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Atlanta Beltline - Emerald Necklace


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teshadoh thanks for knowing what I'm talking about. I was started to think that I was imaginning it. There are several projects on the block of Edgwood, DeKalb & Krog. One faces Edgewood and is on the east side of the tracks. The other (the one I want to know more about) faces DeKalb and is on the west side of the tracks. My questions are, is it Wayne and what is it ($ & name).

Sounds like you're talking about an apartment project called 626 Dekalb. All I could find was an article in the Business Chronicle where it was mentioned.

Beltline boosting new developments

Among those are business partners Colin Cavill and Mark Mechlowitz. The pair previously teamed up with Lane Co. to build Freedom Lofts on Ralph McGill Boulevard.

Cavill and Mechlowitz now control three parcels, a total of 6 acres, on or near the Beltline on the southside. Their first project will be named "626 DeKalb on the Beltline."

Edited by Martinman
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I had brunch with John Sherman (pres. of the FCTA) about three weeks ago to see if their was any room for movement on their part with regards to the Beltline lawsuit they planned on filing. He told me that they were having a hard time finding counsel, as no attorney wanted to take on all of the business interests that have jumped at this opportunity. John seemed like a reasonable guy and I'm hopefull that I was able to make him rethink his position a little...we'll see.

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MARTA names potential Beltline routes - AJC

A study of Atlanta's Beltline project shows just how difficult it may be to fulfill the city's dream of building a transit loop that's contiguous for 22 miles through dozens of neighborhoods.

Two of the four potential routes pass through Atlantic Station and terminate at the Arts Center MARTA station in Midtown rather than traveling along the freight corridor to the Lindbergh Center station in Buckhead, which would create the sought-after 22-mile loop.

MARTA is looking at a system with 40 stations and trains arriving at eight-minute intervals during rush hours and 10-15 minutes at other times. MARTA also has identified three possible transit modes

Edited by Martinman
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So does this mean that the Beltline won't even connect to the Lindbergh station? As an employee in the Buckhead area, one of the driving points for me is that I can ride MARTA from the Buckhead station to Lindbergh, and then get onto the Beltline from there and take it to Atlantic Station - hence never getting into my car and only transferring from MARTA to the Beltline once.

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So does this mean that the Beltline won't even connect to the Lindbergh station? As an employee in the Buckhead area, one of the driving points for me is that I can ride MARTA from the Buckhead station to Lindbergh, and then get onto the Beltline from there and take it to Atlantic Station - hence never getting into my car and only transferring from MARTA to the Beltline once.

From their studies of the Beltline, Marta has come up with four potential routes. Two of the possible routes pass through Atlantic Station and connect to the Arts center station.

This is because it will be expensive to run transit the through NW area of the Beltline since it is a heavily used rail area but we are nowhere near any final decisions on any of this.

I think it would be great to have a line from the beltline through AS to the Arts center station but not as the main beltline route.

Edited by Martinman
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Not sure if anyone has heard about the latest "Work Sessions" - and I use that term loosely - from MARTA regarding the type of transit to consider for the Beltline, but it sounds like there's a chance MARTA could really screw things up by choosing bus over rail.

************************************

Bus transit looks like the ticket for Beltline

By PAUL DONSKY

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 08/09/06

Atlanta's Beltline project, seen as the future of transit in the city, may rely on a humble technology: buses.

A transportation study of the Beltline gives bus rapid transit

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Not from Atlanta, but...

I would rather see something closer to LRT than streetcars. I honestly don't see how the term 'streetcar' even applies, because the transit line will stick to its dedicated right-of-way for almost the entire way around town. I belive that the only places where the line would run in-street are the Hulsey detour, and probably Glenwood Park.

Perhaps by streetcars, they're talking about aesthetics, or the operational characteristics of the vehicles. I could care less about the aesthetics of the vehicles (old-style streetcars look just as nice to me as do sleek, modern streetcars and LRVs). But the operational characteristics really do matter. Streetcars can make tighter turns, but have a lower average and top speed than light rail. With streetcars, fare collection is usually done onboard, rather than with platform-side vending machines. Due to lower speeds, Overhead electricity is typically supplied through (cheaper) single-suspension wire and trolley poles, rather than the catenary-suspension wire and pantographs typically used for LRT.

So, it seems that the only reason MARTA would specify streetcar over LRT is to set the expectation for slower trains and longer station dwell times. Given the eventual 20-mile length of this transit line, I would submit that the operational characteristics of LRT make it much more desirable.

If the choice comes down to streetcars or BRT due to cost, and simulations of BRT show that it would be significantly faster than streetcars (which I suspect will be the case) I suggest you think long and hard before brushing off BRT as an acceptable choice.

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So, it seems that the only reason MARTA would specify streetcar over LRT is to set the expectation for slower trains and longer station dwell times. Given the eventual 20-mile length of this transit line, I would submit that the operational characteristics of LRT make it much more desirable.

MARTA doesn't need to set expectations for slow trains and station wait times. It's taken me an hour to get from Buckhead to the airport before and I've sat on a train at the airport stop for almost 30 minutes.

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MARTA doesn't need to set expectations for slow trains and station wait times. It's taken me an hour to get from Buckhead to the airport before and I've sat on a train at the airport stop for almost 30 minutes.

Sarcasm aside, I'm talking about planned nominal operational characteristics, not worst-case scenarios and system breakdowns.

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Sarcasm aside, I'm talking about planned nominal operational characteristics, not worst-case scenarios and system breakdowns.

Yeah, it was a cheap shot. But the acronym MARTA should never be in the same sentence as the term "setting expectations".:huh:

Signed,

Frustrated & Fed-up native-Atlantan wanna-be transit user

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MARTA doesn't need to set expectations for slow trains and station wait times. It's taken me an hour to get from Buckhead to the airport before and I've sat on a train at the airport stop for almost 30 minutes.

Yes, I think reliability is a huge factor in deciding whether to use mass transit. I've also been stuck on the train on the way to the airport, and it is really a deterrent to using the system. It's agonizing to be sitting in the station with the train not moving, and no information as to whether or when it may get going again, as the minutes to your flight -- as well as any alternatives for getting there -- tick away.

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I must be one of the lucky ones. I think in the countless times I have taken Marta to the airport, I was delayed maybe twice...I can't tell you how many times traffic has caught me. Don't let an accident occur at University on the southbound side. Traffic backs all the way up to just south of the toll booth. Talk about delay.

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I must be one of the lucky ones. I think in the countless times I have taken Marta to the airport, I was delayed maybe twice...I can't tell you how many times traffic has caught me. Don't let an accident occur at University on the southbound side. Traffic backs all the way up to just south of the toll booth. Talk about delay.

For me it's the inefficiencies.

Having to get off at Lindberg and wait 10 minutes until the North Springs train comes. Sitting on the train after a long flight for 30 minutes on the track in the blazing heat at the airport. Keeping the same schedule on Falcons gamedays despite ridership (why wouldn't MARTA change their schedule from 20 minutes to say 5-10 minutes on a gameday when half of the 30,000 fans that attend the game take MARTA)?

These are just some of the reasons I conciously choose not to ride public transit in Atlanta. I went to the Dave Matthews show at Lakewood last night and drove backroads from Stone Mountain to Lakewood because I knew it would be faster than if I drove to Indian Creek, got on the train, then had to get off at Five Points, wait 10 minutes for the Southbound train, then gotten off at Lakewood and gotten on a bus to get to the ampitheater. And even then, I'd be worried that if the concert ran late, I'd spend more money on a taxi than I would've on gas when they SHUTDOWN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION at 1:00am.

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  • 1 month later...

I really hope the beltline turns into light rail and not streetcars or buses. I would probably prefer subway (MARTA trains), but I'll heed to light rail. However, one of the things I don't like about light rail are those damn wires and electric cords -_- , it just looks tacky to me and takes away the visual of the street scene personally. This is from someone that is not a spring cleaner. Nonetheless, I was reading this forum issue, and thought why can't the trains be by powered by the sun..... :rolleyes:. I know it can probably be done, why not. So I googled "solar powered light rail" and this is what I got. No strings attached, excuse the pun and no petroleum.

http://phoenix.bizjournals.com/phoenix/sto...ewscolumn7.html

I'm not from Atlanta so maybe one you ATL heads can go to a board meeting on the beltline and bring it up. It can't hurt.

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For me it's the inefficiencies.

Having to get off at Lindberg and wait 10 minutes until the North Springs train comes. Sitting on the train after a long flight for 30 minutes on the track in the blazing heat at the airport. Keeping the same schedule on Falcons gamedays despite ridership (why wouldn't MARTA change their schedule from 20 minutes to say 5-10 minutes on a gameday when half of the 30,000 fans that attend the game take MARTA)?

These are just some of the reasons I conciously choose not to ride public transit in Atlanta. I went to the Dave Matthews show at Lakewood last night and drove backroads from Stone Mountain to Lakewood because I knew it would be faster than if I drove to Indian Creek, got on the train, then had to get off at Five Points, wait 10 minutes for the Southbound train, then gotten off at Lakewood and gotten on a bus to get to the ampitheater. And even then, I'd be worried that if the concert ran late, I'd spend more money on a taxi than I would've on gas when they SHUTDOWN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION at 1:00am.

adelosky, I totally hear you.

Last week I was in Washington, D.C., where the subway is of the same vintage as MARTA yet immensely more practical. Part of that, of course, has to do with the fact that D.C. is much more dense. However, the hours of operation and the frequency of trains is a big factor, too. Several times I took the train for evening outings and you don't have to worry about getting stuck in some desolate place or having the system shut down on you altogether. Of course the Metro is more extensive and has a lot more stops. It also has simple platform stations located in the heart of activity centers, rather than the remote, inaccessible fortresses which are typical of MARTA.

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I can't believe that I am even about to type this.........

What may turn out to be the biggest and costliest temper tantrum in Atlanta history has occured.

Developer Wayne Mason, owner of a five-mile stretch of the proposed Beltline project, has pulled his rezoning application...and with it, his offer to donate 46 acres of land to the city for future Beltline use. Mason, a Gwinnett County developer who controls land near 10th St. and Monroe Drive next to Piedmont Park and, through a partnership, at Amsterdam Walk, submitted a rezoning proposal that calls for just under 3,100 residential units...including 750 units in two high-rise towers near Piedmont Park. One was to be 39 stories and the other 38 stories.

Now I'm torn between the two sides. Surely there could have been some type of compromise. Did Mr Mason need 3,100 residential units? Also, why do people move inside a city....less than two miles from skyscrapers....yet they want to maintain this suburban feel? If you live in a major city, you will see buildings. I can't believe that in all the hope that has been created via the Beltline that a minor tantrum could totally alter the original vision. I say let him build the two towers but request maybe 50 acres instead.

I can't believe that he would actually pull the applications. I thought that there was one more meeting on the matter.

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I honestly never thought it would come to this - but I'm also split on both sides. I'm concerned about the amount of traffic Monroe Dr would be forced to handle & I don't think the residents of Atlanta have to give in to everything Mason wanted just b/c of his offer. Yet if he truly does pull out completely, this could be disastrous for the project's future.

Yet it does highlight the one problem with Maynard Jackson's NPU system, it might offer too much democracy to the residents. Intown residents in the single family neighborhoods like my Grant Park are huge NIMBYs & are too stubborn to consider any issue beyond their immediate hood.

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