Downtown train terminal’s kick-off meeting is tonight

• Multimodal Passenger Terminal
• The Gulch, future site (if things go according to plan) of Atlanta’s downtown train terminal

Atlantans interested in the multimodal passenger terminal proposed for downtown’s “The Gulch” — the massive parking lot and rail yard near Philips Arena and Castleberry Hill — should consider stopping by the Georgia-Pacific Auditorium tonight at 6 p.m. The development team selected by the state to build the project, which includes Forest City Enterprises, Cousins, and the Integral Group, will hold its kick-off meeting about the public-private partnership. (What, you hadn’t heard? Yes, decades after we demolished downtown Atlanta’s train stations we realize what fools we were and are now trying to build them anew.)

What to expect, via the event organizers:

The master development team will introduce the project and provide background on planning efforts for a transformative mixed-use transit station and surrounding development being planned for the railroad gulch between Castleberry Hill, the Georgia Dome, CNN Center and Five Points MARTA Station. Once developed, the 120-acre area will connect pedestrian, bike, bus and rail transit to future and present modes of transportation, as well as the surrounding neighborhoods that for decades have been divided by the rail road tracks.

Speakers from the master development team will discuss the national trend of transit-oriented development, the role of public/private partnerships, the relationship of the multi-modal station to Atlanta and Georgia, and how the project can help build a stronger economy for downtown and the region.

Event organizers say parking will be available at the garage “located just before the traffic light at Peachtree Center Ave.” Attendees should also consider riding MARTA to the Peachtree Center station.