The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) Board of Directors advanced pre-development work on two transit-oriented development (TOD) projects on the East/West Line, with the award of master planning contracts for Indian Creek and H.E. Holmes rail stations and surrounding areas, and approval to issue a TOD Request for Proposals (RFP) for Indian Creek. 

The Indian Creek TOD RFP approval positions the property equally with TODs at H.E. Holmes and Kensington Stations, which received previous board support. Next, MARTA and its consultants will complete the master planning and rezoning of these significant land areas, then issue TOD RFPs to the development community.

The board also awarded master planning contracts to WSP for Indian Creek and HKS for H.E. Holmes. Both firms bring teams with a depth of experience in both planning and community engagement. Indian Creek and H.E. Holmes are end-of-line stations, residing at the westernmost and easternmost points of the Blue Line and together have significant land area for development, with 52 and 22 acres respectively. 

“Development at and around these rail stations presents a significant opportunity to benefit the surrounding communities while allowing for an increase in ridership and a better overall experience for our customers,” said MARTA Interim General Manager and CEO Collie Greenwood.

MARTA has been a member of these communities in unincorporated DeKalb County and the City of Atlanta for decades and the master planning efforts will provide stakeholders the opportunity to help shape an equitable, mixed use development plan. 

The Blue/Green Line is experiencing significant TOD activity including the grand opening of a mixed-income multifamily community, Marchon, at King Memorial Station, the near complete mixed-income multifamily community, Quill, at Edgewood/Candler Park Station, a senior affordable housing project that will break ground at Avondale Station this fall, a partnership with the Housing Authority of DeKalb County for a 250-unit affordable community at Kensington Station, and the recent issuance of a TOD RFP for Bankhead Station.