MARTA envisions 1,600 apartments, offices and retail at one station

By Zachary Hansen | Atlanta Journal-Constitution (TNS)

Rendering of the proposed redevelopment of the Indian Creek MARTA station

ATLANTA — After years of planning, MARTA lifted the curtain on its vision for a revamped Indian Creek transit station with a focus on new apartments and a colorful collection of community gathering spaces.

MARTA and DeKalb County showed off renderings and detailed their plans during a March 30 open house on Indian Creek’s transit-oriented development (TOD) master plan. It’s the transit agency’s latest in a series of ambitious redevelopment plans to add density, community features and mixed-income housing to its train stations across metro Atlanta.

With its TOD program, MARTA eventually seeks a private sector development team to design and build the projects.

Located at the end of the blue line just east of I-285, the Indian Creek station is currently surrounded by a sea of parking lots. But MARTA, which owns 64 acres near the station, envisions transforming the area into a 1.7 million-square-foot development if the master plan comes to fruition.

The development vision includes 1,600 apartments, 300,000 square feet of new offices, a grocery store, a community center, restaurant spaces and four acres of parks and greenspace. The project’s first phase would focus on new parking garages, a bus transfer facility and MARTA police infrastructure, with a subsequent phase delivering the residential units and the grocer.

Project renderings show a menagerie of gathering spaces, multi-use trail and parks, including plazas covered by a canopy of pink tree-like structures. Some of the project’s buildings are shown covered in greenery between floors of glass.

MARTA began developing the master plan in 2022. Indian Creek joins several other stations with their own TOD visions, including Arts Center, Bankhead, Hamilton E. Holmes and Kensington.

The idea behind TOD is to boost ridership and density near stations. MARTA’s Lindbergh station in Buckhead and the Edgewood/Candler Park station on MARTA’s blue and green lines have seen significant development in recent years.

MARTA has several other projects in the works, including renovations at the Airport station and the high-profile revitalization of the central Five Points station. Mayor Andre Dickens also announced last month that four “infill” stations will be added to the project list to create more stops between existing stations — the largest expansion to MARTA’s train network in decades.

The Indian Creek project still has several hurdles to clear before any construction could take place. Multiple community meetings are scheduled for April and early May before the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners considers rezoning the property May 23.

A MARTA spokesperson said there’s no timeline for a groundbreaking, but the agency aims to issue a request for proposal for a developer for the project’s first phase by the end of this year. The project’s potential cost will be determined by the selected development team.

More information and updates can be found at indiancreektodplan.com.

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