Atlanta Beltline/Atlanta Streetcar System Plan
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
An aspirational plan for streetcar investments for the City of Atlanta. December 2015 A t l a n t a S t r e e t c a r System Plan This page intentionally left blank. A t l a n t a S t r e e t c a r System Plan Acknowledgements The Honorable Mayor Kasim Reed Atlanta City Council Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. Staff Ceasar C. Mitchell, President Paul Morris, FASLA, PLA, President and Chief Executive Officer Carla Smith, District 1 Benjamin Limmer, AICP, Transportation Director Kwanza Hall, District 2 Marcus Arnold, AICP, Senior Transit Project Ivory Lee Young, Jr., District 3 Manager Cleta Winslow, District 4 Beth McMillan, Community Planning & Natalyn Mosby Archibong, District 5 Engagement Director Alex Wan, District 6 Lynnette Reid, Senior Community Planner Howard Shook, District 7 James Alexander, Housing Policy & Development Yolanda Adrean, District 8 Director Felicia A. Moore, District 9 City of Atlanta Staff C.T. Martin, District 10 Keisha Lance Bottoms, District 11 Kristin Wilson, Interim Chief Operating Officer Office of the Mayor Joyce Sheperd, District 12 Tim Keane, Commissioner, Department of Planning Michael Julian Bond, Post 1 at Large & Community Development Mary Norwood, Post 2 at Large Charletta Wilson Jacks, Director of Planning, Andre Dickens, Post 3 at Large Department of Planning & Community Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. Board Development Jonathan Lewis, AICP, Assistant Director of Planning The Honorable Kasim Reed, Mayor, City of Atlanta – Transportation, Department of Planning & John Somerhalder, Chairman Community Development Elizabeth B. Chandler, Vice Chair Invest Atlanta Earnestine Garey, Invest Atlanta Appointee Craig Richard, President and Chief Executive Officer Cynthia Briscoe Brown, Atlanta Board of Education, District 8 At Large C. Courtney Knight, Managing Director of Redevelopment The Honorable Joan Garner, Fulton County Board of Commissioners, District 4 The Honorable Andre Dickens, Atlanta City Councilmember, Post 3 At Large R. Charles Shufeldt, Atlanta BeltLine Partnership Appointee Cathy Woolard, Community Representative to the Board Acknowledgements | i A t l a n t a S t r e e t c a r System Plan Stakeholder Advisory Committee Michael Hunter, Georgia Institute of Technology Steve Klein, The King Center Ashley Robbins, Citizens for Progressive Transit Lauren Cardoni, University of Georgia - Athens Yvette Bowden, Piedmont Park Conservancy Ayana Gabriel, Westview Community Orginization Helen Butler, Coalition for the Peoples' Agenda Michael Hoath, Brand Properties Ray Christman, Livable Communities Coalition Carry Burgess, Zoo Atlanta Timothy Trefzer, Georgia World Congress Center Authority Technical Advisory Committee Christy Peterson, Georgia World Congress Center David Emory, Atlanta Regional Commission Authority Kirk Fjelstul, Georgia Regional Transportation Christina Skowronski, Centennial Park Authority Authority Holly Snow, Piedmont Healthcare Craig Camuso, CSX Transportation Abigail Paine, Park Pride Joel Harrell, Norfolk Southern Railway Company Penelope Mcphee, The Blank Foundation Kerima Hayes, Georgia Transit Association Jana Miles, Grant Park Conservancy Johnny Dunning, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Ed McBrayer, Path Foundation Transit Authority (MARTA) Ronald Brewster, Citizen Keith Melton, Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Theodore Williams, Citizen Region 4 Bakari Brooks, Atlanta Housing Authority (AHA) Alan Ware, Georgia Department of Transportation Angela Renfroe, Atlanta Board of Education (GDOT) Major Hagin (Lt Durrant), Atlanta Police Rebecca Gutowsky, Cobb County Transit Department (APD) Phil Boyd, Gwinnett County Transit Steve Luxenberg, Federal Highway Administration Jennifer Giersch, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) (FHWA) Ryan Mahoney, Georgia Chamber of Commerce Richard Cogswell, Federal Railroad Administration Jeff Mann, National Railroad Passenger Corp. (FRA) (AMTRAK) Ntale Kajumba, U.S. Environmental Protection Pamela Papner, Virginia Highland Civic Association Agency (EPA) William Prescott, Atlanta Police Department (APD) Chuck Young, Atlanta Housing Authority (AHA) Dan Hourigan, Midtown Alliance Richard Mendoza, City of Atlanta Department of Angie Laurie, Central Atlanta Progress (CAP) Public Works (DPW) Dave Williams, Metro Atlanta Chamber of Scott Lee, GDOT District 7 Commerce Regan Hammond, Atlanta Regional Commission - Denise Starling, Buckhead Area Transportation Transportation Division Management Association (BATMA) Terry Lawler, Regional Business Coalition Cletta Rowden, West End Mall Jason Crane, GDOT – Planning Stefanie McCaster, Atlantic Station Aaron Fowler, Georgia Institute of Technology Dr. Sherry Turner, Atlanta University Center Consortium Gary Ulicny, Shepherd Center Christine Arato, National Park Service (NPS) Acknowledgements | ii A t l a n t a S t r e e t c a r System Plan Table of Contents Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................................................... i Table of Contents ...................................................................................................................................................... iii List of Tables .............................................................................................................................................................. iv List of Figures ............................................................................................................................................................. iv Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................................ E-1 SECTION 1: Introduction .............................................................................................................................................1 SECTION 2: Transit in Atlanta .....................................................................................................................................3 2.1 Population, Employment, and Development Trends ......................................................................................3 2.2 Regional Transit Context .................................................................................................................................4 2.3 Chronology of Transit Plans/Studies/Initiatives ..............................................................................................4 2.3.1 Influence of the 2012 Transportation Investment Act .............................................................................4 2.4 Integrating Atlanta BeltLine Transit and the Atlanta Streetcar ............................................................................6 2.4.1 The Atlanta BeltLine ....................................................................................................................................6 2.4.2 The Atlanta BeltLine Transit Vision .............................................................................................................6 2.4.3 The Connect Atlanta Plan Transit Vision .....................................................................................................7 2.4.4 Concept3 Regional Transit Vision ...............................................................................................................9 2.4.5 The Atlanta Streetcar Project ......................................................................................................................9 SECTION 3: Planning Process ................................................................................................................................... 12 3.1 Guiding Principles......................................................................................................................................... 12 3.2 Community Engagement Process Overview ................................................................................................ 12 3.3 Guidance for Future Expansion .................................................................................................................... 14 SECTION 4: Atlanta Streetcar System Plan, Operations, Costs and Potential Funding ........................................... 15 4.1 Atlanta Streetcar System Plan...................................................................................................................... 15 4.1.1 Priority Streetcar System ....................................................................................................................... 15 4.1.2 Connected Transit System ..................................................................................................................... 15 4.2 Improving Connectivity ................................................................................................................................ 17 4.3 Conceptual Operating Plan .......................................................................................................................... 17 4.3.1 Operational Scenarios ........................................................................................................................... 17 4.3.2 Interface with MARTA Rail and Bus Services ......................................................................................... 18 Table of Contents | iii A t l a n t a S t r e e t c a r System Plan 4.3.3 Vehicle Maintenance and Storage Facility ............................................................................................ 20 4.4 Costs