Back in 2008, I joined the staff of the Atlanta Beltline as the director of community engagement. At the time, it was still a visionary project — one designed to connect abandoned rail corridors encircling portions of the city and offer residents alternatives for travel without a car. The plan included a multiuse trail for walkers and cyclists, light rail in its own green corridor and broader goals such as reconnecting 45 neighborhoods, creating affordable housing, environmental cleanup, and expanding parks and greenspaces.
The Atlanta Beltline was originally focused on transit, envisioned as an interconnected corridor with transit at its core. Its potential development prompted community discussions on mobility, increasing density where appropriate, affordable housing and reconnecting neighborhoods divided by earlier infrastructure projects like highways and other private developments.
As the 10 Subarea Master Plans took shape, transit remained a top priority. The Atlanta City Council recognized this, adopting each Master Plan with transit — alongside the necessary land use changes to enable smart growth — firmly embedded. At no point during these plan approvals was transit questioned or challenged.
Early studies examined various transit options, including light rail, bus rapid transit and other modes. After thorough analysis, light rail in a grassed guideway was found to be the most practical solution. Choosing bus rapid transit — or any other wheeled technology — would mean constructing a roadway, which would have triggered substantial stormwater management requirements, including large detention ponds along the 22-mile loop. The corridor could not accommodate such infrastructure without buying more land, which would likely have displaced single-family homes.
The development along the Eastside Trail has largely materialized because of the promise of transit. Developers secured increased density for their projects, benefiting financially from the community-driven planning process that shaped the Master Plans. Given this long-term commitment to transit, it is disappointing to now see some developers balk at the idea, citing short-term construction impacts.
The recent decision by Mayor Dickens — who has consistently supported transit on the Atlanta Beltline — to prioritize transit along the Southside Trail instead of extending service along the Eastside Trail was unexpected. ABI and MARTA have spent over a decade studying and designing transit for the Eastside Trail. Construction plans are well advanced, and implementation could begin within a year or two. Halting this progress now would waste millions of dollars and set the project back significantly. Redirecting the focus to a different corridor would require another decade of study and design before construction could begin — essentially delaying any transit construction on the Beltline by 10-plus years.
After 25 years of studies, master planning, community engagement, engineering, education and listening to the community, it is disheartening to think that all of it could be disregarded. I retired from the Atlanta Beltline nearly two years ago after 15 and a half years of dedicated service to the organization and the communities it serves. I devoted myself to engaging neighborhoods, garden clubs, Rotary groups, chambers, university classes, planning conventions and anyone interested in learning about or contributing to the project.
The Atlanta Beltline has significantly transformed the city and its users. The community supports its vision, including a MARTA tax increase for transit funding. Despite some objections to temporary construction impacts, the Beltline should continue as planned, offering long-term mobility benefit.
Credit: Beth McMillan/contributed
Credit: Beth McMillan/contributed
Beth McMillan is retired as vice president of Planning, Engagement and Art for Atlanta Beltline.
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