CLANG, CLANG WENT THE TROLLEY The return of streetcars to Downtown was a decade in the making

By Collin Kelley and Ann Taylor Boutwell

INtown rst wrote about the potential return of steetcars to Atlanta for the cover story of our October 2003 issue.

at’s when former Atlanta City Council President Cathy Woolard was touting a plan created by Georgia Tech graduate student Ryan Gravel called “the belt line.” In line with Gravel’s thesis, she envisioned new trolleys connecting to MARTA via a “network of old train tracks that crisscross the city that are no longer in use.” at plan eventually became the Atlanta BeltLine, a 22-mile loop of abandoned rail circling the city that is slowly being reclaimed as walking and biking paths. Light rail is planned to complement the paths in the BeltLine in the future, but the city’s rst real streetcar is expected to begin ferrying passengers around the Downtown core later this month. e Atlanta Streetcar’s 2.7 mile loop from Centennial Olympic Park to the King Center and back is the rst installment of a larger vision of bringing trolleys back to a city which abandoned them in 1949. e Peachtree line might eventually come to fruition, but for now, all eyes are on Downtown and the big blue streetcars that are set to begin rolling any day now.

Back then, a network of streetcars connected the city’s neighborhoods and business hubs. You could hop on a streetcar and take it all the way to Decatur, which also had a streetcar system. A er 1949, the city utilized the same overhead power lines that ran the streetcars for a system of electric buses. ose were discontinued for gas-powered buses in 1963.

Before the “Great Recession” hit at the end of 2008, a number of plans were oating in hopes of recreating Portland, Oregon’s successful re-launch of streetcars to its downtown streets. MARTA oated the idea of a “ ex trolley,” essentially trains running on tires in HOV lanes and dedicated paths along city streets. ere was also a plan to run a streetcar line down Peachtree from Buckhead to old Fort McPherson.

Pet Pick

Ivy is a 5-yearold boxer/pit bull mix looking for a best friend. She has so much to o er. She is loyal to a fault and is bursting with love. Ivy is also quite intelligent and enjoys learning. She is as beautiful as she is sweet, and anyone would be lucky to call her family. To adopt Ivy or any of the other available dogs and cats searching for a home, visit pawsatlanta.org or stop by the shelter at 5287 Covington Highway in Decatur.

Pet Briefs

e Atlanta Humane Society’s annual Pet Parade - A Walk for Animals will be held Nov. 1 along the Chattahoochee River at Garrad Landing Park, 8000 Holcomb Bridge Road. All proceeds from the Pet Parade bene t the Atlanta Humane Society’s homeless animals. For more details and to sign-up, visit atlantapetparade.org.

e Atlanta Humane Society o ers a Grief Group for Pet Loss at the Howell Mill Campus on the second Saturday of each month from 11 a.m. - noon. Come share your story with group members experiencing similar loss and emotions. e session is led by Linda Ehlers, who holds a master’s degree in community counseling and education from Georgia Sate University. Ehlers is also available for individual counseling. e main objective of the group is to generate mutual support and comfort to one another. No appointment is necessary, and the cost is $5. For more information, visit atlantahumane.org or call the AHS Education Department at 404-974-2899.

Mighty Real...

Atlanta Real Estate was another standalone publication that tried to get a handle on the booming building and renovation trends in the city. In this issue from 1999, the focus was on kitchen renovations, how to reclaim dormant space in a small home or condo, a look ahead to styles of the new millennium (Mediterranean never really caught on, did it?), and tips for installing cabinets and faucets.