Atlanta Beltline, Inc. Breaks Ground on Key Segment of Northwest Trail and Announces Key Land Acquisition
Parcel purchase critical for connecting Northwest Trail—Segment 2 to the 22-mile loop
- Design & Construction
- Land Acquisition & Development
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, Atlanta Beltline, Inc. President & CEO Clyde Higgs and other community leaders broke ground on Northwest Trail—Segment 1 on Oct. 31, 2024, marking the Beltline’s first expansion into this area of Buckhead.
The trail plays a vital role in bringing the Beltline’s vision of equitable access to greenspace to life in Buckhead. This Northwest Trail segment will feature a suspension bridge over Peachtree Creek, creating a unique natural experience for people as the trail extends north. The 0.8-mile segment will start at Peachtree Park Drive at the entrance to Peachtree Park apartments, cross over Peachtree Creek via a suspension bridge, and then end at the Kinsey Court cul-de-sac.
“The Beltline is crucial in our mission to create safe, healthy and connected neighborhoods across Atlanta, and it’s one of the nation's most transformative infrastructure projects, supporting economic, social and recreational needs for our residents and visitors,” said Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens. “This acquisition and expansion will help us continue to make Atlanta the best place in the nation to raise a family and to start a business.”
Segment 1 of the Northwest Trail will also traverse through the Peachtree Park Apartments community, after extensive coordination with the property owner to minimize impacts to current residents.
“We’re pleased to have direct access to this transformative trail for our resident,” said Keith Kimmel, President of Property Operations at AIR Communities. “This new segment of the Beltline will enhance connectivity, greenspace and quality of life for everyone in the community and we’re thrilled to be part of the collective effort that is the Atlanta Beltline.”
In collaboration with the Dickens administration, Atlanta Beltline, Inc. also acquired roughly one acre of land at 2110 Peachtree Road, which included three parcels needed to complete Segment 2 of the Northwest Trail, marking the first acquisition along Atlanta’s iconic Peachtree corridor. While much of the Beltline is being built on former freight railroad right of way, there are a few portions of trail where the Beltline needs to buy land to complete and connect the 22-mile loop. The Beltline engineering, real estate and economic development teams collaborated with the PATH Foundation on the alignment for the Northwest Trail. The background on the prioritized alignments can be researched in the Northwest Trail Feasibility Study Addendum.
“This property purchase brings the Beltline closer to realizing its vision of a fully connected, accessible, and vibrant infrastructure, further enhancing the economic, recreational, and environmental benefits for Atlanta’s residents and visitors,” said Clyde Higgs, President and CEO of Atlanta Beltline, Inc.
This area of the trail is located near Piedmont Atlanta Hospital – the largest employer in the Beltline Planning Area – as well as other job centers including the Shepherd Center, nearby office buildings and retail shops.
Building on progress in Segments 1 and 2, construction of Northwest Trail—Segment 3 and 5 (NWT-3 & 5), are underway. NWT-3 is a1.2-mile section of trail beginning at Trabert Avenue near Monday Night Brewing and ends after crossing under I-75 at Tanyard Creek. NWT-5 is a 0.8-mile segment, whose construction began earlier this year, will link Marietta Boulevard and Huff Road, connecting with the Westside Trail and several Westside neighborhoods.
Once completed, the entire Northwest Trail will extend 4.3 miles from Blandtown to the Lindbergh/Morosgo neighborhoods, linking neighborhoods and landmarks including Ardmore Park, Brookwood, Brookwood Hills, Collier Hills, Lindbergh, Lindbergh City Center, Lindridge Martin Manor, Peachtree Hills and Underwood Hills. The trail also goes along Tanyard Creek, the Atlanta Memorial Trail and Bobby Jones Golf Course and connects to the Northeast Trail at the Armour-Ottley commercial district and the Lindbergh Center MARTA station.
The majority of funding for the Beltline comes from public sources, specifically through the Beltline Tax Allocation District, supported by Atlanta Public Schools (APS), Fulton County, and the City of Atlanta, and Beltline Special Service District investors. Lead philanthropic support to complete the full Beltline trail corridor comes from the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, Inc. and The James M. Cox Foundation.
Other collaborators critical to these trail efforts include City of Atlanta Department of Transportation, City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management, City of Atlanta Department of City Planning, Georgia Department of Transportation, Invest Atlanta, PATH Foundation, Special Service District Investors, and Trees Atlanta.
Media assets can be downloaded here.
Photo caption for the groundbreaking: Pictured from left to right: John Matthews, President, Peachtree Hills Civic Association; Mary Norwood, Atlanta City Council, District 9; Cynthia Briscoe Brown, Atlanta Public Schools Board of Education, District 8; Howard Shook, Atlanta City Council, District 7; Mayor Andre Dickens, Clyde Higgs, President & CEO, Atlanta Beltline, Inc.; Dana Barrett, Fulton County Board of Commission District 3; Rob Brawner, Executive Director, Atlanta Beltline Partnership; Matt Westmoreland, Atlanta City Council, Post 2 At Large, Pete Pellegrini, Sr. Project Manager, PATH Foundation; and Bethoni Davis, Property Manager, Air Communities
About Atlanta Beltline, Inc.
Atlanta Beltline, Inc. is the official implementation agency for the Atlanta Beltline. Its vision is to be the catalyst for making Atlanta a global beacon for equitable, inclusive and sustainable city life. As one of the largest, most wide-ranging urban redevelopment programs in the United States, the Atlanta Beltline is building a more socially and economically resilient Atlanta with our partner organizations and host communities through job creation, inclusive transportation systems, affordable housing and public spaces for all. For more information on the Atlanta Beltline, please visit www.Beltline.org.
Media Contacts:
Atlanta Beltline, Inc. Office of Communications and Media Relations
100 Peachtree Street, NW, Suite 2300,
Atlanta, GA 30303
Keona Swindler, Media Relations Manager
(706) 358-2979, kswindler@beltline.org
Rachel Tobin, TobinInk.
(404) 276-5930, rachel@tobinink.com
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