Atlanta BeltLine

TAD Feasibility Study/Redevelopment Plan

Atlanta, GA

The BeltLine is a visionary ‘Smart Growth’ initiative for 22 miles of under utilized railroad right-of-way ringing Downtown Atlanta.

Envisioned as a transit and greenway corridor with new transit-oriented development on former brownfield sites, the BeltLine proposes over 2,000 acres of new or improved parks connected by 33 miles of greenway trails, all available to over 50,000 new housing units as well as the residential base located in 46 of the city’s historic neighborhoods.

Urban Collage/Lord Aeck Sargent was involved in the creation of both the 2004 TAD (Tax-Allocation District) Feasibility Study and the 2005 TAD Redevelopment Plan. Besides formulating redevelopment scenarios and program quantifications for twelve key transit-based activity centers, UC/LAS helped shape the redevelopment / future land use envelope for the entire BeltLine and were instrumental in facilitating and supporting the extensive public involvement process. UC/LAS also helped the public understand the economic development implications of a TAD (or tax-increment financing district) and the criteria for its smooth functioning; and contributed to the preliminary development guidelines that could become the basis of future regulatory control.

The BeltLine project earned top honors as Overall Deal of the Year, Award Winner for Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Best in Atlanta Real Estate Awards.

Recipient of the 2007 American Society of Landscape Architects Analysis and Planning Honor Award.

Implementation Highlights:

  • Tax Allocation District legislation approved by the City of Atlanta, Fulton County and the Atlanta School System
  • Ongoing strategic land assembly by Trust for Public Land
  • Ongoing greenway capital campaign by the PATH Foundation
 

Practice Areas

Districts & Corridors