In The News

Feb 15, 2008

Atlanta believes in Beltline
Community support is well on track
Atlanta Journal Constitution -- By Ray Weeks

Monday morning's Georgia Supreme Court decision reversing the Fulton County Superior Court's validation of the Beltline Tax Allocation District bonds triggered an outpouring of support from business, civic and political leadership across Atlanta.

As surprising as the court's decision was, this immediate, broad expression of encouragement, while humbling, was not surprising.

Business and financial community partners immediately asked, "How can we help?" Political leaders of diverse stripes stood side by side with Mayor Shirley Franklin to express their support at City Hall. And even the man who successfully challenged the inclusion of school property tax dollars in TADs told this newspaper: "I look forward to a successful project."

We have seen this love of the Beltline grow over the past several years. Thousands of people have taken tours of the Beltline route, connecting them to neighborhoods they've never seen and consistently exciting them about a city that will be transformed in coming years. Many other citizens have taken part in planning sessions in which their voices contribute to how the Beltline is taking shape. Corporate and individual philanthropists have pledged nearly $30 million to the Beltline capital campaign. Other private partners — the Trust for Public Land, the PATH Foundation, Trees Atlanta, Park Pride and others — have helped to begin to realize this vision.

Across this spectrum of supporters, we have heard a consistent refrain: The Beltline will be more than an amenity for Atlanta. The Beltline is a bundle of solutions to the very challenges that threaten to limit Atlanta's health and prosperity: traffic; deficient greenspace and recreation; and uneven economic development - benefiting some neighborhoods while leaving others behind.

In the past year-and-a-half, without the benefit of TAD funding but with the support of creative, determined public and private partners, the Beltline has begun to move from vision to reality: Ground will soon be broken for the West End trail; work is under way on parks on the Westside, at Boulevard Crossing and at North Avenue; and a creative public-private partnership has secured significant Beltline right-of-way through the northeast corridor.

Equally significantly, the anticipated private investment in communities around the Beltline is happening even more rapidly than anyone might have imagined: More than 50 projects have sprouted up around the Beltline. All of this adds up to a vote of confidence in the future of Atlanta — a recognition that the health of the region depends on a strong city at its center. We should not take that for granted as cities across the country grapple with attracting reinvestment.

Where do we go from here? Forward. Progress will continue on the trails and parks under way. Planning will continue, engaging the community every step of the way. And the very creativity and public-private partnership that led to the acquisition of the northeast corridor and a larger-than-expected park at North Avenue will be brought to bear on how we persevere with the Beltline.

The Beltline is blessed with many assets. This bump in the road has demonstrated that chief among those advantages is business, civic and political will to address Atlanta's challenges and invest in our future. We are humbled, grateful and inspired by it.