ThreadATL

A new public park is being planned for an empty 4-acre property on 14th Street where multiple proposed developments (including 'Opus Place') have failed to materialize. That's according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle, reporting from today's Midtown Alliance annual meeting. The Midtown Improvement District has 98 14th Street under contract. Construction of the park will be funded with philanthropic dollars. The park will basically be near Arts Center MARTA Station, though building a clear path between the two points would require some compromises with private owners. What say you, Midtown residents and workers? Will a public park be appreciated here? Multiple studies have found that proximity to green spaces such as parks is associated with reduced stress, anxiety, and depression among city dwellers. Will this one be easily accessible for pedestrians and cyclists? https://lnkd.in/e7y-Pxrd

Thanks to everyone who joined us last weekend for the Drift the Map event at South View Cemetery, a historic place that dates to 1886. Amazingly, this active railway in the second image is the only path for getting to a hidden cemetery for people who died while incarcerated at the nearby federal penitentiary. Fascinating stuff. Thanks to Joel Silverman for putting together another great Drift event! Amazingly, this active railway in the first image is the only path for getting to a hidden cemetery for people who died while incarcerated at the nearby federal penitentiary. Fascinating stuff. And special thanks to Winifred Hemphill for giving us so much historical info. Winifred is a fifth generation descendant of one of the founders of this African-American cemetery. She showed us the final resting places of Hank Aaron, John Lewis, and other famous Atlantans. Ann Hill Bond and Cynthia Jennings talked about the Black Atlantans murdered in the 1906 race massacre who were interred here -- thanks for sharing your great research! A lot of heavy subject matter was covered, but it was also a nice way to spend a beautiful day.

DRIFT THE MAP at South-View Cemetery this Sunday March 16, 1 pm - 4 pm Join ThreadATL's Drift the Map & Museum of Design Atlanta this Sunday! No registration needed. Meet inside the entrance gate of South-View Cemetery, 1990 Jonesboro Rd, S.E. We'll explore Atlanta’s oldest and largest African-American cemetery, the final resting place of Atlanta legends like baseball home run king Hank Aaron and civil rights leaders including Rep. John Lewis, Ruby Doris Smith Robinson, and Julian Bond. For the first time, Drift the Map will feature a ramble down the railroad tracks which are the defining feature of old Atlanta neighborhoods. We will also visit the little-known Atlanta Federal Penitentiary Cemetery, only accessible from the tracks. After the walk, there will be an opportunity to eat at El Progreso 14, the much-loved taqueria destination in the back of a grocery store known by aficionados as “Prison Tacos” for its proximity to the penitentiary. We are excited to be joined by three special guest experts: Winifred Watts Hemphill (President of South-View Cemetery, founded in 1886 by six men who were born enslaved, one of whom was her great-grandfather), Ann Hill Bond (historian, journalist, and chair of the Fulton County Remembrance Coalition), and Atlanta cemetery historian Cynthia Jennings.

"We are committed to building rail on the Beltline, however, not in the form that has been previously discussed," said Courtney English, the mayor's chief adviser. Mayor Dickens effectively killed the project to extend the Downtown streetcar to the Eastside Beltline today, though he said that he does support putting rail on the Southside of the Beltline. https://lnkd.in/eiByXv67

Good news! The GA state House has passed a bill that allows MARTA to enforce its bus-only lanes through cameras mounted on buses. The aim is to keep cars from using the lanes for the upcoming Bus Rapid Transit lines like the Summerhill one currently under construction (BRT is also planned for Campbellton and Clifton corridors). For the first six months motorists would receive warnings, then get fined up to $50 for a first offense, with fines rising for subsequent offenses. MARTA would use the collections to fund public safety. The legislation needs to be passed by the state Senate and signed by Gov before becoming law. Source: a (paywalled) article from Atlanta Business chronicle. https://lnkd.in/e39E-pKS

Are Breeze card readers at MARTA rail stations really broken enough to impact ridership statistics this much? https://lnkd.in/eXMyPEH8 If that's true, this maintenance failure is as concerning as the ridership itself, particularly since fare payments affect MARTA's ability to fund operational things like...maintenance. It seems likely that another factor in low ridership is MARTA's struggle to provide reliable weekend rail. Read about that issue here: https://lnkd.in/edqD5279 Throw in the emptiness of Downtown office buildings (the rail system was largely designed to deliver commuters to that district), plus Atlanta's overall shortcomings with pedestrian-oriented density near transit, plus the fact that MARTA hasn't built new rail in 25 years, and you've got a problem with clear solutions. But those solutions need bold vision from leadership at all levels.

Looks like a good opportunity to learn about the new Comprehensive Development Plan for Atlanta!

Big thanks to journalist Sean Keenan for talking with us about affordable housing developments in Atlanta! Sean has done great work covering this topic (and more) at Atlanta Civic Circle -- check out our new podcast episode. https://lnkd.in/g3wcuxJT

Join us on Wednesday, March 12 from 6pm-8pm! Buckhead Pizza Co 3324 Peachtree Rd NE (Buckhead Station, Bus 5, Bus 110) We're having a meetup to talk with each other about transit in Atlanta! You can scan the code in this graphic to register, or go to https://lnkd.in/e3f3udAb

The AJC reports that thousands of CDC staff who now telework are being ordered back to the office full-time at Emory. Office space is scarce for them. Also: high-capacity transit hasn't been expanded to the campus as was hoped. https://lnkd.in/eGmCgKie Which begs the question... what's the status of MARTA's Clifton Corridor project? Let's review. 2012: MARTA sets light rail as the preferred alternative for Clifton transit expansion, serving Emory & more. 2016: More MARTA tax passes w/ Clifton rail listed as a potential project 2017 - 2022: MARTA rethinks rail, floating Bus Rapid Transit as a more affordable option. 2023: MARTA sets BRT as the new preferred alternative for Clifton transit. 2025: thousands of CDC staff ordered back to office at Emory; Clifton Corridor website hasn't been updated since 2023. MARTA says project is in technical planning phase. MARTA's bus from Lindbergh to the CDC at Emory (the 6) runs every 20 minutes on weekdays at peak commute times for a 24 minute trip. That's not bad by MARTA bus standards, but it's also not the rapid transit many need. MARTA maybe at least update that website? https://lnkd.in/dcCzrjU5 EDIT: At a January City Council committee meeting, MARTA representative Carrie Rocha (Chief Capital Officer) implied that the Clifton project was on hold while they studied the potential for using Armour Yards as an endpoint. See...that would be some good info for MARTA to put on that Clifton Corridor web site.