Major BeltLine decision on the East Side.

Now that the initial figure eight of the Atlanta StreetCar is just about finished, Atlanta BeltLine/StreetCar is getting ready to engineer the next phase of construction, which includes the east side of the BeltLine. But the east side has a major hurdle- Hulsey Yard, the massive, active train depot that runs parallel to Dekalb Avenue.  How the BeltLine decides to get around this hurdle will have a major impact on East Atlanta.

I attended the Citywide conversation yesterday evening, and there are a lot of different plans as to how to connect the tracks. They fit neatly into three groups. Here they are in order of east to west. The paths are marked in blue.

It should be noted that all plans will connect to the existing StreetCar network.  There are a number of plans for how they're going to do that as well, which I will discuss soon.

 1. The King Memorial station /Memorial drive route.

2. Straight through a modified Krog Street Tunnel or a new tunnel.

3. The Inman Park station route.

According to the BeltLine representatives I talked to, all of these options will cost roughly the same. Each option has some real pros and cons. I will list the pros and cons of each one.

 1. King Memorial

 PROS:
* By far the greatest opportunity for transit-oriented development, both near the King Memorial station and along Memorial Drive. The folks at the meeting consider this an up and coming area. Potential to serve a lot of people (which is what transit's supposed to do).
* Connection to MARTA East-West via King Memorial Station.
CONS:
 * This is by far the most indirect route of the three, with very little possibility of grade separation/right of way anywhere. It will significantly slow down the BeltLine loop (a big CON).

 2. Krog Tunnel

 PROS:
* The most direct route of the three, and thus, the fastest (a big PRO).
 CONS:
* No connection to MARTA East-West.
* Not a lot of opportunity for development/density. This area is mostly single-family homes. 

3. Inman Park
 PROS:
 * Connection to MARTA at the Inman Park/Reynoldstown station.
 NEUTRAL:
* Slower than option 2, but significantly faster than option 1.
CONS:
*Little opportunity for development/density. The area is mostly single-family homes, so it doesn't serve a lot of people.

 I definitely prefer the two options with MARTA connections (Inman Park and King Memorial) with a slight lean towards Inman Park because I like speed. But all three have considerable merit. At any rate, it's important that people know that big decisions are being made right now- decisions that will resonate in Atlanta for years and years to come- and now is the time to tell the BeltLine what you want.

UPDATE: After thinking about it today, I'm now leaning towards King Memorial.  Since it connects to MARTA East-West, I think the BeltLine can afford to take the detour.