BeltLine Update

Press Release

BELTLINE DRAFT WORK PLAN NOW AVAILABLE

Budget plan forecasts first five years of Atlanta's BeltLine priorities The Atlanta Development Authority today released the first draft of the Atlanta BeltLine Work Plan. This $427 million strategic budget plan is the guiding document that encompasses the first five years of spending priorities for the City of Atlanta's visionary 25-year BeltLine initiative.

The draft Work Plan is currently available at www.beltlinecommunity.com.

The Work Plan is designed to ensure financial feasibility and lay a foundation for 25-year success while focusing on geographic balance and delivering tangible and useful features over the first five years of the BeltLine's implementation.

"As one of the most complex, comprehensive economic development efforts in the City's history, the BeltLine is now transitioning from vision toward implementation via the Work Plan process," said Greg Giornelli, president, Atlanta Development Authority. "Required by the Atlanta City Council prior to the first BeltLine TAD bond issuance, the Work Plan is a strategic guiding document that seeks to publicly identify how funds are forecast and prioritized for BeltLine implementation through 2010."

The 36-page Work Plan covers the three major 25-year impact opportunities represented by Atlanta's BeltLine: growing greenspace with parks and trails, transforming transit, and ensuring livable communities and an attractive business climate.

Plan highlights include:

• An emphasis on the fundamental principle of securing the right-of-way needed to implement the full 22-mile BeltLine corridor;
  
  
• Laying the foundation for the project's future with various planning activities, including land-use and zoning planning, street grid planning, transportation and pedestrian mobility studies, sub-area master planning, etc.;
  
  
• Significant investment in new parks and trails, totaling $180 million (41 percent of five-year funding). This addition of new greenspace includes 480-490 acres of parks acquired with 155-165 acres developed, with emphasis on the new Westside Park, and initiation of a trail system, which includes acquiring and developing 5-7 miles (90-100 acres) of BeltLine trails along the northeast and southwest portions as well as 1-3 miles connecting the BeltLine to other parks and surrounding neighborhoods;
  
  
• Accomplishing all possible steps to ensure a transit system is established at the earliest opportunity, including acquiring transit-related right of way (ROW), completing Environmental Impact Studies, engineering work, initial preparation of transit right of way; and further efforts to acquire federal funding;
  
  
• Investing $42 million in affordable workforce housing, a significant early investment as a cornerstone of $92 million in economic development support to ensure livable communities and an attractive business climate.
  
  
• In addition to affordable workforce housing, the $92 million includes development incentives, brownfield testing and remediation, and transportation and pedestrian mobility projects. (The Work Plan targets six economic development focus areas: Murphy Triangle, Boulevard Crossing, Simpson/Maddox Park, West End/McDaniel Glen, University/Metropolitan and Ponce/Old Fourth Ward);
  
  
• Providing adequate strategic reserve funds for use in responding to other opportunities.

The Work Plan anticipates only about 15 percent of total eventual funding for the BeltLine because of the timed phases involved in the availability of TAD funding. However, the plan envisions all the early steps necessary to lay the foundation for accomplishing the quarter century vision represented by the BeltLine.

TAD funding, which flows over 25 years, will cover only approximately 60 percent of total BeltLine costs. Additional funds for the estimated $2.77 billion project must be derived from federal sources as well as critical private sector funding and other local/city funds (such as Greenspace Opportunity Bonds).

The Work Plan released Wednesday also reflects results from the recently conducted Community Engagement Framework survey, which drew opinions from more than 10,000 respondents with a strong interest in the BeltLine. The unprecedented community engagement survey process sought to offer a comprehensive and consistent means for the public to express ideas, concerns, preferences and initial expectations about the BeltLine.

"People involved and collaborating with BeltLine planners, government leaders, and public and private partners will be vital to sustaining success for the BeltLine," Giornelli said. "Patience, flexibility, and openness are going to be keys to shaping the BeltLine opportunity for years to come."

The Work Plan will be revised for final submission to the City Council on July 3 as required in connection with the City's BeltLine TAD ordinance, which was passed last November. The target date for comments to be received from the public is June 22.

The plan will be presented in full by ADA at an Atlanta City Hall presentation on Saturday, June 3, from 10 a.m. - noon. The draft work plan document is available for download at www.beltlinecommunity.com and will also be available as a hard-copy reference at all Atlanta-Fulton County libraries.

In addition to the City Hall presentation, additional briefings are scheduled the week of June 12. ADA will be available to receive public comment on the plan during office hours to be the weeks of June 12-15 and June 19-22. Check the ADA website at www.atlantada.com for specific places and times. Call Brandy Crawford at (404) 446-4408 to schedule an office hours appointment. To comment via email, use www.beltlinecommunity.com. Letters should be addressed to ADA at: Work Plan Feedback, c/o Atlanta Development Authority, 86 Pryor St., Atlanta, GA 30303. June 17, 2006