Student homeowners say Atlanta BeltLine developments intrude upon property

Mark Ruddell Jr. says his home (shown above) is in jeopardy because of the expansion and of the Atlanta BeltLine. Photo by Jade Johnson | The Signal

Editor’s Note: There were some concerns in this article that have been addressed in a later follow-up. Click here for updates. Last updated: April 21, 2015; 11:11 a.m.

Mark Ruddell Jr. says his home (shown above) is in jeopardy because of the expansion and of the Atlanta BeltLine. Photo by Jade Johnson | The Signal
Mark Ruddell Jr. says his home (shown above) is in jeopardy because of the expansion and of the Atlanta BeltLine.
Photo by Jade Johnson | The Signal

Homeowners say the Atlanta BeltLine’s expansion could encroach on some Georgia State students’ privacy, property taxes, and safety since Senate Bill 4 (SB 4) was passed, which grants the BeltLine access to alternate means of funding.

Georgia State student Mark Rudell Jr. bought his home near the Atlanta BeltLine’s Eastside Trail near Krog Street Market a year ago. He was shocked to find four surveyors spraying a 20-yard long chalk line up his backyard to his back porch earlier this year.

“When I asked what it was for, they said it was the BeltLine expansion development,” he said.

Rudell also said when he inquired further, the surveyors would not elaborate.

CEO and President of the BeltLine Paul Morris said project proposals for the Eastside development of the BeltLine will begin this month with construction to start in June.

“We are getting ready to start an extension on the Eastside,” he said. “The current trail ends at Irwin Street, which is right near Krog Street Market, and the next segment will go about a mile and a quarter south of that through a slightly meandering route connecting Memorial Drive.”

When purchasing the property, Rudell said he had no prior knowledge of it being a site for future BeltLine expansion.

However, Morris said the public is informed of location for all upcoming expansion.

“Everybody knows that. They know when they buy on the BeltLine that they’re buying into a more valuable place. That’s why they choose to move there,” he said.

Rudell said his reason for purchasing the property was for privacy.

“It was so nice, and there wasn’t a neighbor to the rear of me because of the empty train tracks,” he said.

With the expansion to launch in the upcoming year, Rudell said his feelings of living near the BeltLine have changed.

“I use to like the concept, but now there’s so much traffic, and especially now that it’s connecting so many neighborhoods, it could pose somewhat of an issue,” he said.

The fear of relinquishing his privacy and possibly his land has prompted Rudell to consider relocating.

“I honestly think I’m going to sell it. I planned on living in that house for a while, but if I lose the whole backyard, that’s the reason I bought the house,” he said. “If they develop that into any kind of retail or developed area of the BeltLine, I wouldn’t want to live there anymore.”

Residents speak out

Georgia State student, wife and mother Soli Nicolson lives on the Westside Trail of the BeltLine, which is currently under construction.

She said she is concerned about the repercussions of expansion for current residents.

“Most of the people who live in this neighborhood are either retired or on a fixed income,” she said. “For working families like myself, you know, I’m a mom and I go to school — most of us are on fixed incomes. I work part-time. My husband is an artist. He has his own business. We’re making it, but it’s not easy.”

Nicolson said she talked to Nathan Soldat, BeltLine Community Engagement advocate, regarding her apprehensions about property taxes.

“I said, ‘I’m a little bit concerned about safety, but I’m also concerned about the property values going up. You know, the cost of the property going up.’ And he said, ‘Oh you know, it’s not going to be that significant, but it will go up.’ And I said, ‘But significant to whom?’ and I definitely offended him,” she said.

Morris said one-third of the BeltLine’s funding comes from heightened property taxes.

“So we get about a third of our money through what is called the tax allocation district, which is a somewhat
complicated revenue stream that essentially allows us to claim increases in property taxes and slide that and allocate that over to us,” he said.

Morris explained how the system works in relation to the value of the property.

“Say you own a home and you pay $100 in property taxes and we build this project and suddenly your taxes go up. Why would they go up? Because your value went up, because you’re now next to this amenity that your house is worth more. So it goes up to $110. We get to take the $10,” he said.

However, Nicolson said property taxes should be taken into consideration because of the effect it has on residents.

“So if you raise the property taxes, regardless of whether you’re renting or paying a mortgage, it’s going to affect you when the prices go up on the property,” she said. “The landlords aren’t going to want to pay that additional amount of money. It has to be compensated somewhere.”

Nicolson also mirrored Rudell’s reservations about the increased foot-traffic and safety.

“When you live an area like this, you don’t want to have a lot of foot traffic right by your house,” she said. “It’s not the safest neighborhood. So it kind of concerns me that there will be some people that do want to use the BeltLine, and they do want to have some kind of recreational access where they live with their families.”

Nicolson said if not for a class taken, she would have been unaware of the what was going on with the BeltLine expansion.

“I feel like the community on the Westside — I haven’t felt like we’ve been well informed,” she said. “Honestly, if I hadn’t taken this class, I probably wouldn’t have known the logistics myself. They don’t put any information out, you know. They block stuff a lot due to construction but they don’t really explain it.”

SB 4 aka the“BeltLine Bill”

As for the BeltLine, the possibility of it slowing expansion is slim. With the House and Senate passing the SB 4 April 2, the BeltLine now has access to secure funds through partnering with private sectors, according to Morris.

“What it does is it allows us to have a slightly larger set of tools and methods to procure help to build faster and potentially cheaper. And the way to do that is by partnering with the private sector ahead of time,” Morris said. “Prior to this bill we weren’t allowed to do that, and we’re the only entity in the city that will have the authority to do that.”

Morris said funding for the BeltLine must be obtained from outside sources since the BeltLine is a separate entity from the city.

“We’re not the city. We’re a private corporation. [And a Georgia non-profit.] We have no natural revenue stream. One hundred percent of our money comes from elsewhere,” he said. “Our money comes from the tax allocation district, through grants, and through private donors. All of our money. So we are always in fundraising mode.”

The majority of the funds are not secured until after construction is completed. However, SB 4 would enable the BeltLine to secure funds beforehand, according to Morris.

“We can actually go to the private sector to help finance it. So if we don’t have all the money today and we don’t want to wait five years to build it, but we know the money will come over five years, we can go to the private sector and say we not only want you to design, build, operate, and maintain it for us, but we actually want you to finance it for us,” he said.

With opportunity for quicker expansion, Morris said the impact it has on residents is taken into consideration.

“[We’re] kind of paying attention to the residents who are potentially the hardest impacted and finding ways for them to be able to stay in the neighborhood and benefit from what’s all happening,” he said.
Communications and Media Relations Director Ericka Davis said the BeltLine is expanding for the best interest of the people.

“There’s a great deal of humanity in what we do. We want the Beltline to be something that we’re doing with the people, not something that’s happening to them,” she said.
Rudell said he disagrees.

“We all enjoy our backyard spaces. My neighbors have a gazebo and I always have my hammock up and stuff so it’s going to be pretty lame if they come through and destroy all that,” he said.