Atlanta Beltline secures final land rights for 22-mile trail

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Lawton looking east toward Donnelly entrance - 2020.07 (COVID Summer- Photos by S Khleif (Imagine Media)

ATLANTA - The Atlanta Beltline has finalized all land and property rights required to construct its full 22-mile mainline trail loop, securing the real estate foundation to connect more than 45 adjacent neighborhoods by 2030.

What we know:

The real estate assembly spanned two decades and involved nearly 200 property closings, comprising roughly 90 land purchases and 230 easements across more than 270 acres. 

Negotiations covered acquisitions ranging from a 15-square-foot parcel to a 65-acre tract, involving corporate entities, utilities, railroads, homeowners, apartment complexes and religious organizations.

Establishing the 4.3-mile Northwest Trail required creating an entirely new alignment through active business districts and established neighborhoods where no former railroad corridor existed. 

Following community meetings and collaboration with the PATH Foundation, a preferred route from Blandtown to the Lindbergh and Morosgo neighborhoods was announced in August 2022 to connect the Westside and Northeast trails.

What they're saying:

"This was one of the most complex land-assembly efforts in the Beltline’s history because we weren’t simply following an existing rail corridor," said Vice President of Real Estate and Asset Management at Atlanta Beltline, Inc. Dave Pierce. "In the Northwest, we had to establish a new route through established neighborhoods and business districts, working with individual property owners, businesses and institutions to assemble the rights needed for the trail."

By the numbers:

Public investment of $941 million has spurred $14.2 billion in private investment across the Beltline Planning Area, according to a May economic impact analysis by Econsult Solutions, Inc. 

The organization has secured 94 acres for affordable housing and commercial space, creating or preserving 4,555 affordable housing units toward its goal of 5,600 units by 2030.

What we don't know:

Officials have not detailed the specific construction timelines or groundbreaking dates for every remaining unbuilt segment of the mainline trail.