New Beltline Tax Quickly Wins Council Support

Josh Green reports: "Despite opposition from an alliance of metro Atlanta apartment complex owners, purveyors of dive bars, government leaders, and various other groups, an additional tax for commercial property owners near the BeltLine is coming this year."

The Atlanta City Council on Monday moved forward with the BeltLine Special Services District (SSD): "a half-mile zone around the 22-mile loop where a tax bump will be implemented to raise an expected $100 million for finishing BeltLine construction."

The SSD is a relatively new idea for generating the funding necessary to get the BeltLine across the finish line. Planetizen covered the idea shortly after its first announcement in January 2021.

The SSD is expected to generate $100 million to complete BeltLine trail corridors, but it only go part way to funding the remainder of the work. "Finishing everything from design work and utility relocation to the installation of security cameras is expected to cost roughly $350 million," according to Green.

The BeltLine Tax Allocation District (TAD) is still in place, with a December 2030 expiration date. "Beyond the SSD’s $100-million boost, the BeltLine says $100 million will come from the existing TAD, with local, state, federal, and especially philanthropic sources—who haven’t been publicly identified yet—footing the remaining $150 million," reports Green.

More on the politics of the City Council's decision, and the potential benefit of the new revenue, are included in the source article.