The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
State's transit expansion set as lure for Amazon
The state’s plan to develop a mass transit expansion along the spine of Ga. 400 through north metro Atlanta has already become a key part of its pursuit of Amazon’s second headquarters.
The state has kept Amazon updated on Georgia’s $100 million down payment to build interchanges for com- muter buses along the high- way, as well as other recent legislative votes that paved the way for transit expan- sions across the region.
Amazon has whittled its list of contenders for the $5 billion project to Atlanta and 19 other cities, and Georgia has prepared the most lucrative incentive package in its history to entice the
online retail giant. The firm’s executives recently scouted several Atlanta sites, including the warren of sunken parking lots in downtown known as the Gulch. But a chunk of the company’s workforce — the project promises 50,000
high-paying jobs — is likely to settle in the northern suburbs, where the bus rapid transit lines could help cut commutes.
The state’s investment marks the first time Geor- gia has teamed with Fulton County and MARTA on a significant transit initiative. It also marks a sea change for state Republicans who
once disdained significant funding for mass transit in Atlanta.
State House Speaker David Ralston credited the policy shift to firms, such as Ama- zon, that “tell us explicitly that world-class transit companies is important and to their employees.” And Gov. Nathan Deal said he hoped it would send a powerful message to the company’s executives as they narrow their choices. “The fact that they see good faith on the part of the state taking these kinds of moves hopefully will give them and others confidence that we’re ready to address not only the current needs of our citizens, but also those that we may anticipate in the future,” he said.