Even before the Atlanta Streetcar opened at the end of 2014, the 2.7-mile downtown loop was dogged with trouble.
Cost overruns and delays had started the transit system on the wrong track before the first passenger ever boarded.
The system’s final price tag was nearly $100 million (having ballooned from an expected $69 million), and following the free-ride period, ridership sharply dropped.
The question remains: Is the streetcar an expensive transit boondoggle, or is the public money worth it, in that the system is a catalyst for private investment?
Detractors still loudly insist it’s an underused waste of money—or pricey tourist service. But proponents have argued for years that the Atlanta streetcar system was built the only place it could have been installed, the downtown loop is but a kernel of greater things to come (under MARTA’s pending leadership, no less), and that the streetcar provides a crucial economic jolt.
So let’s play devil’s advocate and make an argument for the latter. Here are nine projects underway—or proposals with legitimate legs—along the line:
- Hurt Building renovation — a $4-million renovation is planned for the century-old tower located on Edgewood Avenue, just blocks from Five Points. The building sold for $34 million—nearly double what it’d sold for just four years prior—lending some credence to the argument that the streetcar line is a boon for adjacent property values.
- Hurt Park upgrades — a popular hangout for both Georgia State University students and downtown’s homeless population, the triangular park is slated for a major overhaul, including a new performance lawn and restored fountain.
- United Way Building housing conversion — a midcentury office building, located across the streetcar tracks from Hurt Park, could soon be transformed into a student residence tower. Tenants have been relocating from the building, with the owner breaking leases, likely in an attempt to put the property on the market. It’s expected to fetch at least $40 million.
- Creative Media Industries Institute — work is underway to convert a midcentury banking building at the corner of Edgewood Avenue and Park Place into a 21st-Century media building for Georgia State University. There’s no word when construction on the $23-million renovation will wrap up.
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- Auburn Avenue Apartments — permits have been filed for a new mixed-use development to rise on a parking lot at the corner of Auburn and Piedmont avenues. While filings don’t offer much information about the project, plans for an apartment development on the site emerged last year, indicating that nearly 100 units and 4,000 square feet of retail could be in store.
- Sweet Auburn Ballroom — at the end of last year, Invest Atlanta announced a $1-million grant to kickstart the creation of a 1,200-person live music venue in a former YMCA building. The development could bring an investment influx of at least $6 million to the area and revitalize a long-vacant building.
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- Candler Building hotel conversion — plans are afoot for the conversion of the Candler Building—once Atlanta’s tallest structure—into a boutique hotel. Office tenants moved out of the building last year, and at last check, design and financing is being sorted out so work can begin on the project, which could cost tens of millions of dollars.
- Constellations adaptive-reuse — a two-story classical red brick building on Auburn Avenue is getting a shot of new life as a shared office space for civically minded organizations. Additionally, the building will feature a podcast studio, library, and coffee bar. Expected opening is early next year.
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- AC Hotel conversion — renovations of an old Holiday Inn property near Centennial Olympic Park are wrapping up, with a spruced-up AC Hotel joining the downtown hospitality mix. The cost for the renovation was more than $20 million.
In addition to all the major construction projects in the area, new restaurants and retail spaces have joined the mix since the streetcar opened.
New favorites in the area include the Georgia Beer Garden, Cafe + Velo, Puff & Petals, and Hungry Ghost. Restaurants don’t tend to open (and thrive) in areas that are lacking for investment.
Of course, some will continue to argue the investment was coming regardless of the streetcar, given the current economic boom Atlanta’s experiencing. Despite the never-ending chicken or the egg conundrum, one thing is clear: The neighborhoods along the streetcar line have experienced major investments since the line was first announced, and more projects are planned in coming years.