Who is the Beltline For?

This past weekend the Housing Justice League did a day of canvassing with the support of SURJ Atlanta. It's park of an overall effort to gather data for a report that would highlight the impact of Beltline development to low to moderate income residents. 

We know the Beltline has already brought a net loss of affordable housing along the areas that have been complete. As the popular project makes it's way to Adair Park, Pittsburgh, South Atlanta, and Peoplestown we want to make sure that development doesn't displace. If the Beltline is going to be the inclusive beautiful project it was designed to be our city and those working to develop the Beltline must do a better job of making sure that everyone can enjoy it, not just affluent newer residents.


The results we are already seeing are unfortunately not shocking; the Beltline is squeezing out non-rich folks as it snakes it's way around the city. Mega projects like the Beltline and Turner Field beg the question, Who are we developing Atlanta for?

Our hope is that solid research can point us to policies our city can adopt to make sure development can benefit everyone and that long term residents can have the opportunity to stay in their community, to enjoy things like the Beltline instead of being squeezed out to make room for new people.

If you would like to get involved in this project we could use your help! Right now we need help with data analysis, data visualization, mapping, qualitative analysis of surveys and interview data, report writing, and editing.

There will be an open meeting  Saturday March 18th from 11-1pm at Hodge Podge Coffee. Email Katediedrick@gmail.com to get more information on how to plug into this effort!

Do you live in a Beltline neighborhood? If so we need folks to take the survey! It won't take long at all! Click HERE to take online survey.

Residents Call Out Beltline's Affordable Housing Failures

The Atlanta Beltline, which oversees the development of a 22-mile loop through the city, says that it hopes to raise $7.5 million to encourage affordable housing development. But the recent announcement of $7.5 million from TAD bonds will likely support fewer than 200 affordable units out of ABI’s obligation to 5,600. When compared to the need, current funding is a drop in the bucket. As the economy comes back to life, and the city accelerates, meeting these obligations is increasingly urgent. It is clear the city of Atlanta has made little effort to hold Beltline developers accountable.

On Thursday, Nov. 3rd at 4 pm, the Housing Justice League held the Beltline accountable. We organized a protest outside the Equitable Building on 100 Peachtree Street, home to the Atlanta Beltline Office, drawing public attention and criticism to Beltline President Paul Morris. The protest began with Housing Justice League organizer, and Stanton Oak tenant association president, Sherise Brown delivering a notification flyer to Paul Morris’s office. The flyer called attention to the lack of affordable housing on the Atlanta Beltline, and committed to hold Paul Morris and the entire Beltline Corporation accountable to their promise of 5,600 affordable units. Over the course of the next half-an-hour, protestors marched around the Building, registering their discontent with Paul Morris and the Beltline Corporation. Many of the protestors included university faculty, who were part of a Georgia State University-based conference on the housing crisis in Atlanta.

The Housing Justice League is committed to keeping pressure on Paul Morris and his partner developers to build affordable housing on the Beltline. Up to this point, Beltline developers have built exclusively luxury housing units, creating a period of unbridled wealth extraction from communities that have only recently begun strong economic development. It is unacceptable for the Beltline to develop without accountability, and without profiting its surrounding neighborhoods. We demand that the Beltline be a project that benefits not just some, but all.