The three bodies must agree on the taxing district before the redevelopment plan can begin, followers of Atlanta's most controversial undertaking since the growth of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport tell GlobeSt.com. The proposed 22-mile project would include new office, retail, residential and hotel space along with parks, trails and new transit routes over the next 25 years.

The vote by Fulton County and the school board is expected by year end, project insiders say. "It will be unanimous, for the project" a person in a position to know tells GlobeSt.com. Fulton County and school board representatives couldn't be reached for comment by GlobeSt.com's publication deadline.

Beltline Partnership representative David Payne says "the city council's overwhelming vote of support for the Beltline TAD was very encouraging. However, we still need affirmative votes by the Atlanta Public Schools and the Fulton County Commission." Payne adds the votes from the two agencies are "equally important for the complete approval of the TAD."

The project is the brainchild of Mayor Shirley Franklin and her staff. "Her credibility is on the line if this deal goes down," a long-time observer of city politics tells GlobeSt.com. The city plans to sell $111 million in bonds to start buying prime land sites before speculators acquire them, city hall sources say. "But they can't start the buying spree until Fulton County and the school board gives the project a thumbs up," according to one source at city hall.

Meanwhile, opposition to the redevelopment comes from various neighborhood activists who argue low-income families will receive minimal benefits from the project because it is too pro-development.

A Beltline observer, a private Atlanta investor close to all of the parties negotiating the tax district issues, who previously provided Beltline background to GlobeSt.com tells GlobeSt.com there are several issues the Atlanta Development Authority will have to resolve before the redevelopment plan is accepted entirely by the community. "A big question that the ADA is going to have to defend is the justification for pulling certain properties into the TAD boundaries," the source explains. "The Georgia Redevelopment Powers Act states that properties must meet certain criteria. Two of the major ones are that it must be blighted in some way, or would otherwise not have been developed without TAD support."

The source says the Northeast Beltline Corridor is "one of the most prosperous in the city, plus people like developer Wayne Mason [a former Fulton County commission chairman] and the developers of City Hall East have stated publicly that their plans are not contingent on the Beltline TAD."

Instant Insights /

GlobeSt.com UPDATE: $3B Beltline Redevelopment Plan Passes First Hurdle

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