Support for Atlanta Transit Surfaces in Unlikely Places (Valdosta, Millen: 2015, lease)

[jsvh]

Support for Atlanta Transit Surfaces in Unlikely Places - Bureau Of Big Ideas - Curbed Atlanta

An approach to transit that could change skeptical Georgians’ minds | Kyle Wingfield

You know transit talk is getting serious in Georgia when the AJC's conservative columnist devotes all of his Sunday ink to making streetcars and rapid bus lines sound logical. By now, most of us know the 2015 Peach State legislature could make a "historic commitment" (read: at least a few bucks) to the growth of Atlanta's transit network, as part of $1 billion or more to fix what state leaders term a "growing crisis." The aforementioned columnist, Kyle Wingfield, quotes Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, who probably dropped a few jaws with this statement: "We cannot avoid the issue of transit. … I believe very strongly that we have an infrastructure that exists with MARTA that can be capitalized on." Wingfield advocates for fiscal prudency when it comes to transit — if express buses are cheaper and just as effective as trains, use them, he argues — but then he casts out a fairly radical idea: Why not call a spade a spade, and instead of using the term "transit-oriented development," call it "development-oriented transit." The idea risks outcries about lining developers' pockets and social engineering, but as Wingfield expounds, the concept becomes more intriguing.

For a concrete example, Wingfield points to 14th Street in Midtown, a bastion of liberal Millennials that probably makes old men's toes curl in Hiawassee and Valdosta. Wingfiled posits that a 14th Street streetcar or rapid bus line in a dedicated lane would help shuffle people though a corridor with limited space to expand, feeding them into the existing MARTA system. "In short," he writes, "look to add transit in places where people are already flocking, especially where the road infrastructure and room for improving it are limited … We should all want new infrastructure to solve the problems we face today."

[AnsleyPark]

Mr. Winfield makes a very good point me thinketh.

[Mutiny77]

Well how about that.

[Ha-Mez]

As one who lives near 14th street, I would love a streetcar on 14th street.

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by Ha-Mez

As one who lives near 14th street, I would love a streetcar on 14th street.

Add 10th and North Ave to the mix as well.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by Gulch

Add 10th and North Ave to the mix as well.

North ave has the capacity for a exclusive lane for a streetcar, but how does it connect to the beltline?

[jsvh]

Originally Posted by cqholt

North ave has the capacity for a exclusive lane for a streetcar, but how does it connect to the beltline?

North Ave / Beltline connection is already in the plans for the next phase and they have initial alignments. It would connect via Summerset Terrace.

[1lifealex]

Phase one and two of the Atlanta BeltLine streetcar project routes http://i.imgur.com/WT2lTpG.png

[magnetar]

Here's a super easy investment the state could make in MARTA. The Inman Park/Reynoldstown MARTA station isn't on the list of potential TOD sites because the main parking lot is owned by the State and gives MARTA a right to use it only for parking. The state giving air rights to MARTA to develop the site would be a big win for MARTA -- a mixed use development in one of the hottest parts of town -- but also for the state, who would reap the rewards of their property being leased for more than just a parking lot.

Inman Park/Reynoldstown Station TOD Profile: http://www.itsmarta.com/uploadedFile...%20Profile.pdf

[jsvh]

Originally Posted by magnetar

Here's a super easy investment the state could make in MARTA. The Inman Park/Reynoldstown MARTA station isn't on the list of potential TOD sites because the main parking lot is owned by the State and gives MARTA a right to use it only for parking. The state giving air rights to MARTA to develop the site would be a big win for MARTA -- a mixed use development in one of the hottest parts of town -- but also for the state, who would reap the rewards of their property being leased for more than just a parking lot.

Inman Park/Reynoldstown Station TOD Profile: http://www.itsmarta.com/uploadedFile...%20Profile.pdf

Agreed! Everytime I see that lot I think what a prime location for a TOD it is!