“Those
weeds
right
over
there,”
said
Heather
Hussey-Coker,
directing
those
aboard
a
charter
bus
to
look
outside
their
windows
at
a
stretch
of
land
in
Northwest
Atlanta,
“That’s
the
Beltline.”
Several
people
inside
the
bus
chuckled.
On
paper,
and
in
the
minds
of
city
officials
and
developers,
the
Atlanta
Beltline
is
a
breathtaking
concept,
capable
of
refurbishing
almost
every
part
of
the
city
while
transforming
the
way
Atlantans
live,
play
and
commute.
But
in
reality,
as
pointed
out
by
McCann
during
a
recent
tour
of
the
22-mile
loop
within
the
heart
of
Atlanta,
the
Beltline
is
currently
a
loose
connection
of
weeds,
ditches,
abandoned
lots
and
a
450-foot
deep
granite
pit
that
one
day
may
supplant
Piedmont
Park
as
the
city’s
largest
and
most
prominent
recreational
space.
Over
the
next
25
years,
city
developers
are
hoping
to
convert
those
22
miles
of
underdeveloped
land
—
most
of
which
sits
alongside
a
loop
of
unused
railroad
tracks
—
into
an
inner
perimeter
of
walkways,
bike
paths,
parks,
businesses
and
light-rail
trains.
Most
of
what
will
become
the
Beltline
is
vastly
dilapidated
and
sorely
in
need
of
improvements.
But
several
gay
businesses
and
popular
hangouts
are
along
the
proposed
route
and
it
remains
unclear
how
the
massive
development
project
will
impact
those
locations.
“The
philosophy
of
the
Beltline
is
to
be
a
positive,
transformative
investment
for
the
city,”
said
Roland
Young,
who
was
recently
hired
as
citizen
participation
advocate
by
the
Atlanta
BeltLine
Inc.
—
a
public-private
partnership
formed
in
2006.
“The
gay
community,
as
well
as
other
communities,
are
more
than
an
important
part
of
this
project.
We
do
want
and
intend
to
make
active
and
very
visible
outreach
to
the
gay
community.”
While
having
the
potential
to
transform
neighborhoods
along
the
Beltline,
backers
of
the
project
highlight
the
aim
of
integrating
the
Beltline
into
already
existing
communities
—
complementing
and
connecting
the
city’s
various
neighborhoods
instead
of
replacing
them
with
entirely
new
ones.
However,
gay
businesses
and
neighborhoods
have
not
fared
well
in
the
face
of
other
ambitious
development
projects
in
Atlanta.
The
ongoing
revitalization
of
Peachtree
Street
gutted
several
prominent
gay
bars
off
the
popular
strip
and
has
made
the
middle
of
Midtown
almost
unrecognizable
compared
to
the
way
it
was
a
decade
earlier.
“You
don’t
realize
the
effect
all
this
development
is
having
on
the
gay
community
in
Midtown
until
you
go
out
and
look
around,”
said
Ben
Elliot,
owner
of
the
gay
bar
Hoedowns.
“What
all
these
developers
are
doing
is
doing
all
these
things
to
raise
the
price
of
property
in
Midtown
to
the
point
where
our
community
is
pushed
out.
“What
the
Beltline
will
do
is
bring
more
straight
folks
into
Midtown
and
push
our
community
out
further,”
Elliot
added.
But
planning
for
the
Beltline
is
still
in
the
infancy
stages,
and
gay
and
lesbian
residents
should
get
involved
in
the
process
early
to
ensure
their
interests
are
represented,
said
Gabriel
Charvat,
co-chair
of
the
Northeast
Study
Group,
a
citizen
panel
created
by
Atlanta
BeltLine
Inc.
that
monitors
development
along
the
section
of
the
Beltline
that
includes
Midtown
and
surrounding
neighborhoods.
“We
really
want
folks
to
believe
that
their
opinion
counts,
and
we’re
going
to
make
sure
that
happens,”
Charvat
said.
“I
think
that
as
long
as
people
feel
their
voices
are
being
heard,
then
changes
that
are
necessary
will
be
embraced
by
the
community.”
There
is
an
independent
study
group
for
each
of
the
five
sections
of
the
Beltline,
and
membership
is
open
to
anyone
interested.
During
the
tours
she
directs
every
Friday
and
Saturday
on
behalf
of
the
Beltline
Partnership
—
a
non-profit
group
created
in
2005
to
raise
awareness
and
funds
for
the
Beltline
project
—
Hussey-Coker
gives
a
brief
history
about
how
the
Beltline
idea
was
first
conceived
by
Georgia
Tech
graduate
student
Ryan
Gravel
in
his
master’s
thesis
in
1999.
Hussey-Coker
credits
then-Atlanta
City
Council
President
Cathy
Woolard,
who
is
gay,
with
being
among
the
first
public
officials
to
champion
turning
Gravel’s
thesis
into
reality.
Since
then,
an
astounding
amount
of
energy
has
been
devoted
into
bringing
the
Beltline
to
fruition.
In
addition
to
sparking
the
creation
of
Atlanta
BeltLine
Inc.
and
the
Beltline
Partnership,
the
project
has
garnered
the
support
of
an
impressive
list
of
corporate
partners.
In
2005,
the
Atlanta
City
Council,
Fulton
County
Commission
and
Atlanta
Public
School
board
created
a
Tax
Allocation
District
along
the
proposed
Beltline
route
to
fund
about
60
percent
of
the
project.
The
tear
drop-shaped
Beltline
route
—
which
would
be
about
100-feet
wide
at
most
points,
but
narrower
in
some
areas
—
...
