Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. (ABI), the city organization tasked with creating the eponymous 22-mile trail, recently purchased a 9.3 +/- acre site in the Oakland City neighborhood located at the corner of Avon Avenue and Murphy Avenue, according to a press release Friday. It was acquired for $5.25 million. “This acquisition furthers ABI’s and Invest Atlanta’s commitment to investment into the southside and westside neighborhoods along the Atlanta BeltLine and to the advancement of strategic objectives around economic development and housing,” the announcement states.
The site is roughly 0.5 miles north of the Oakland City MARTA station, 0.4 miles south of the Atlanta BeltLine Westside Trail, and 0.8 miles from the segment of Southside Trail currently under construction. Nearby existing and emerging developments include Pittsburgh Yards, the Met, and Lee + White. The use of the site is up for discussion. ABI will work with the public to create a plan for the land. “Public input will shape the future activation of this property in a way that directly responds to current and future community needs for housing and economic development,” according to the release.
The purchase of the property, at 1150 Murphy Avenue, was directly enabled by a commitment in the 2021 fiscal ABI budget for acquisition of community development sites. The purchase of the property from the State of Georgia was approved by the Invest Atlanta Board on in August.
“This investment of more than a half-billion dollars of development in areas south of I-20, as well as the West and Southwest BeltLine neighborhoods, will spur much-needed job creation, small business opportunities, and affordable housing options in these communities,” Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said in the release. “Thank you to the Atlanta BeltLine for continuing to work towards creating equitable redevelopment in Atlanta.”
This is very good to see. From 1985 until 1999, I lived off Sylvan and Avon, and watched that area go from a working scrapyard with burning plastic fumes to a garbage transfer station with bulldozers running around the clock and foul odors in the breeze, to a car junkyard. That huge building owned by the state was always there, always doing nothing useful. There was no hope and no life and nothing positive there. Just barbed wire and cold, forgotten streets. It’s just amazing to me to see how much has changed and will keep changing. 30 years ago, I’d have said it would be impossible. Never been happier to be wrong.
Great post.
It’s very interesting what us old-timers know, and have seen.
Please keep public opinion out of it and just do what urban design experts recommend ><
Since The olympics put Atlanta On the Map The SW side has only been improving slowly but non the less improving year by year. I am excited to see all the changes in the last 20 years of living in the neighborhood close to the Beltline and welcome further Development.