MARTA unveils preferred design concept for Five Points
MARTA’s project team on the Five Points Transformation has presented a preferred design concept reached with its partners at the City of Atlanta that would create a compelling new civic space and transit hub in Downtown Atlanta.
MARTA and the City began working on plans for the Five Points Transformation project in 2019 and the project team has since held hundreds of meetings with the general public, MARTA customers, surrounding property owners, and other community leaders. The challenge was establishing a site plan that would support MARTA long-term transit operations while balancing the many needs, activities, and future investment coming to the surrounding community.
The following principles were established to guide the design process.
The design concept anticipates the upcoming deconstruction of the existing concrete canopy structure, to be replaced with a new canopy that allows ample light and ventilation above. The plaza level will incorporate community activities, public art, agriculture, and gathering places. The concourse level will feature retail, public art, and customer amenities.
A critical factor in determining the layout of the site plan was accommodating the needs of MARTA customers who travel to and through Five Points every day by both train and bus. Five Points is the hub of the MARTA system, which requires a range of considerations.
Five Points currently serves 10 bus routes (seven terminate there and three pass by). When compared to the rest of MARTA’s service area, these routes provide direct access to our heavy rail system with fewer transfers and shorter travel times, which means greater access to opportunity. The demographics of these routes are shown below.
While the design concept offers much more detail on the structural and operational layout, there is still extensive public input needed as the project moves ahead into full design. The concept creates potential spaces for activities, but the exact placement and programming of these activities requires more engagement in the near future.
MARTA is proud to be working with teams at SOM, a globally recognized transportation design firm, and Skanska, a proven leader in the construction of extremely complex major infrastructure projects around the world.
We are also proud to work with the Atlanta-based Hummingbird Firm to conduct and document public engagement through the delivery of the project. Thank you to the hundreds of customers and interested citizens who have engaged with the project so far, either through in-person events or on this website. Please stay tuned to this page and sign up for email updates to stay informed.
Please take some time to review the presentation, as well as a video with fly-through renderings that allow you to experience the possibility of what’s to come. We hope this further inspires our customers and neighbors to offer their ideas for bringing this concept to life.
We have much more to come and we look forward to delivering a project worthy of our customers and the City of Atlanta.
We are excited to announce our November Pop Up Events were a huge success! During the month of November, MARTA hosted pop up events at the Indian Creek, College Park, H.E Holmes, Bankhead, Doraville, and North Springs stations. We shared DRAFT design concepts with riders and visitors and enjoyed capturing their feedback in-person and on our project website. We engaged over 700 riders and received over 100 comments and suggestions on opportunities to transform the Five Points Station. Please continue to share feedback on the website here!
MARTA Five Points Station Transformation Open House on October 18, 2022
The MARTA Five Points Station Transformation virtual and in-person Open House on October 18th was a huge success! We engaged over 120 stakeholders and community members and received over 348 comments captured through an interactive Mentimeter presentation, Zoom Q&A, and sticky notes. The virtual Open House had a highly interactive presentation on the past, present, and future of the Five Points Station. The slides contained pictures of the initial construction of the Station, the present-day view, and DRAFT design concept renderings of what the future Transformation could look like. Each image presented a question asking stakeholders and community members to share their concerns and aspirations for the Five Points Station. The same images and questions were present at our in-person Open House located in front of the Five Points Station Peachtree Street entrance. Tables had large boards with various photos, renderings, and questions related to the past, present, and future of Five Points Station and attendees wrote their thoughts on sticky notes and attached them to the relevant image and question. We loved listening to the community and look forward to incorporating your feedback into the planning and design of the Transformation.
If you missed the Open House, we invite you to watch the recording. Have thoughts you would like to share? Submit a comment on our feedback tab. Your input is important to us!
As we continue our public and stakeholder engagement for the MARTA Five Points Station Transformation project, please join us on October 18th, 2022 for the MARTA Five Points Station Transformation Open House via Zoom Webinar and in-person attendance options. You can register for our Zoom webinar hosted from 11:00am-12:00pm HERE, or you can RSVP for our in-person meeting that will take place on the Five Points Station plaza from 3:00pm-6:00pm HERE! By joining us either virtually, or in person, we want to provide an opportunity for the public and stakeholders to have a voice in the needs and priorities for the transformation and rehab of the Five Points Station.
MARTA Five Points Station Transformation Pop-up September 20, 2022
Hundreds of visitors and riders were engaged at the MARTA Five Points Station Transformation Pop-Up Event on September 20, 2022 coinciding with National Voter Registration Day. Photos and conceptual drawings of the Five Points Station platform rehab and transformation project were displayed in the central concourse for sharing input and ideas. Flyers containing project contact info and website QR code to learn more about the transformation were passed out to many throughout the station. Also displayed in the concourse was an Idea Wall. This wall gave an opportunity to share what’s desired in a transformed and restored Five Points Station. We were given a chance to see what’s working well, and what may be improved. Learning from the public and stakeholders allows us to improve your experience by creating an outstanding amenity that elevates the travel experience to, from, and within Atlanta.
