Atlanta Through the Archives

Beltline Project

Summary

The idea for Atlanta’s Beltline originated in a master’s thesis by Georgia Tech graduate Ryan Gavel in 1999, who wanted to create a transportation alternative around the city on the bones of railroad corridors. After support grew from politicians, business owners, and residents, Atlanta’s City Council approved the feasibility report, and the nonprofit Atlanta BeltLine Partnership used a variety of funding sources to begin construction, including a Tax Allocation District (TAD). The multi-use trail’s development plan of over 22 miles around the city was passed by City Council, Fulton County Commissioners, and Atlanta School Board in 2005 and included 5,600 housing units to mitigate displacement.

Since construction began, home values and property taxes have taken a toll on the original residents. With less than a decade until the proposed completion of the project, the BeltLine Partnership launched the Legacy Resident Retention Program in 2021 to potentially alleviate economic pressure on lower income citizens. The program intends to cover the cost increase of property taxes for homeowners who make less than 100% of the median income for the area, which is $55,800 per year for a single-person household, or $79,700 for a family of four.

SOURCES:

Vasilogambros, Matt. “ Atlanta's Own High Line May Finally Erase Some Racial Divisions.” The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/04/atlantas-own-high-line-may-finally-erase-some-racial-divisi ons/431955/.

Langer, Adina. “The Atlanta BeltLine: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow.” National Council on Public History. https://ncph.org/history-at-work/atlanta-beltline/.

Brey, Jared. “The Atlanta BeltLine Wants to Prevent Displacement of Longtime Residents. Is it Too Late?” Next City. https://nextcity.org/urbanist-news/the-atlanta-beltline-wants-to-prevent-displacement-of-longtime-residents.