MARTA issues RFP for development at Bankhead rail station

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for a proposed a transit-oriented development (TOD) at the Bankhead Station, the western terminus of the Green Line.

Georgia recently allocated $6 million for upgrades to the station, which is adjacent to the Microsoft Corp.'s proposed 90-acre campus. The TOD will be located on about 5.5 acres.

The city of Atlanta’s overarching TOD plan involves rezoning nine MARTA rail stations to support higher density. The agency will go to the Atlanta City Council for approval on the Bankhead station next month, according to a MARTA press release.

The Bankhead Station is located within one of Atlanta’s 26 Federal Opportunity Zone Program areas. The program supports the stimulation of economic development by incentivizing long-term investment in low-income neighborhoods. One MARTA stipulation for the new development requires that 30% of residential units will be available to people earning 80-120% of the area median household income by ZIP code.

“Bankhead Station is in a part of Atlanta that is undergoing significant growth and land use changes. Our rezoning efforts with the city and the station’s location within a Federal Opportunity Zone make this TOD an incredible opportunity to provide affordable housing and other community amenities convenient to transit,” said MARTA Interim General Manager Collie Greenwood.

The agency’s MARTA 2040 plan, which is a decades-long, multibillion-dollar investment in transit improvement and expansion in Atlanta, includes the Bankhead Station platform extension from two-car to eight-car capacity and other changes to accommodate growing demand for rail service.