100 Turner volunteers team up to tackle virgin BeltLine

That’s right – virgin BeltLine! 100 Turner volunteers banded together during their annual corporate volunteer day in September to make way through a NEW, never-before-been-cleared stretch of the Atlanta BeltLine!

The volunteers lined up to get their briefing before fanning out to widen the path and clear invasive species.

This trail is a continuation of the section that runs underneath Lee and Murphy in the southwest and crosses Allene Avenue to connect to University Avenue (google maps already has it labeled as “Atlanta BeltLine Park!“). The neighborhood of Adair Park has already started showing their appreciation with the cleaning up of this abandoned area. In fact, just last week, we sold a house to one lucky young man who’s new abode backs up to this part of the Atlanta BeltLine and faces Adair Park I. Can you imagine being sandwiched in between two parks?!

A small group spent most of the morning working on this one hill, after which they named themselves "Team Hill."

The 100 volunteers and their team leaders wrenched invasive species up by their roots, clear-cut underbrush, and piled up trash and tires.

This particular area was covered in kudzu, as you can see in this photograph of volunteer progress part-way through the morning.

After a quick lunch break, they got back to work, this time whacking at kudzu to blaze a path at the far end, almost to University Avenue. This long-abandoned corridor has been overgrown for so long, the main goal was to create a line of sight so that as people start exploring this future park, they feel safe knowing they have a clear view of the trail.

The effots of so many volunteers combined knocked out this whole stretch of kudzu and brush (the above photo is an after shot of the previous picture).

Additionally, part of the park land will be dedicated to agriculture and gardens, providing fresh, hyper-local produce for the surrounding communities. You can see even more photos of the clean-up on the BeltLine’s official flickr stream.

If you like getting in the weeds and dirty for a good cause, check the Atlanta BeltLine’s official calendar for future clean-ups! Oh yeah, and several new sections just opened for adoption with the Adopt the Atlanta BeltLine program. Check it out now – they’ll go fast!

BeltLine Best Buy: 830 Brookline Street with a back porch overlooking the BeltLine

I bet you didn’t think you could find such an incredible deal for a house that sits directly on the Atlanta BeltLine, but it’s here in 830 Brookline Street in southwest Atlanta! This 3 bed, 2 bath home has been completely renovated and has beautiful hardwood floors with a darker finish and a new kitchen with granite counter tops and new cabinets.

This former duplex has been converted to a single family home with a covered front porch and private driveway.

Eligible for up to $40,000 in downpayment assistance!… This home is covered by the Atlanta Housing Authority’s downpayment assistance program for up to $20,000 as well as the Atlanta Development Authority’s ODAP and AAHOP programs. Combined, you could be eligible for $40,000 or more in downpayment assistance!

The open floor plan centers around four fireplaces in the middle of house.

Relax on your big back deck and step out of the back yard and onto the Atlanta BeltLine corridor! 830 Brookline Street is two blocks from Adair Park I with greenspace and playground.

Have you ever wanted a new kitchen with the charm of an older home? You'll get the best of both worlds here!

830 Brookline Street in Adair Park will be open for our fourth Committed to Communities event on May 7th where we will have Stephanie from the Atlanta Police Foundation on-hand to talk about very special, limited-time-only home buying incentives for Atlanta police officers!

You can RSVP for our Committed to Communities event here, search for all homes for sale in Adair Park, and view the list of homes that will be held open for our May 7th event!

Special thanks to the BeltLine Bike Shop and Tim O’Mara for all they do for Adair Park and Southwest Atlanta!

A few weeks ago, at our Committed to Communities event, Tim O’Mara of the BeltLine Bike Shop walked across the street from his home facing Adair Park I to join the BBQ – and to join his dozen or so kids riding bikes around the park and hanging out. Tim has many more kids than that – 97 as of a few weeks ago. His goal is 100.

One of Tim’s kids on her bike from the BeltLine Bike Shop

When Tim and his wife moved to Adair Park, they saw kids fighting in the park across the street, saw trash in the neighborhoods streets, and felt compelled to do something positive about it. So Tim created the BeltLine Bike Shop where, in exchange for 5 full bags of trash, kids can get a refurbished bike (of course, the trash must come from public spaces in the community, not just household trash). Should something break on the bike, they can bring back one bag of trash for a repair or, better yet, learn how to make the repair themselves from one of the kids that Tim has trained to help out around the shop. Ingenious. And the results have been better than Tim ever expected.

Who knew that so many kids wanted bikes? As Tim started “giving” bikes away, the demand increased. And so did the pride in keeping the streets clean and in getting outside and being active. Tim has shown kids that if they do positive work, they can have positive results and encourages them to discover other ways they can help out friends and neighbors in the area.

A collection of bikes given to kids by the BeltLine Bike Shop

Since its inception, the BeltLine Bike Shop has given away 97 bikes – and you can see Tim’s “kids” all over the neighborhood. Throughout the BBQ in Adair Park I, you could see the respect the kids had for “Mr. Tim.” He quietly encouraged them to be respectful of others, to pick up after themselves, to park their bikes in appropriate places (and not just drop them under people’s feet at the first sign of a hot dog). I spent a few minutes talking to Tim and walked away impressed and inspired by his progress. I also asked him where all the bikes came from? He said all of the bikes are donated, so if you have any old bikes lying around the house that your kids have outgrown or no longer ride, contact Tim and pass along the gift of a bike to another child!

Tim crossing the street to where his “kids” are eating lunch in the gazebo in Adair Park I.