ATLANTA — The board of directors of Atlanta BeltLine Inc. and Invest Atlanta have approved the Atlanta BeltLine budget for the 2025 fiscal year. Totaling $172 million and marking a 12 percent increase over the 2024 budget, the funding will be directed toward the goal set in 2005 of developing 5,600 units of affordable housing by 2030, as well as acquiring land for the completion of trail construction on the planned 22-mile corridor by the end of 2030.
Funding sources for the budget include $69 million from the tax-allocation district (TAD); $49 million from donations; $32 million from the BeltLine special service district (SSD); and $20 million from federal grants.
“This is a historic and exciting time for Atlanta BeltLine as we get closer to completing the trail while meeting important goals,” says Clyde Higgs, president and CEO of Atlanta BeltLine Inc. “Supported by our new budget, we will exceed our goals for affordable housing, accelerate the pace for trail work and invest in more economic opportunities for all.”
The new funding will help The BeltLine to develop more affordable housing than originally set out by the 2005 BeltLine Redevelopment Plan, which is notable since development costs have risen significantly over the past 19 years. There are 488 new affordable housing units in the pipeline for delivery this year and another 626 units planned to deliver in 2025.
Funding will also allow the BeltLine to acquire land, mostly for the Northwest Trail, which broke ground today. In fiscal year 2025, the BeltLine will have 13 active construction projects, and by June 2026, 17.5 miles of the mainline trail will be complete. The BeltLine previously announced that 16.3 miles of continuous mainline trail (from Westside Park to Piedmont Park) will be finished by the time Atlanta hosts the FIFA World Cup in 2026.
The newly approved budget also includes funds for the BeltLine’s business support initiatives, including a small business grant program launch, the Atlanta BeltLine MarketPlace small business incubator program and the Business Solutions Center.