Wanted: Ideas to revive the moribund Five Points and Garnett MARTA stations
The deadline for submitting proposals is April 15.
By the summer of 2015, MARTA's Five Points station may look less like a bunker defending the Western front and its Garnett station might become more than just a covered bridge from the Blade Runner-era.
Both stops could finally receive long-overdue makeovers over the next couple of years. Downtown booster groups Central Atlanta Progress and Atlanta Downtown Improvement District yesterday issued a request for proposals from design teams for a $100,000 project intended to spruce up the rail stations.
The neighborhood groups' plan seeks to improve the "attractiveness, convenience, safety and accessibility" of the two stations and their adjacent blocks. They'll be helped by the Atlanta Regional Commission, which recently sponsored similar facelifts for Midtown MARTA stations and will pitch in to co-fund this project. Proposals for Midtown stations included pop-up businesses, shipping-container cafes, and public art.
The Downtown MARTA plan would require the upgrades to be finished before July 2015. In doing so, CAP and ADID hope to spur additional private-sector improvements around the stops. The project's scope includes all public right-of-ways - streets, sidewalks and plazas - within a block of all sides of both stations.
With any luck, CAP and ADID wants to attract transit-oriented development surrounding the Garnett station that's also located near the Greyhound bus station. It also aims to "improve the appearance and operations of Five Points," noting that station's "'curb appeal' lacks allure and furthers negative perceptions of Downtown."
The winning design team will be required to gather extensive public input through community meetings, social media, and targeted outreach to such groups as Georgia State University students. The work will be overseen by a steering committee composed of officials from MARTA, ARC, Invest Atlanta and the city's planning and transportation departments.
The deadline for submitting proposals is April 15. You can read the full RFP after the jump:
? ? ?