A new report from the city's Bureau of Planning illustrates the obvious — that construction activity along the Atlanta Beltline corridor is booming, most notably in the vicinity of Freedom Parkway. The teeming backhoes and bulldozers are a stark contrast to Recession-besieged 2010, when just three projects were under way along the 22-mile corridor. Last year, 14 projects of varying scopes were under construction — for a total of 1,485 new townhomes and apartments. And while that may sound impressive, it's less than half the projects (31 total) that were being built in 2008, the report found. While it's welcome news from an economic standpoint — enough so that the Beltline is drawing apt comparisons to the 1996 Olympics — some see a cause for alarm within the numbers.
As the Saporta Report points out, the concentration of ongoing Beltline-corridor development is in northeast Atlanta, and thus raises the question of equitable development. "The concentration of development in northeast Atlanta is a concern for some city policy makers," observes the website. "They want to ensure that the $20 billion in development expected along the Beltline is spread across all of the Beltline." An advisory group that's been poring over the available data is meeting Friday to examine the issue more closely.
As for the projects themselves, they range in size from the 41-unit Ansley Parkside Townhomes (across Monroe Drive from Ansley Mall) to the 305-unit AMLI project on North Avenue (Ponce City Market will offer about 250 apartments). Of the 14 projects under way, five will include commercial space.
· BeltLine: Construction returns as advisory group ponders equity issues [Saporta Report]
· Curbed Atlanta's Beltline coverage
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