Westside Wish List

1) “A train line that connects from the Arts Center over to the Westside somewhere. Even if it was just to Atlantic Station, it would be a start. Right now there’s no train on the Westside unless you go down to the West End.” — Noah Echols, 30, digital strategist at IQ, Berkeley Park resident

2) “We’d like to see the Beltline come in close to our neighborhood and play a big part in its transformation, which I think will happen eventually. It’s pretty much in the plans, but we’d like to see it come closer and improve the accessibility to the rest of the city. There’s a lot of dead space around Northside Drive, and this could play into its transformation.” — Jeremy Faughtenberry, 31, president, Loring Heights Neighborhood Association

3) “There’s no grocery store or even little market that’s close. That would be really nice. We love the walkability of this area, and it would be nice to be able to walk to something like that ... without having to go all the way to Atlantic Station.” — Katie Russell, 49, homemaker and Westside Provisions District resident

4) “I’d like to see more jobs created. A lot of the reason there’s this kind of revolving door at the Atlanta Mission is that people get back out there after going through our programs and may get a job that pays minimum wage for six months, but it doesn’t really meet their bills and they end up coming back. More jobs would benefit the community. People would be able to afford better housing and become more invested in their neighborhoods instead of feeling like this is an uphill battle they’re never going to overcome.” — Jeremy Stephens, 30, addiction counselor at the Atlanta Mission

5) “Maybe a green grassy area where you could go out and walk your dog or something like that would be nice. That family space is really something you don’t have here in Atlantic Station.” — Nesar Ackall, 27, business development manager at Matrix Engineering Group, Atlantic Station resident