Light rail would ruin Beltline’s sense of community
As part of the Corridor Rapid Transit IMPACT Study for MARTA, I studied rapid rail and light rail systems in Toronto, Montreal, and Cleveland (1968 National HUD Award). I did the Decatur Rapid Transit System Concept Plan (National HUD Merit Award, 1974).
I observed in Toronto and Montreal high-density, high-rise development that had exploded around every transit station. Light rail as well as heavy rail was a powerful catalyst and high-density development was unstoppable.
The Atlanta Beltline is a fantastically successful creation that increases quality of life with its abundance of amenities, including the grand pedestrian walk, wonderful settings for a range of housing types, the linear park and linear art gallery, the bicycle trail, and gathering and event places. At its present scale, it is a community of happy, joyful spaces that maximize social interactions and bring people together.
A train or light rail is a catalyst for high-density, high-rise development.
The Beltline is too wonderful a community to be “Manhattanized.”
Trains and rails require protection by fencing or walls, which will divide the community. Access from one side to the other will require bridges or tunnels that will be eyesores. Rail stations will be at the heart of a high-intensity development.
Consider the cost to us taxpayers: $15 million per mile or more.
And construction impact, which at 1 to 2 miles per year creates excessive noise, mess, and congestion.
High-density, tall-building development. Is that what you want? The developers would love it.
Maintain your high quality of life. You have a beautiful gift. Leave well enough alone.
PAUL MULDAWER, ATLANTA
Trump needs Congress to invoke War Powers Act
President Donald Trump launched Operation Epic Fury to eliminate Iran’s nuclear bomb-making and missile program. Both objectives were valid. Our military performed well. Despite this start, Trump’s simplistic reliance on extensive bombing ignored other complexities.
His inability to anticipate Iran’s chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz led to a 20% reduction in global oil supply. We Americans already feel the pain daily at the gas pump. Trump’s assurances that high gas prices will drop quickly after the war ends don’t match assessments by experienced oil industry analysts. Further, Gulf States who supported the U.S. by providing sites for our military bases might reconsider their support after suffering economically with damaged oil infrastructure and continuing proximity/ vulnerability to Iran.
A CIA analysis estimated 70% of Iran’s pre-war missile and drone supplies survived bombing. Military bombing alone and Trump bombast have their limits. With a strategic stalemate in place, Trump needs Congress to invoke the War Powers Act to extricate him from his folly (the House voted 215-208 on June 3 in favor). Simply put, “he doesn’t have the cards” to achieve a deal that puts America’s interest ahead of his own ego.
RICH LAPIN, DUNWOODY
Newsman Jim Minter was a gifted storyteller
I’m finding it difficult to submit a letter to the editor of less than 200 words about the late Jim Minter, well-known executive editor of the AJC, but I’ll try.
Having read most, if not all, of Jim’s op-ed columns going back to 1982, I feel he deserves a place in the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame. He was a gifted storyteller about days gone by. I always enjoyed anything he wrote mentioning Inman, the small Fayette County community where he was raised. And let’s not forget it was Jim Minter who brought Lewis Grizzard back to Atlanta from Chicago.
I’d highly recommend picking up a copy of Jim’s book at your local library - “Some Things I Wish We Wouldn’t Forget (and others I wish we could): Adventures in Goat-keeping, Big-city Newspapering & Semi-rural Living” - if you don’t already have one.
SCOTT MACLEAN, FOREST PARK
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