Transit-oriented development advances in Atlanta

ATLANTA — MARTA and the City of Decatur are seeking qualified parties to participate in the planned redevelopment of a seven-acre parcel at the Avondale rail station that will be transformed into a mixed-use, transit-oriented development (TOD). Decatur city officials issued a formal request for proposals on August 22. A mandatory, pre-proposal conference is scheduled for Sept. 10, and final responses are due Sept. 19. A master developer or development team could be selected by the end of the year.

Lyn Menne, the city’s Assistant manager for Community and Economic Development, cited the market potential for the existing, MARTA-owned parking lot as a prime location on the city’s fast-growing east side. There are about 62 acres within a quarter-mile radius of the MARTA station that are ripe for development.

“Our community is keenly focused on projects like this that will continue to improve our quality of life,” said Menne. “The Avondale TOD has great potential to promote economic opportunity while maximizing the investments we’ve made to provide options for our residents to walk, bike or use transit, all of which make Decatur great place to live.”

The Avondale TOD represents a partnership between Decatur, deemed one of the most livable places in Georgia and MARTA, the nation’s 9th largest transit system.

Avondale station on the Blue Line is one of three MARTA rail stations serving the City of Decatur (Decatur and East Lake Stations being the others). The predominant land uses within a half-mile of Avondale station are industrial and low-density residential.

Plans for Avondale are part of a recently expanded TOD program that MARTA launched earlier this year. MARTA is working with the public and private sector to create vibrant, sustainable communities around its rail stations that will boost transit ridership while providing new sources of revenue for the Authority.

MARTA proposes launching five such TOD projects over the next two years. The King Memorial Station TOD near Downtown Atlanta is also in the procurement process. For more information about MARTA’s TOD program, visit www.itsmarta.com/TOD-real-estate.aspx.

An online fact sheet is available at www.itsmarta.com/Avondale-Station-Profile.pdf.