Last Friday, I headed over to The Gathering Spot for the Transform Westside Summit, hosted by the Westside Future Fund. This month’s theme hit close to home: “Connected on the Westside — Building Pathways to Parks, Jobs, and Opportunity Without Displacement.”
Westside Future Fund is a nonprofit committed to helping the historic neighborhoods of Vine City, English Ave, Ashview Heights, Atlanta University Center, and Just Us improve the quality of life for current residents while advancing a compassionate approach to neighborhood development.
The parking lot was full, as usual, and Atlanta was moving like a verb: active, alive, in motion. Inside The Gathering Spot, the flow of people told its own story. Residents, advocates, policymakers, developers, students, and elders came together, each carrying their own piece of this city’s history. The energy in the room buzzed with familiarity that felt both hopeful and rooted, yet touched by uncertainty.
It was Atlanta doing what she does best, showing up for herself.
The Transform Westside Summit, held the third Friday of every month, is free and open to the public from 7:45 to 9 a.m. at The Gathering Spot. On this Friday, guests grabbed a Chick-fil-A breakfast before diving into community conversations with local leaders.
This morning opened with a devotion on Nehemiah rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, drawing a comparison between that work and the mission of the Westside Future Fund. Heads bowed across the room, sealing the moment with a collective “amen.”
The Conversation
The featured panel dug into the question at the heart of Atlanta’s growth: How do we connect people to opportunity without pushing them out?
The discussion brought together three leaders shaping that answer in real time: Clyde Higgs, president and CEO of Atlanta Beltline Inc.; Elizabeth B. Chandler, chair of the board for the Atlanta Beltline Partnership; and moderator Derrick Jordan, president of Anthony Development.
Together, they explored what connection really means, not just new trails or transit, but access, equity, and shared prosperity.
Higgs highlighted the Beltline’s progress. The project operates on a $250 million budget and has created more than 60,000 jobs while generating $9 billion in private investment. It now attracts about 2.5 million visitors each year, with as many as 15 percent arriving from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The Beltline has reached 74% of its target to create or preserve 5,600 affordable housing units by 2030 in the Beltline Tax Allocation District. The Westside alone is seeing about $2.5 billion in ongoing development.
Higgs acknowledged that success brings new challenges, especially around maintaining infrastructure and keeping the community engaged. A proposed $30 million maintenance fund is part of that plan. He said the Beltline’s “superpower” in anti-displacement lies in owning the dirt. He shared the nearly 100 acres of additional land acquired by the Beltline, giving it the ability to preserve long-term housing affordability.
Chandler added insight into the Beltline’s Legacy Resident Retention Program, which helps longtime homeowners stay in their neighborhoods as property values rise. So far, 270 homeowners are enrolled, collectively retaining an estimated $10.8 million in wealth. Participants who have been in the program at least one year have received an average of $2,200 in property tax assistance.
The conversation deepened when Higgs addressed a New York Times article that once called the Beltline “a glorified sidewalk.” Jordan responded that sidewalks themselves don’t cause displacement. However, the lady next to me noted that “unchecked development can.” The exchange drew knowing nods from across the room. It was one of those moments when data met lived experience, and the discussion shifted from metrics to meaning.
Higgs closed the point by reminding the audience that affordable housing goals and legacy retention is at the forefront of the work he is leading at the Atlanta Beltline Inc.
As the summit came to a close, John Ahmann, founder of the Westside Future Fund, offered additional perspective. He applauded the Atlanta Beltline leadership and encouraged them to keep acquiring land around the BeltLine to help secure stability for legacy residents.
A community member summed up the day perfectly.
“I came here to talk about anti-displacement on the Beltline. I’m still waiting to hear about it.”
That line lingered among the group that gathered after remarks with more questions than answers. They met each other gaze with quiet nods and knowing looks. It captured what so many native Atlantans in the room were feeling, that progress is not progress if it forgets who it is for.
As I stepped outside and thought about what this all means: can we create a vision of a connected Atlanta that does not sacrifice its soul.
This city has always been about connection, especially within the neighborhoods that make up the west side of Atlanta, to the churches to HBCUs and community spaces like this one. The challenge, and the beauty, lies in keeping that connection centered in love, memory, and accountability. And of those three, accountability is often the hardest.
At the end, we were left with the same question we all started with: What does “no displacement” really require?
Buying land seems to be at the forefront of the Westside Future Fund’s plan and, to some degree, the Atlanta Beltline’s as well. But for the love of Atlanta, if buying the land and owning the dirt can help ensure legacy and aging in place, what do we say to the families who had to leave because owning that dirt was never within reach of their Atlanta dream? Because, disinvestment came too fast, and reinvestment is still on its way.
As always, we love you, Atlanta. Always have. Always will.
And in case you missed it, I got you.
— Ann Hill Bond
For the Love of Atlanta with Ann Hill Bond is a community blog dedicated to the city’s past, present, and future. Through stories, reflections, and voices, it explores Atlanta’s history, culture, and civic life. The blog celebrates the people and places across Atlanta’s neighborhoods and creates space for accountability, truth-telling, and dialogue that honors history while addressing today’s challenges.
