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Officials: Beltline Should Wrap By 2030, Pending $891 Million

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Beltline officials want their project — the whole emerald loop — completed by 2030. And now they've got the plan to prove it. The Beltline folks have released an in-depth strategic implementation plan for the next 17 or so years. As you'd expect, it's a 148-page whopper of a document. The following is an attempt to capture its essence in very few words.

The plan includes innumerable intriguing details, but perhaps the coolest goal for so-called Period 1 is the construction of streetcar transit "on the east and west sides" of the Beltline. Other priorities over the next five years will be:

· Securing rights to the remainder of right-of-way properties, completing the circle

· Completing the southern half of the Westside Trail

· Starting the Southeast Trail

· Completing "Boulevard Crossing Phase II", as well as Enota and Murphy crossing parks (both on the southwest side of the trail)

· Beginning the first phase of the ambitious Westside Reservoir Park

And then there's the financing.

Encouraging is the fact that the Beltline board figures the project's remaining $4.393-billion cost is (sort of) already 80 percent funded, via taxes and estimated intakes from generic federal funds; various government funding for streetscapes; local funding for parks; and private funds. Daunting is the fact that the remaining "unidentified" 20 percent represents roughly $891 million, more than the going rate for an MLB stadium. Back to the positive: The Beltline project has spurred more than $1 billion in private redevelopment through only $350 million of investment, officials report.

For urbanism zealots, we recommend delving into the strategic implementation plan. Read (or at least skim) the full version here — and feel free to air your thoughts.

— By Curbed Atlanta contributor Tyler Estep

· Full Beltline Strategic Implementation Plan [Beltline.org]
· Recent Beltline coverage and discussion [Curbed Atlanta]