Decatur Metro Commenter Tapped As Beltline CEO
September 16, 2009 | 12:53 pmEye-catching title, eh?
It was announced this morning that former VP of Atlantic Station, Brian Leary – who has commented here amidst my many semi-rational rants against the massive mixed-use in the past – has been hired as the Beltline’s new CEO.
According to his AS bio, Leary has spent more than a decade living and breathing Atlantic Station, and before that even wrote his master’s thesis on the redevelopment of the old brownfield site.
Leary’s new task, The Beltline, is a monumentally different challenge.
Instead of building a mini-city based on New Urbanist principles from the ground up, Leary will now be tasked with using those same principles to reconnect existing neighborhoods.
And while Atlantic Station had its fair share of hurdles (parking mandates, GDOT, etc) to work around to achieve its current mixed-use state, it will be nothing compared to the zoning, property and transportation challenges facing the much more intrusive Beltline.
Yes my friends, I’m talking about a planner’s greatest fear of all: the dreaded NIMBY.
I hope he has the leadership chops to do better than the projected 25-year timeline. 25 years? Come on! Can’t do any better than that?
DC built their entire metro in that time.
The Beltline potential for reshaping in town ATL is fantastic. Many of the changes, for example in Reynoldstown, can be attributed to just the potential of redevelopment. The Beltline will give us public transportation that will go places we want to go to! I believe they have much of the funding in place. I hope I live to see it operational!
http://www.beltline.org/
The Beltline will be transformational when it is funded. Considering most transportation infrastructure, including D.C. had a majority federal funds, it will be a challenge. We have at least a dozen or more existing MARTA rail stations that are under developed. The East Lake station has the lowest daily boardings in the entire system. MARTA’s Board will receive a presentation on TOD this month. Lets build communities like downtown Decatur around the other MARTA rail stations.
“The East Lake station has the lowest daily boardings in the entire system.”
That’s a really interesting stat Dan. Is there a list out there that ranks boardings for all stations?
I wonder how Decaturites feel that they may have a walkable downtown, but that they also have the weakest link on the entire MARTA system.
Though I can kinda see how the city’s hands are tied since the East Lake station is just inside the city limts and everything to the North, South and West is out of our jurisdiction. And do I have this right? The station is inside the city limits but the parking lot isn’t? Sounds like we need to annex that parking wasteland.
Yeah, I know…let’s tackle one MARTA parking lot at a time.
Aaargh. Don’t take away the East Lake station! Those of us on the West side of town use it! It’s a bit far to walk to the Downtown station especially if one is also dropping off kids, carpooling, late for work or it’s cold or raining!
The Beltline is not first and foremost a transportation project — it is an urban redevelopment project, with transit to be addressed very far on down the line — I believe towards the end of the 25 year span (per the BL tour). Some of the decisions currently being considered, such as at grade vehicle crossings, will impede potential speed of the eventual BL transit choice, potentially limiting its use as a tool for daily, longer trips.
Lots more details to be worked through here….