An extra $600 million and transit a decade sooner would have been nice, but the Beltline folks want us to know that the show will go on without the passage of the T-SPLOST. For the time being, it's back to the original timeline. The transit portion still has a 25-year build out estimate with major funding to come from TADs (tax allocation districts), private donations (of which $40m has already been raised), federal funds ($25m to date), and City capital funds. Not surprisingly, Atlanta Beltline Inc. will also be working with a consulting team, (as well as stakeholders and the community), on an implementation plan that will help figure out how to pay for the whole thing. Look on the bright side: they've already completed 11 miles of trails and 30 acres of new/improved parks, and the much anticipated Eastside Trail is set to open in September. With $1 billion in private development around the line since 2005, it's gonna take a lot more than the streetcar setback for this project to lose steam.
· Beltline alive despite TSPLOST loss [WSB-TV]
· Frequently Asked Questions & Answers Post-TSPLOST [Beltline Blog]