Georgia News(Week 8) - Bright Future for Beltline

The Beltline, a proposal to transform dangerous Atlanta neighborhoods into "pleasant places to walk, shop and live," made a step in the positive direction Monday after the Atlanta City Council "overwhelmingly approved" the plan. The Atlanta City Council's vote created a "special tax district" to raise around $2 billion to pay for many of the developments that would come out of the Beltline plan. Once the plan is approved by the city school board and Fulton county, things will be set in motion. The Beltline proposal, according to the article, is expected to come before both of these groups before the end of the year. There are two sides to the Beltline debate, as the proposal's supporters feel that "the changes that are to unfold over the next 25 years could be...significant in Atlanta's history." Those against the proposal, according to the article, argue that the Beltline plan "leaves out low-income families and focuses too much on development." Another upside to the Beltline plan is the predicted $95 million that the Atlanta school board would receive "to build and maintain schools." This seems like a very positive proposal, as both the community and schools would benefit from the Beltline plan. If all goes well, as it already is, Atlanta should soon be well on its way to a brighter future.

Link: http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/1105/08beltline.html?cxntnid=amn110805e