September 2006: Real estate developer Wayne Mason withdrew his proposed residential projects, and most importantly, the land he owns, that were crucial parts of the Beltline plan. Mason pulled out due to an ongoing feud with city developers about proposed residential towers on one corner of Piedmont Park and the fact that he feels that the city's approach to the Beltline project is not economically sound or feasible. City officials claim that the Beltline project will proceed without Mason, though it is unclear how the city could get around the loss of Mason's 43 acres that he was going to donate, especially since they are located in the heart of the Beltline project.
The BeltLine Project seeks to transform the areas marked by abandoned railroad tracks in Atlanta's urban core into a thriving and connected community, by linking them with a light rail transit system, and by encouraging economic growth and development around the BeltLine area. The ambitious and optimistic project does have its detractors, though most of Atlanta's politically powerful figures, such as Mayor Shirley Franklin, are behind the project.
The BeltLine Project began as a project of Georgia Tech graduate student Ryan Gravel. Former Atlanta City Council President Cathy Woolard was among the first public figures to give her support and actively promote the BeltLine Project. A further feasibility study nicknamed the "Emerald Necklace" concluded that the BeltLine Project's vision of a 22-mile connected park and transit system was feasible.
Essentially, the BeltLine would form a light rail system utilizing unused railroad tracks from near downtown Atlanta to the Piedmont Hospital area of Buckhead. The BeltLine area crosses through 45 intown neighborhoods of Atlanta. The southern portion of the BeltLine is less developed and the opportunity to create vibrant live-work-play commmunities along with affordable housing is seen as one positive contribution the BeltLine project could make to Atlanta. It's in the areas that are more developed, especially around the Piedmont Park area of Midtown, that some concerns have been raised. A developer that owns a good chunk of the BeltLine land wants to build a high-rise condo development on the edge of Piedmont Park, which has some nearby residents fuming. While the BeltLine project has cleared a couple of legislative hurdles, actual planning of the developments along the BeltLine is still in its early stages. While the project would be completed in stages, it would be decades before the full impact of the BeltLine on Atlanta could be measured.