On September 21, the Atlanta City Council voted 14-0 to move rail on the Beltline forward, calling on the mayor’s office for projected costs and implementation in January.

Invest Atlanta, whose board is chaired by Mayor Dickens, recently approved $15 million in additional property-tax incentives for Portman Holdings’ 1100-unit Amsterdam Walk development on the Beltline, while the project’s affordable-housing commitment was reduced to 39 units. Whatever the merits of that particular development, the contrast raises an important public question: If the city can structure substantial long-term financial commitments to support development along the Beltline, what financial creativity and urgency will it bring to the transit infrastructure that residents have been promised?

You can find the full post at Beltline Rail Now.