Atlanta BeltLine chooses route for final segment of Northwest Trail

Caption

A rendering of the Northwest Trail segment running along Bennett Street.

Credit: Photo courtesy ABI

Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. (ABI) and PATH Foundation have selected a route for the final segment of the Northwest Trail.

The trail will run alongside Peachtree Park Drive and Bennett Street, known as Corridor 6 in the Northwest Trail Feasibility Study, in Buckhead.

First announced in the spring, ABI and PATH hired an outside consultant to provide an economic impact assessment to the Bennett Street business district, held community meetings, and spoke with stakeholders in the area.

“We are pleased to have an alignment selected for the full Northwest Trail and thrilled at the opportunity it presents for connectivity amongst many neighborhoods and business districts,” said ABI President and CEO Clyde Higgs during at a Aug. 30 public meeting. “For the first time in our history, we have a defined path for the full 22-mile loop. Completing the trail brings us one step closer to building a more equitable and inclusive Atlanta.”

The Northwest Trail continues to be one of the more complicated sections to deliver due to the lack of an abandoned railroad corridor.

The Northwest Trail will be funded primarily through the BeltLine Tax Allocation District (TAD), philanthropic contributions including $30 million recently announced by The James M. Cox Foundation, and Special Service District (SSD) bond proceeds.

This story comes to GPB through a reporting partnership with Reporter Newspapers & Atlanta Intown.