Atlanta council presses administration and MARTA process after pause on Streetcar East study
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Summary
Council members pressed the Atlanta Department of Transportation and asked for MARTA and BeltLine briefings after a PGC recommendation paused additional work on the Streetcar East study; commissioners said the pause was advisory and that the MARTA Board has authority for final action.
Atlanta — City council members said they were blindsided by media reporting that the Streetcar East planning work had been paused and pressed the Atlanta Department of Transportation on the decision-making process and transparency surrounding the MORE MARTA governance committee, known as the PGC.
Commissioner Solomon Cabaniss, representing ATLDOT, told the Transportation Committee that the PGC — created under the 2017 intergovernmental agreement for the MORE MARTA program — paused further spending on design and study work for Streetcar East because of financial constraints and project reprioritization. "That pause was not a cancellation of the Streetcar East," Cabaniss said, adding that the PGC issues recommendations and that "all decisions have to be approved by the MARTA Board" under the IGA.
Council members pushed back on whether the PGC's meetings are subject to open-meeting laws and why the pause occurred before full MARTA Board action. The chair said he had requested a legal opinion about whether PGC meetings are subject to open-meeting statutes and asked the administration to compile follow-up items for MARTA's scheduled appearance before the committee in February.
Several council members said the public learns of changes through press accounts. Council Member Liliana Bakhtari said the optics of a closed-door recommendation are poor and urged a joint session including MARTA and BeltLine staff so the council can 'fact-check' agency statements directly. "The optics are everything," Bakhtari said.
Council Member Jason Dozier and others also flagged practical consequences: Dozier noted the project was expected to break ground last year and that stopping work now means restarting lengthy environmental and NEPA processes if priorities shift.
Cabaniss said the city remains committed to transit on the BeltLine and that rail remains a preferred mode in current studies. He emphasized that MARTA will present project-by-project status to the committee in February and that the administration will coordinate with city council about next steps.
Next steps: The committee asked MARTA and BeltLine to brief the council at upcoming meetings and requested written clarifications about how PGC recommendations are communicated to the MARTA Board and what, if any, funds have been reallocated.
