Fresh Loaf

You know that whole Beltline dispute? The one in which the Georgia Department of Transportation and Amtrak basically told Beltline officials that they’d have to make room in Northeast Atlanta for a commuter rail line? Officials from the agencies and departments involved met this morning and had what I’m sure was a very interesting sitdown. They’ve requested the federal government give them 30 days so they can try and resolve the dispute as a group.

So sayeth a joint statement from the agencies:

Atlanta – A meeting of officials from key organizations including the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), the City of Atlanta, Atlanta Beltline, Inc., Amtrak, the Atlanta Regional Commission, MARTA and the Transit Implementation Board along with staff from Congressman John Lewis’ office was held today to discuss the critical issue regarding plans for the Northeast Beltline Corridor (“Decatur Street Belt”) and future options for multi-modal passenger terminals (MMPT).

The overarching goal of the meeting was to share information, communicate directly, discuss alternatives and seek out viable solutions for an amicable outcome that is in the best interest of our customers. To that end, the Georgia Department of Transportation, Atlanta Beltline Inc./ Atlanta Development Authority, Amtrak and Norfolk Southern have agreed to formally request that the Surface Transportation Board issue a 30 day stay of their proceedings in this matter in order to work towards a common solution that accommodates the Beltline vision, intercity and high speed rail in the region.

During this time, a technical team will work to investigate the potential alternatives. An Executive Team will also work to develop a final agreement between all of the parties.

All of the organizations involved acknowledged the importance of the Beltline project to the City of Atlanta and the region. Each recognized the common goal to provide much needed regional transportation options for the residents of and visitors to the City of Atlanta which have a profound effect on the economic future for the entire state of Georgia.

After the jump, exclusive video of Beltline officials confronting the GDOT Beast about its plans.

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Transit Implementation Board Chairman Eldrin Bell was not about to let that agency’s inaugural meeting today turn into a boxing match between the City of Atlanta and the Georgia Department of Transportation.

Much to the disappointment — or relief? — of those involved, Bell didn’t allow the two sides to argue whether light-rail or heavy-rail should run along several miles of unused railroad tracks near Piedmont Park. GDOT and AMTRAK argue that the tracks are the only viable options if transit advocates want to see commuter rail and a long-planned downtown terminal. Officials for the Beltline, the planned 22-mile loop of parks, trails and transit, say there are alternatives and that commuter rail drastically alters the design that planners, neighborhoods and developers have crafted for the area.

Bell said he’s hesitant to discuss the Beltline’s future unless all the stakeholders were in the room.

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Yesterday, the Georgia Department of Transportation said its out-of-the-blue opposition to allowing light-rail along the Beltline near Piedmont Park — a move it made with the help of AMTRAK — didn’t necessarily mean the end of the city’s 22-mile loop of parks, trails and transit. A GDOT spokesman  said both intercity rail and light-rail could run side-by-side along the 3.5-mile rail line. There would have to be modifications, of course. But it’s do-able, he said.

Beltline officials, however, say that’s virtually impossible. Federal regulations, safety concerns and neighborhood opposition would most likely prevent that possibility, Atlanta Beltline Inc. CEO Terri Montague told an Atlanta City Council committee yesterday.

Add to the fact that residents and developers have invested time, money and energy into a vision of that portion of the $2.8-billion project that includes lower-speed people movers and lush parks with bike trails, and you can see why a train roaring behind the neighborhood isn’t exactly what stakeholders had in mind. Atlanta Councilmember Kwanza Hall, whose district has seen much of that investment — e.g. City Hall East’s proposed mixed-use revival and the recently announced Historic Old Fourth Ward Park near the Masquerade — estimates the city and others have spent as much as $250 million on that portion of the Beltline. Stakeholders feel their investment is in jeopardy and that the loss of this key part of the project could send financial and logistical ripples throughout the Beltline, impacting the possibility of transit and smart-growth development in Atlanta.

GDOT and AMTRAK say they’re protecting future options for commuter rail. Their trains couldn’t run alongside freight traffic on tracks to the west of Atlanta, they argue, because the routes don’t make logistical sense. Nevermind that the rails in dispute run smack into DeKalb Avenue. Quite a roadblock! (There’s a study about this that I’ll post in a few minutes.)

So how was the decision to halt the Beltline in Northeast Atlanta made? According to David Doss, a GDOT boardmember from Rome, he and his fellow officials weren’t aware of the agency’s move until the news media came calling yesterday. And he even sits on a special committee that specifically focuses on transit.

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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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