Atlantans Believe In the Complete Vision of the BeltLine - Now Build It
BeltLine Rail Now created Rail Writers to allow Atlantans like you to voice your passion about the building of light rail on the Atlanta BeltLine. Guest writers are invited to articulate their vision of an Atlanta with a completed rail system on the BeltLine, and the many benefits enjoyed by residents and visitors alike.
— By Griffin Wasdin
When my wife and I bought our house in Ormewood Park in 2017, the first thing we discovered was that Ormewood Park ~exists~, separate and unique from nearby Grant Park and East Atlanta. The second thing we discovered was that the best way to describe the neighborhood is “a streetcar suburb that lost its streetcar”.
Before Ormewood, we lived in Old 4th Ward in the Block Loft apartments with front-row seats to the city’s longest car-free street – the BeltLine – and its explosion of ATL culture. It was hard leaving that vibrant location, but like everyone else, we were forced to compromise between availability, affordability, and amenities.
For our particular situation, that compromise led us to Ormewood Park where we had to leave O4W, but at least we could keep the BeltLine. And best of all, this particular former streetcar suburb had just been promised the return of its streetcar when the 2016 More MARTA referendum passed with 130,000 votes.
Fast forward to today in 2023. SOMEHOW there is a narrative questioning the 2016 promise of BeltLine rail. Much of today’s media narrative seems to pit affluent “homeowners” against the streetcar and its (extremely worthy) equity and inclusion goals. As a homeowner myself, I want to speak to this specific narrative framing.
No. No no. No no no. These outspoken “homeowners” don’t represent me, my home-owning friends, or any particular constituency. They don’t represent the majority of Atlantas who actually RENT. I'm honestly not sure how these folks keep getting media coverage. Their online petition couldn’t even muster 1,500 signatures! They couldn’t even get 20 people to show up at the More MARTA project update back in April!
The majority of Atlanta HOMEOWNERS AND RENTERS believe in the complete vision of the BeltLine, just like I do. We voted a resounding “yes” in 2016, and then we put our money on the line buying homes across the BeltLine’s 45 neighborhoods on the promise of reliable, car-free streetcars. Without the streetcar, we sit in traffic for 30-40 minutes trying to catsit in Blandtown after work. My sister-in-law is not comfortable driving or bicycling, so instead she buys costly Uber and Lyft round trips whenever she needs to visit. I recently paid $13 for a scooter rental (on the exact streetcar route!) as my best, worst option compared to a $40 Uber or a 2+ hour ride home on a convoluted MARTA route of bus + Red Line + Blue Line + very long walk. I would have rather paid $3 bucks to ride a streetcar directly home!
To every elected official in the City, don’t let lazy, false both-side-ism media coverage spoil your political calculus. The homeowners of Atlanta – the people who phone bank and door knock in your elections and show up month after month at your neighborhood association and NPU meetings - believe in BeltLine rail, and we expect you to make it a reality.
Griffin Wasdin is an Atlanta native, a licensed civil engineer, and a former officer of College Democrats at Georgia Tech, Young Democrats of Atlanta, and Young Democrats of Georgia.
