MARTA awarded nearly $1 million grant for 12 proposed stations in south Fulton

MARTA has been awarded a $970,000 grant from the Federal Transit Administration to conduct a planning study for transit-oriented developments at 12 stations along 15 miles of the Clayton County Southlake bus rapid transit line.

In support of MARTA’s vision outlined in the State of MARTA last week, the agency is following through on its commitment to get smarter on how a transit line can enhance the communities it serves. The study will advance planning around the challenges and opportunities to advance economic development and social outcomes like access to healthcare, jobs, education, affordable housing and food along the BRT corridor through northern Clayton and southern Fulton Counties.

It will also examine the land uses at the proposed stations and make recommendations to allow for the various jurisdictions to have a path, with MARTA, to remove some of the barriers to achieving the desired outcomes.

The BRT investment is expected to save 20 minutes on the trip from Southlake Mall to College Park, serving Southern Regional Medical Center, Riverdale Town Center, and numerous apartment complexes and retail developments. The BRT project will improve service for transit dependent riders on one of the busiest transit corridors in the region.

The grant will support development of a market analysis and equitable development strategy; a corridor-wide stormwater and resilience strategy; and complete corridor pilot studies along with developing specific small area plans for the corridor’s 12 proposed station areas.

The Clayton Southlake BRT project was recently granted entry into the Project Development phase of the FTA’s Capital Investment Grant Program as a Small Starts Project.