Atlanta BeltLine Inc. has proposed a higher budget to help fund an extension of the Atlanta Streetcar to the Eastside Trail. According to Saporta Report, $8.8 million, including $3 million to design a 1.5-mile extension of the streetcar eastward along the Auburn Avenue corridor toward Krog Street, is in the new budget.
BeltLine spending is slated to rise to $62.1 million from $49 million, with money also going toward further extensions of the Eastside and Westside Trails and connecting the BeltLine to MARTA. Invest Atlanta, the city’s development arm, is expected to adopt the budget this Thursday.
In other news, the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership has successfully completed its most recent capital campaign to support the building of the Westside Trail. Inspired by a lead gift of $5 million from Jim Kennedy through The James M. Cox Foundation / PATH Foundation and invigorated by a number of donations of $500,000 or more, the $12.5 million campaign was completed in just one year. It was closed out with a matching gift from Richard and Susan Anderson and a final grant of $500,000 from Porsche Cars North America.
The campaign was crucial in securing an $18 million TIGER V grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation that is accelerating construction of the Westside Trail by two-to-three years. Funding will support the development of the Westside Trail, land acquisition, and project management and stewardship through the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership’s continuing efforts to enable the transformative project, empower the residents of the surrounding neighborhoods, and engage the users and visitors of the parks and trails.