Do you all think the Beltline light rail line will happen? (Atlanta: crime, daycare)

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Looks like some of the neighborhoods on the Beltline are not in favor of adding rail.

Where are the numbers, and who voted?

[arjay57]

Apparently it was your uber-high dollar areas like Ansley, Sherwood Forest and Brookwood Hills, plus Home Park.

I guess they arguably had the most to lose.

A closer look at the voting geography reveals within NPU-E a larger phenomenon happening all over the city and in cities all over America. The American city, with its cultural, leisure, and civic opportunities and its many options for enjoying life, is more attractive than ever as a place to live. That is certainly the case for Atlanta. Many of the newest residents of NPU-E’s leafier, low-density neighborhoods lived in suburbs before and moved for convenience, but some have not fully embraced the nature of urban life with its diversity. The denser, more populous, more urban neighborhoods like Midtown, Georgia Tech, Atlantic Station, and Marietta St. Artery, along with Loring Heights, all cast votes in favor. Some, like the reps from Loring Heights and Marietta St. Artery, were quite passionate in their comments about solving mobility, parking, and congestion issues and providing green connections as the city grows.

The nature of the debate in NPU-E reveals the pro-urban vision and anti-urban fears of some who held sway with their neighborhood associations. One neighborhood NPU rep acting in his official capacity stated publicly that he believed that the streetcar on the BeltLine would mean more arrivals by transit riders bent on taking BeltLine commit crimes in his neighborhood. That neighborhood ultimately voted against the petition. These comments are reminiscent of many made 50 years ago when MARTA lost the membership of Cobb and Gwinnett counties. In Sherwood Forest, there were fears of rezoning and being forced to accept ADUs (accessory dwelling units) as a consequence of having BeltLine rail travel at the edge of the neighborhood. Ansley Park’s letter expressed fears over loss of a historical buffer between single family and commercial areas if BeltLine rail arrives and brings about a “tension” between “incompatible” land uses. All of this points to a lack of sustained engagement between the city, ABI, MARTA, and the neighborhoods. To be fair, neither Ansley Park nor Sherwood Forest expressed outright opposition to the idea of BeltLine rail, but both seem to be holding out for design solutions and assurances from ABI, the city, and MARTA about the issues they raised in our meetings.

https://static1.squarespace.com/stat...023+NPU+Report

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Looks like some of the neighborhoods on the Beltline are not in favor of adding rail.

But most of them are in favor. Read the full report.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by aries4118

But most of them are in favor. Read the full report.

Well, I did read it, which is why my post says "some of the neighborhoods on the Beltline are not in favor of adding rail," and includes a map of the ones who voted against it.

You might have seen my subsequent post which includes BRN's analysis of why they voted this way.

[Iconographer]

It was integral to Ryan Gravel's (remember him?) master plan to incorporate rail as a means of enhancing connectivity between the neighborhoods involved. I believe it was when the NIMBYs and urban planning wannabes began to tinker with his well-considered original vision that Gravel divorced himself from the project altogether.

Shades of The Fountainhead. I don't blame Gravel one bit.

[Datdudebrah]

Originally Posted by Iconographer

It was integral to Ryan Gravel's (remember him?) master plan to incorporate rail as a means of enhancing connectivity between the neighborhoods involved. I believe it was when the NIMBYs and urban planning wannabes began to tinker with his well-considered original vision that Gravel divorced himself from the project altogether.

Shades of The Fountainhead. I don't blame Gravel one bit.

Gravel is still supportive of the project in general. He just, rightly, had issues with how they completely ignored the affordable housing aspect as they built out the eastside trail.


On the whole neighborhoods against transit thing, of course the richest neighborhoods in the city are against it. That's no surprise. You'd get the same answer on Billionaires row in NYC " Why take transit when you can just call a driver". Anyway hope the city is smart enough to keep this funded, nearing 100% designed project on track. It takes a very long time to get infrastructure projects moving and giving in to the NIMBYs will mean we get nothing at this point.

Also adding that these people asking for more studies, more alternatives, more public meetings, etc. Will also be the first ones whining about how much it costs to build things.

Mary Norwood and Marci Overstreet already came out with asks for more studies, more reviews, and more public outreach a few weeks ago responding to legislation about the Trolley line trail that they apparently didn't read.

[bryantm3]

Didn't NPU-L vote against it, too, though?

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by bryantm3

Didn't NPU-L vote against it, too, though?

Good point. As I understand BRN's analysis, this has to do with NPU-L getting hammered by gentrification and displacement.

[waronxmas]

Originally Posted by SEAandATL

Is it? There's always a possibly of it getting canceled like the Clayton CRT line that seemed like a sure thing. But anyhow that might be the first, last, and only phase sadly knowing how it is around here.

There is always the possibility of something being cancelled. Just because that is true doesn't mean it will happen here.

[waronxmas]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Looks like some of the neighborhoods on the Beltline are not in favor of adding rail.

well, that's not actually going to result in anything other than them being salty when it does get built.