THE BELTLINE’S EXCELLENT YEAR

Highlights from 2014 and a look ahead to the future

By Collin Kelley INtown Editor

From the east to the west, the Atlanta BeltLine made big strides forward in 2014. Many of those projects will begin to take shape later this year, including the Westside Trail.

While the battle over the BeltLine’s repayment of deferred taxes to the Atlanta Public School System (now at $13.5 million) continues to be negotiated by Mayor Kasim Reed and School Board Chairman Courtney English, the popularity of the BeltLine continues to grow. Businesses want to be near it and the uptick in the number of apartments and homes along the trails continues to explode.

Here are a few highlights from last year’s progress on the 22-mile loop of trails, parks and future transit.

• Eastside Trail Gateway: The path connecting the Eastside Trail to Historic Fourth Ward Park just behind The Masquerade opened to the public in August.

• Westside Trail Groundbreaking: Ground was broken in November for the 3-mile, $43 million multiuse corridor, which will run from University Avenue in Adair Park north to Lena Avenue at Washington Park. The 14-foot wide trail will have 14 access points with ramp and stairway systems, greenway, and preservation for future transit.

• North Avenue Plaza: A collaboration between the developer of Ponce City Market and the BeltLine, the plaza will be a public space adjacent to the mixed-used development.

• Edgewood Avenue Bridge: The 100-year-old bridge was replaced in anticipation of expanding the Eastside Trail to DeKalb Avenue and beyond to Cabbagetown and Reynoldstown.

• Awards and Grants: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency presented Mayor Reed with the Overall Excellence Award for Smart Growth Achievement for the Atlanta BeltLine’s Eastside Trail and Historic Fourth Ward Park. In the spring, the James M. Cox

Foundation made a $5 million gift for construction of the Westside Trail. The BeltLine also received the Prix d’Excellence Award for Historic Fourth Ward Park and the Eastside Trail from the International Real Estate Federation. A $100,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts will be used to develop the outdoor BeltLine Reynoldstown Stage for concerts and performances. The Fourth Ward Park also received a Brownfield Renewal Award.

• Running and Biking: More than 3,000 runners and walkers participated in the four races that take place along different sections of the corridor. In June, more than 500 cyclists took part in the annual Atlanta BeltLine Bicycle Tour.

• There’s An App For That: The BeltLine unveiled its own smartphone app allowing users to locate trail maps, access points and more.

• The Lantern Parade and Art on the BeltLine: The kick off to the annual Art on the Atlanta BeltLine brought out a record 20,000 participants for the Mardi Gras-style parade along the Eastside Trail. The fifth year of Art on the BeltLine featured more than 100 projects over nearly eight miles.

For more highlights, visit BeltLine. org.