By Bill Adams, Founder, Adams Realtors & Adams Commercial Real Estate
Construction on the $91 million MARTA Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project began just last month, in October 2023. While bus rapid transit is not as sexy as light rail, it is cheaper, easier to build and will have a similar, positive impact on the communities surrounding the transportation corridor as a rail line would have.
Once completed, the new BRT route will run from near the Atlanta Beltline Southside Trail on Hank Aaron Drive north to Atlanta’s South Central Business District. The BRT buses will serve the Peoplestown and Summerhill communities and give residents access to the Georgia State, Five Points and Garnett Street MARTA rail stations.
Along the way, the buses will pass by or near Center Park Stadium, a Publix-anchored shopping center, the Georgia State University Convocation Center, the Georgia State University campus, the Georgia State Capitol, the Fulton County Courthouse and Atlanta City Hall. As the route circles South Downtown, the route will pass by or near existing and proposed residential loft developments, the Castleberry Hill neighborhood and the Centennial Yards development. The buses will run every 10 minutes during the weekdays and every 20 minutes on weekends and evenings.
I foresee at least three things occurring when the buses begin running in 2025:
1. Expanded public transit options and walkability continue to add significant value to Intown Atlanta properties. I expect that real estate prices will continue to increase in Summerhill and Peoplestown as more gentrification occurs and denser, mixed-use developments are built along or near the BRT line. In most cities, properties in corridors served by light rail or bus rapid transit tend to escalate in value.
2. I imagine that residents who live close to the Atlanta Beltline Southside Trail whose residences are within one or two miles of the southernmost BRT station, Carver, will use bicycles and other types of personal transportation to connect with the Summerhill Bus Rapid Transit system as a means of going to work, attending sporting events and traveling to the airport. This will be especially true for folks that are public transportation dependent.
3. South Downtown Atlanta is a food desert, and I would expect residents in many of the loft projects to use the BRT to access the Publix grocery store on Hank Aaron Drive.
This is an exciting transportation project for the area that I predict will have an impact on real estate in the areas served by the new BRT line. It will also positively affect quality of life for many public transportation-dependent people.
Please reach out to me at (404) 688-1222 or wtdams@adamscre.com if you have any questions or are looking for a property near the new BRT line.