get around our neighborhood by foot or bicycle. The other part of the equation is to add robust public transit, such as the already planned and already funded light rail along the Beltline, giving people a realistic option to get around without exclusively relying on a car.
Screen capture of Portman Holding’s site design for Amsterdam Walk, including the minor concession for Beltline light rail. If they advocated for light rail as hard as they are advocating for parking, Beltline Rail Now would support this project. Image credit: Portman Holdings.
Portman’s proposal hits the first aspect of this solution perfectly. Portman’s designs promise more housing, shopping, dining, and things to do, while also going above and beyond in the name of equity by including 20% of the housing as affordable housing. These are all significant components of the linear city that the Beltline is intended to become. The second half of the equation, though, is where things have fallen flat for a few reasons. Rather than leaning into public transit, Portman is proposing a car-centric development. Although their plans include accommodations for light rail when it gets built, it is treated as an afterthought and a concession rather than being the lead in this conversation. Even more brutal is Mayor Dickens’ recent reneging of his campaign promise to support the shovel-ready light rail on the Eastside Trail.
As much as we want to support this type of mixed-use, pro-density complex, we cannot accept it without adequate infrastructure and public transportation. With the mayor now opposing light rail and the developer prioritizing cars over a real solution, this project is not a fit for Atlanta. With a better mindset and more thoughtfulness, Amsterdam Walk could be a jewel for the city. But because of a lack of vision and a lack of leadership, we are instead seeing nothing but fool’s gold.
Early 2023 rendering of Amsterdam Walk proposal. Wasn’t this beautiful? Rendering: Portman Holdings
Current Spring 2025 rendering of Amsterdam Walk proposal. Rendering: Portman Holdings
From the anti-transit and car-centric design from the developer to the anti-urban NIMBY stance among the opposition, Amsterdam Walk has become an impenetrable facade of boredom (as seen from the Beltline). Loss of greenspace and promenades are among the many ideas forfeited.
