BeltLine Path Will Not be Completed Until the End of the Decade

Raises New Concerns and More Questions

Last week, the BeltLine CEO disclosed to the Atlanta Business Chronicle that the BeltLine path and trails will not be finished until the end of the decade. 

This acknowledgment has surprised many civic and neighborhood leaders and raised new concerns and many new questions.

The first obvious question:  If the path and trail for the entire BeltLine loop will not be completed for at least 7 more years, why are there plans now to spend hundreds of millions of local taxpayer dollars to expand the downtown streetcar and an additional $3 billion to build rail on the BeltLine?

Doesn’t it make more sense to double down on completing the path and trail earlier than the projected 7 years rather than divert resources, time, and an enormous amount of taxpayer dollars on other controversial transportation projects affecting the BeltLine and creating more congestion in our city?

This is the proverbial cliché of putting the cart before the horse.

The article in the Atlanta Business Chronicle revealed that it is unclear how security and maintenance will be adequately addressed once the paths are paved.  “An unkempt, disorderly environment on the Beltline could undermine its role as an economic development engine and landing strip for high-density growth,” noted the BeltLine CEO, who has observed an uptick in negative feedback about litter and other issues in recent years.  “We’re creating these beautiful trails, but what’s going to happen in four or five years if they’re not being maintained.”  

The Department of Parks and Recreation, which now provides maintenance, could struggle to take care of the entire corridor in addition to the city’s portfolio of other out spaces.

The possible solution, according to the CEO, is to renew the BeltLine Tax Allocation District (TAD) and earmark a portion of the funds for upkeep.  But extending the TAD will need the formal approval of the City of Atlanta, Fulton County, and the Atlanta Public School District, which is highly unlikely.

Another big problem: there are legal questions as to whether TADs can even be used for maintenance or operating costs.

This latest breaking news raises new concerns about the proposed plan to expand the downtown streetcar and build rail on the BeltLine.

This begs the question:

Who will maintain the rails, its security, and its environment?  MARTA?  The City of Atlanta?

And we’re still waiting on an answer as to how rail operating costs will be funded.

Too many questions.  

Too many concerns.  

Too many other immediate transportations need across the city.

Let’s first finish the entire 22-mile pedestrian path of the Beltline. Then the city can evaluate what, if any, transit options should be added. We could easily use the path designated for rail instead for bikers and other small-wheeled vehicles, easing the congestion, especially along the Eastside.

We must preserve the BeltLine as we know it today – a beautiful green trail that thousands of people use every day.

In the meantime, we can have a public discussion about our transit needs throughout the city before we commit to billions of taxpayers’ dollars on rail that will take decades to build.