The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) is advancing the Five Points Station Transformation Project to the public review process under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
Five Points Station is the largest and busiest rail station in the MARTA system, and the connecting point for all four rail lines, the North/South (Red and Gold) and East/West Lines (Green and Blue), and nine bus routes. As part of the More MARTA Atlanta Program, MARTA and its partners at the City of Atlanta are pursuing a transformation of the Five Points plaza to create a compelling civic space for MARTA customers and the surrounding Downtown community.
In March, MARTA presented its board of directors the recommended 9A design concept for the transformation, which includes deconstructing the existing concrete canopy and replacing it with a new canopy that allows for ample light and ventilation.
The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) determined in April that the station is of significant historical importance since it is part of the largest public works project in Atlanta history, the construction of the MARTA system. Read the SHPO letter to the FTA here. As a result, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) determined the NEPA class of action to be an Environmental Assessment (EA), and MARTA conducted multiple studies over the next several months centered around the project’s impact on the built environment, specifically the concrete canopy.
The MARTA design team worked to refine concept 9A to address some of the City of Atlanta’s concerns about project cost, which received City concurrence in July.
The SHPO determined that the project would have an adverse effect on the historic resource, Five Points Station, requiring mitigation. Read the SHPO letter here. The proposed mitigation measures, which are detailed in the Environmental Assessment, found here, include architectural documentation (in the form of HABS Level 2 photography, written…
Read the full article here