MARTA Eyes Land Sale to Revive Lindbergh Station Area

BUCKHEAD, GA -- MARTA has long seen Lindbergh Station as its crown jewel transit hub.

After all, the site is where the agency's headquarters are located. It is also primed for a makeover, with several eyesores along Piedmont Road, including the old Shoney's restaurant.

According to Atlanta Intown newspaper, MARTA is looking to revive the Lindbergh corridor by selling two parcels of land to mixed-use minded developers.

Lindbergh Station is already surrounded by bustling businesses. Apartments, condos and small restaurants dot the landscape around the busy rail and bus terminal. Facing Piedmont, three popular chain restaurants -- Chili’s, Longhorn Steakhouse and Taco Mac – invite visitors into the corridor.

But city planners don't think the area is living up to its potential -- or pricey ZIP code. The agency is considering several TODs (transit oriented developments) as part of a larger plan.

"From our general manager’s perspective [GM/ CEO Keith Parker] he would love for our headquarters here to be located in something considered a model TOD nationally so we could walk outside and live it every day,” Amanda Rhein, MARTA’s director of TOD projects, told Atlanta Intown.

The agency owns several parcels around the station, but recently prioritized two of them for redevelopment. The site at at 2562 Piedmont Road is a vacant lot. The other, at 572 Morosgo, is where MARTA keeps its bus fleet, according to Atlanta Intown.

In recent years, MARTA has been trying to take advantage of its parcels around the city. In a TOD study, it found that 29% of MARTA station land – 2,600 acres -- was being under-utilized and could be prime spots for redevelopment. The transit agency sees retail and office space close to MARTA stations as a carrot to developers interested in building in the Atlanta.

Proposals for the two Lindbergh parcels are reportedly due on Jan. 23.

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