Yesterday Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced the city’s purchase of a $26 million stretch of land from railroad company CSX that will form the Southside Trail, a 4.5 mile stretch that will link the Eastside and Westside portions of the Atlanta BeltLine.
The deal is a major step forward for the city, which will now be able to link up the two largest sections of the popular trail, creating a continuous loop stretching nearly all the way around the city.
Said Bottoms, “I am pleased to announce that the City of Atlanta and the Atlanta BeltLine have concluded the largest remaining single purchase of land toward closing the Atlanta BeltLine loop. With this historic purchase, the City of Atlanta is taking another step forward in improving connectivity, growth and investment in South Atlanta by providing access to trails, transit options and world-class greenspace for all residents.”
This new stretch, along an abandoned freight corridor, has been years in the making and its effects on the area it runs through, if its East and Westside peers are any indication, will be profound.
Brian McGowan, President and CEO of the Atlanta BeltLine Initiative, was also on hand at the press conference announcing the deal.
“The Southside Trail will connect the east side of the Atlanta BeltLine to the west side for the first time in its history – and that changes everything.” said McGowan. “This inactive rail corridor that once divided neighborhoods can now be used to create jobs, transit and affordable housing options for communities south of downtown.”
The purchase also includes a rail spur to MARTA’s Oakland City station, giving the BeltLine a link to the city’s heavy rail system once it decides to begin implementation of the light rail long promised as a finishing touch. While that project may be far off, yesterday’s purchase marks perhaps the largest in a series of final steps to acquire all the land needed to create the BeltLine’s final shape.
