Ga. 400 Trail Meetings Begin

From Patch Reports

Livable Buckhead Executive Director Denise Starling released a Ga. 400 Trail fact sheet Monday to give Buckhead residents information about the project.

According to the timeline on the Fact Sheet, trail construction is to begin in September 2013 with completion planned for July 2014. Conceptual and prelimnary design will continue through September of this year, with the final design work continuing through March 2013. Permitting will be carried out from April through August 2013.

"With concept approval imminent, the team will begin meeting with individual property owners and trail neighbors to discuss their concerns and desires for the trail design," Livable Buckhead last week in its monthly Buckheadlines newsletter.

In early January, the Ga. 400 design team met with GDOT, MARTA, city of Atlanta and Norfolk Southern railroad officials to present the initial concept and general alignment for the trail. Those groups are expected to annouce soon their approval of the initial design.

"Over the next few months, through numerous one on one and smaller group meetings with impacted property owners, concerns will be gathered and used to inform the actual trail design that is scheduled to be completed in early 2013," the newsletter said.

Community concerns have been raised about trees, habitat, water, safey and noise, and the design team will be addressing those issues directly, the newsletter said.

Designers are mapping topoography to create base maps necessary for trail desgin, the newsletter said. "The maze of flags and markings are control points for the design work — they do not show you trees to be removed or the actual alignment of the trail...we don’t know any of that yet," according to the newsletter.

Residents with questions and concerned are urged to contact Livable Buckhead at GA400@livablebuckhead.org.

The Saporta Report's David Pendered looks at the project in an article published Monday.