Fresh Loaf

Man, the Beltline can be pretty confusing, huh? So can writing about transit agency disputes.

To put it plainly: The vision of a 22-mile loop of transit, parks and trails is now in jeopardy after the state Department of Transportation and AMTRAK unexpectedly announced they had their own heavy-rail plans for the project’s northeast section along Piedmont Park.

On Wednesday, members of the Beltline Network, a citizen group that supports the project, will meet for a special-called meeting to discuss how to keep the $2.8 billion “Emerald Necklace” — the largest public-works project of its kind in the country — on track.

Liz Coyle, chair of the Beltline Network, writes in an “urgent” e-mail sent yesterday to members (emphasis added for the more civic-minded Fresh Loaf readers who want to get involved):

I am calling a special meeting of the BeltLine Network on this Wednesday, January 28, at 4:30pm at Trees Atlanta, 225 Chester Avenue. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss and strategize a community response to a threat to BeltLine transit. I will provide more details as available at the meeting, but to summarize the situation and get right to the point, AMTRAK has begun condemnation proceedings on the NE Corridor of the BeltLine. This is in response to Norfolk Southern Railroad (NSR), Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. (ABI) and Atlanta Development Authority (ADA) pursuing rail abandonment on the Northeast Corridor (aka the “Decatur Belt”) with the federal Surface Transportation Board (STB), a necessary step to advancing light rail transit in the BeltLine corridor. Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) and AMTRAK have filed Motions to Stay the abandonment proceedings.

More on Coyle’s e-mail and the issues — and questions — surrounding this dispute after the jump.

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HIT THE BRAKES Beltline faces another obstacle — from GDOT and AMTRAK

If there’s one thing we’ve learned about the Beltline, the 22-mile loop of parks, trails and transit proposed to circle Atlanta, it’s that surprises are to be expected. And some interesting developments are afoot with the $2.8-billion project.

If you recall, Atlanta Beltline Inc. — the nonprofit agency in charge of planning and implementing the project — finalized its purchase of a 66-acre piece of property in October owned by Gwinnett County developer Wayne Mason and his son Keith, an Atlanta attorney. The Mason property included  land and transit right-of-way. The $66 million purchase riled city watchdogs not only for the ultimate payout to the Masons — more than double what father and son originally paid for the land in 2004 — but also the deal ABI cut with a private partner group it needed to buy out if it wanted to use tax-exempt bonds to finalize the purchase before a Halloween deadline. That’s background, and for all intents and purposes, irrelevant for the moment.

Beltline leaders hoped to complete planning the area, implement transit, and sell off excess land to developers. They would then re-invest the windfall from those sales back into the overall project. But before it could do anything with the property, it first had to abandon the transit right-of-way. That humdrum process is conducted by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board and largely involves just some time for public comment and a shuffling of papers. It was supposed to be a walk in the park.

Looks like that’s not turning out to be the case. An eleventh-hour move by the state Department of Transportation and AMTRAK has potentially thrown a wrench in the Beltline. And why those two odd entities decided to hold hands and insert themselves into the conversation — this late in the party — is making folks scratch their heads.

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A coalition of officials from the state and metro region’s transportation planning agencies have vouched to now take the next step in addressing the issue — moving past pretty blueprints and visions and focusing on the more complex process of actually finding ways to build the mobility solutions.

The Transit Planning Board yesterday, in its final meeting under that banner, unanimously approved a “new year’s resolution” to create the Transit Implementation Board, or TIB. That agency, which will supplant the board, will examine how the region can implement Concept 3 (PDF) — a gridlock-relieving vision of light-rail, heavy-rail and bus routes that would spider throughout metro Atlanta.

The Atlanta Regional Commission, the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority and MARTA — members of the board — have all passed resolutions in support of Concept 3.

From a press release from the group:

“Two years ago, our region needed to focus on developing a vision for transit that we could all support,” stated TPB and Clayton County Chairman Eldrin Bell. “Today, we’re saying our focus needs to be on implementation. This year has filled me with optimism regarding what our region can accomplish when we work together Now, however, the hard part begins.”

The TIB’s first meeting is scheduled for Jan. 29.

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A transit plan designed to make mobility in metro Atlanta more than just cars, cars and cars inched forward today.

The Atlanta Regional Commission this afternoon approved Concept 3, a regional transit plan that advocates are calling “the most far-reaching transit expansion plan in decades.” Designed by the Transit Planning Board, Concept 3 includes heavy rail, express buses, light rail and streetcars. Included in the design are the Beltline and portions of the Brain Train.

“If we actually build the projects in Concept 3, it will transform metro Atlanta in the 21st century just as assuredly as the railroads did in the 19th Century and the Airport and highways did in the 20th Century,” Lee Biola, president of Citizens for Progressive Transit, said in a press release.

To be clear, the commission’s seal of approval doesn’t mean we’ll be riding light-rail to Roswell in a year, it just makes it eligible to be added to a future regional transportation plan, or RTP — a necessary step if the plan hopes to compete for sorely-needed federal funding. A commission spokeswoman says transportation projects in the RTP fall under one of two designations  — one for plans whose funding has been identified, and another for those the commission “aspires” to see come to fruition. Concept 3 would be considered the latter, she says.

A little wonkish, yes, but stick with me here. As I reported last week, there’s a movement underway — yet again — to find more funding for transportation projects. Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle has pledged — scout’s honor — to re-introduce a regional sales tax to pay for transportation fixes. (It failed by three votes in the lieutenant governor’s chamber last session.) Dick Anderson, executive director of the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority, says he’s been examining a number of new funding mechanisms, including the oh-so controversial public-private partnership.

So while today’s news might not be like breaking ground to lay rails, it’s a start.

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Literally. The Transit Planning Board — the agency that brought you the regional-transit vision called Concept3 — kindly asks for your help to determine how a more mobile metro Atlanta would look.

Visit this survey the agency created that asks what works and what doesn’t. Did a set of railroad tracks look better with or without a commuter rail station? Should downtown Atlanta be served by a bus or light-rail? Should buses run on I-75 or should commuter rail zip along the shoulder?

The board did a commendable job by actually showing how many of the possible solutions to metro Atlanta’s traffic woes would actually appear. If you’re a fan of what-could-be, it’s worth your time to check it out.

(Screenshot from TPB survey)

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It’s still two weeks away, but now’s a great time to let you know about Citizens for Progressive Transit’s “Toast to Concept3″ at Shout on Dec. 2. Festivities begin at 6:30 p.m.

The local grassroots organization that has done a lot of commendable — and breathtaking — work when it comes to encouraging public transit in metro Atlanta will host light-rail lovers and present speakers who’ll give you an update and summary of Concept3 (warning: PDF), a mobility-boosting vision conceived by the Transit Planning Board and slated for the region.

Anyone and everyone is welcome. And CfPT even provides you with directions on MARTA and a link to its A-TRAIN trip planner. If you guzzle too much, you can just ride the train on home. Genius, people!

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