Beltline: Beltline Bike Lanes, a $10B City Bet, and VaHi Porchfest

Hey Beltline neighbors — big week. The Atlanta City Council is pushing forward on two fronts that could reshape the corridor for years: dedicated bike lanes along the Eastside Trail and a $10 billion neighborhood reinvestment plan that has East Lake and Edgewood residents paying close attention. Meanwhile, VaHi Porchfest lands Saturday, Coffee Was Black is rewriting Sweet Auburn's story one cup at a time, and the permit pipeline is buzzing from North Avenue to Krog Street.

- News — Permanent Beltline bike lanes are moving through legislation, a $10B reinvestment plan clears a key council hurdle, and Coffee Was Black is turning a historic Sweet Auburn storefront into one of the city's most compelling new destinations.
- Business — Long Story Books is already selling through a vending machine at Krog Street Market before its Inman Park doors even open, and Pollo Primo is bringing its rotisserie chicken to Ponce De Leon Avenue this summer.
- Events — VaHi Porchfest takes over Virginia-Highland on Saturday, and a full week of live music stretches from Variety Playhouse to The Masquerade — with the Toadies, Black Angels, and Mdou Moctar all in the mix.
- Government — The city council approved a $1.3B airport bond and $52M for FIFA prep, voted 12-1 to audit all administrative offices, and this week's committee calendar is packed — including a dedicated Beltline bike lane resolution and the FY2027 budget.
- Construction — A major electrical buildout is underway at 650 North Avenue, fire system upgrades are hitting Krog Street Market, and GDOT's LED tunnel overhaul on I-75 is creating active lane disruptions near the connector.

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Let’s dive in.

NEWS

New Beltline bike lanes; cooling ATL market; South Downtown addition
City officials are pushing forward with legislation to install permanent, dedicated bike lanes alongside the Beltline — a move designed to ease the increasingly tense standoff between cyclists and pedestrians on the heavily trafficked East Side Trail. If you've ever tried to walk through Old Fourth Ward on a weekend afternoon, you already know this can't come soon enough.

Atlanta city council votes to create commission to study 404 day
The Atlanta City Council has voted on a resolution that establishes a 404 Day Advisory Committee of at least 15 members. These members will be charged with assessing the circumstances and consequences of the yearly events, examining public safety impacts, traffic management, sanitation, economic impact, community impact, event permitting and equity considerations related to participation and economic opportunity.

Farmers benefit Seeds & Soil Society Supper set for May 18 at Madeira Park
Georgia Organics is bringing its Seeds & Soil Society Supper to Madeira Park in Poncey-Highland on May 18, a fundraising dinner that pairs acclaimed local chefs with seasonal ingredients straight from Georgia farms. The proceeds go toward farmer education and resources — so this one's as meaningful as it is delicious.

Coffee Was Black turns Atlanta coffee runs into lessons in Black history
Tucked inside a historic Sweet Auburn building once owned by entrepreneur Geneva Haugabrooks, Coffee Was Black is doing something no other coffee shop in the city quite manages — blending Caribbean-inspired drinks with deep, deliberate storytelling about the corridor's legacy. It's not just a cup of coffee; it's a reminder of what Sweet Auburn has always been to Atlanta.

Atlanta City Council Moves Forward with $10 Billion Neighborhood Reinvestment Plan
The Atlanta City Council has accepted recommendations for a sweeping multi-billion-dollar reinvestment initiative targeting neighborhood infrastructure and affordable housing — and the numbers are hard to ignore. Residents should pay close attention, particularly as conversations around Tax Allocation District extensions move from theory to policy.

BUSINESS

Long Story Books - opening - The future Inman Park bookstore isn't waiting for its doors to open — it's already selling curated new releases and signed editions through an automated book vending machine at Krog Street Market, giving neighbors a taste of what's coming.

Pollo Primo - opening - The rotisserie chicken spot that already has a following is bringing a second location to 863 Ponce De Leon Avenue in Poncey-Highland, with an early summer opening on the horizon — good news for anyone who's ever made a special trip across town for their bird.

622 Auburn Avenue - renovating - Construction is well underway on a glass-heavy modern redesign of this historic Old Fourth Ward corner building, just one block off the Eastside Beltline — a project worth watching as the neighborhood continues to evolve around one of its most-walked stretches.

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EVENTS

VaHi Porchfest takes over Virginia-Highland on Saturday, turning porches, yards, and sidewalks into stages for a full day of live music woven through one of Atlanta's most beloved neighborhoods. If you're planning to drive through the area, expect streets to be lively and parking to be a creative exercise — your best bet is to leave the car behind and walk or ride the Beltline in.

Monday, May 11
- Jimmy Carter Presidential Library Hosts Freedom 250 Truck | Jimmy Carter Presidential Library
- Atlanta Run Club: Monday Night Runs | Ponce City Market
- Thornhill: The Mercia Tour | Variety Playhouse
- Demon Hunter - There Was a Light Here Tour | The Masquerade
- Button Masher | Aisle 5
- GRAD SHOW! - Feat. Perry's Level 4 & Zach's Level 5 Students! | Dad's Garage

Tuesday, May 12
- Toadies: The Charmer Tour | The Masquerade
- Big Bad Voodoo Daddy | City Winery Atlanta
- GRAD SHOW! - Feat. Avery's Level 4 & Adam's Level 5 Students! | Dad's Garage

Wednesday, May 13
- Popsicle & Cocktail party | The Zero Co
- Archspire: Long Roads Big Loads Tour | The Masquerade
- slchld | Aisle 5

Thursday, May 14
- 17th Annual Atlanta Shorts Fest | 7 Stages
- Mdou Moctar | Aisle 5
- Larry Griffith Trio: Blues and Beyond at Two Urban Licks | TWO urban licks
- Emo Orchestra with The Spill Canvas @ Center Stage | The Masquerade
- Lords of Acid | The Masquerade
- MAJOR. | City Winery Atlanta
- Dad's Garage Vault | Dad's Garage

Friday, May 15
- The Black Angels: Passover 2026 Tour | Variety Playhouse
- Sweet and Tender: A Psychological Thriller Premiere by Local Filmmaker | 7 Stages Theatre
- Bella White | Aisle 5
- Colleen Ballinger | City Winery Atlanta
- Improvised Action Movie | Dad's Garage

Saturday, May 16
- Food & Street Art Tour on the Atlanta Beltline | 99 Krog St NE
- Goapele | City Winery
- SSSS presents: Ghidorah, The Three-Headed Monster | Plaza Atlanta
- TheatreSports | Dad's Garage
- Scandal! - The Bare | Dad's Garage
- Behemoth: The Godless IV 2026 | The Masquerade
- Daft Punk Night | 18+ | The Masquerade
- VaHi Porchfest | Virginia-Highland

Sunday, May 17
- ERIC BELLINGER | City Winery Atlanta
- Katelyn Tarver | Aisle 5
- GRAD SHOW! - Feat. Madeline's Level 4 & Ed's Level 5 Students! | Dad's Garage

Monday, May 18
- GRAD SHOW! - Feat. Stand-up Students (Ron's Class) | Dad's Garage

GOVERNMENT

Note: our information comes from posted meetings documents (agendas and minutes when available) — latest source document hyperlinked to each meeting.

Past Week Roundup

Atlanta City Council

The full Council met May 4 and approved a $1.3 billion bond issuance to fund improvements at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, alongside a $39 million contract with Paschen Millhouse JV to build a new 911 Center — two of the largest single expenditures the city has authorized in recent memory. FIFA World Cup preparations are now officially moving through city government: the Council approved a $52.1 million grant application and temporarily lifted the public drinking ban in select downtown areas from June 11 through July 19, 2026. In a more contentious move, the Council voted 12-1 to order a review of all administrative offices not explicitly required by the City Charter, with the goal of identifying positions that could be cut — Councilmember Kelsea Bond cast the lone dissenting vote. A new Special Event Technical Advisory Group was also created to scrutinize permitting for large events with impacts on Piedmont Park, while a supplemental bond ordinance for water and wastewater sustainability projects was tabled and sent back to the Finance/Executive Committee for further review on May 13. Separately, the Committee on Council advanced appointments to the Beltline Affordable Housing Advisory Board and Beltline TAD Advisory Committee, recommended stationing law enforcement at recreation centers used as polling places, and held — without action — both a proposed charter amendment on legislative sponsorship and a resolution that would have launched an independent investigation into city contracts tied to Foris Webb III.

Fulton County Board of Commissioners

The Board of Commissioners met May 6 with a packed financial agenda, though minutes have not yet been posted — items listed below are scheduled actions that may have been tabled, deferred, or modified. The headlining item was a $325 million Tax Anticipation Note issuance to cover General Fund expenses until tax revenues are collected later in the year, with repayment scheduled by December 30, 2026. A $28 million contract for operation and maintenance of wastewater facilities in the North Fulton Service Area was also on the agenda, as was a $1.44 million change order to upgrade the Graham Drive Pump Station. Two resolutions were slated to fund affordable housing in the English Avenue neighborhood — one for a 26-unit multifamily development and another for 14 permanently affordable duplexes and single-family homes — while a $1.2 million contract with the Urban League of Greater Atlanta to administer tenant-based rental assistance for households at or below 80% of Area Median Income was also up for consideration. Notably, a contract award for the Boat Rock Sanitary Sewer Extension was listed for removal from the agenda, which would stall that project's design and pricing phase for now.

Atlanta Public Schools Board of Education

The Atlanta Board of Education met May 4 and unanimously approved a tentative $1.608 billion budget for FY2027 — the first of two required readings before the spending plan becomes final — covering $1.3 billion in general operations, $174 million in SPLOST capital funds, and $40.6 million for school nutrition. The board also passed two resolutions to extinguish outstanding property taxes, interest, and penalties on 38 parcels across the city, clearing the way for those properties to transfer to the Metro Atlanta Land Bank in support of the city's Housing Affordability Action Plan. A MARTA easement at the district's Metro Transportation Facility was authorized as part of broader regional transit infrastructure work, and the board signed off on a new five-year lease for the property known as the Little White House. Several vendor contracts were renewed or awarded, including student assessment tools through NWEA and school bus driver uniforms through Cintas, and the board also authorized use of state mental health grant funding for student services. Following a closed executive session, the board voted to retain employee D. O'Garro following a tribunal review.

Meetings This Week
- Atlanta City Council — Zoning Committee — Monday, May 11 at 11:00 AM
The committee will take up a slate of rezoning cases across the city, including a 24-acre planned development on County Line Road, a 13-acre apartment rezoning near Johnson Road, and the "Terminal South" industrial-to-mixed-use conversion on Hank Aaron Drive. The agenda also includes proposed rule changes for the Cabbagetown and MLK Jr. Landmark Districts.

- Atlanta City Council — Public Safety & Legal Administration Committee — Monday, May 11 at 1:00 PM
A proposed 180-day moratorium on new alcohol licenses in the Edgewood Corridor is on the agenda, along with a lease agreement to establish a new APD Zone 6 precinct on Hosea Williams Drive. The committee will also consider a competitive pay plan for Atlanta firefighters and a nearly $5 million contract extension for citywide demolition of blighted properties.

- Fulton County Board of Commissioners — Tuesday, May 12 at 10:00 AM
This special called meeting is focused on the county's Service Delivery Strategy, the state-mandated agreement that determines how Fulton County and its cities divide responsibility — and funding — for essential services like fire, police, and infrastructure.

- Atlanta City Council — City Utilities Committee — Tuesday, May 12 at 10:00 AM
The committee is scheduled to consider more than $50 million in sanitary sewer repair contracts and a $24 million expansion of the Peachtree Creek watershed infrastructure project. Also on the agenda: a proposal to convey city-owned property at 3711 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive to GDOT for the I-285/I-20 West Interchange reconstruction, and an $8.5 million road resurfacing package.

- Atlanta City Council — Community Development/Human Services Committee — Tuesday, May 12 at 1:30 PM
- Atlanta City Council — Wednesday, May 13 at 9:30 AM
- Atlanta City Council — Transportation Committee — Wednesday, May 13 at 10:00 AM
A resolution calling for dedicated bicycle and motorized vehicle lanes along the Atlanta BeltLine — designed to separate faster traffic from pedestrians — is scheduled to be heard. The committee will also consider a $3.6 million grant for Peachtree Street improvements from North Avenue to West Peachtree Street, a residential parking designation for Lakeview Avenue NE, and a public hearing on closing a stretch of Gilmer Street SE for Georgia State University's campus.

- Atlanta City Council — Finance/Executive Committee — Wednesday, May 13 at 1:30 PM
The committee is set to take up the city's proposed Fiscal Year 2027 budget alongside ordinances setting property tax rates for the general levy, schools, parks, and special districts including the Atlanta Beltline. Also on the agenda: an annexation vote for several properties on Woodland Avenue NE into the city and Atlanta Public Schools, and a $1.26 million contract for in-stream litter collection devices in city waterways.

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Permits

- 675 Seminole Ave NE — Retaining wall rebuild filed. Routine but worth watching if you're driving or walking nearby during construction.
- 639 Glen Iris Dr NE — Interior demolition permitted in prep for a larger remodel. Something bigger is coming here — the demo is just the first chapter.
- 1165 McLendon Ave NE — A 350-square-foot building is being converted into a small kitchen space. Could be a ghost kitchen, a catering operation, or a micro food business finding a foothold in Poncey-Highland.
- 650 N Ave NE — Two separate permits filed for electrical and plumbing work, including ~200 light fixtures, 65 receptacles, and two 150-amp panels. That's a substantial buildout underway on North Avenue.
- 348 Auburn Ave NE — Two low-voltage permits filed for horn strobes and pull stations — fire alarm system work at a Sweet Auburn address. Part of a larger renovation in progress.
- 44 Krog St NE — Fire sprinkler system getting upgraded from NFPA 13 2013 to the 2022 edition. Standard safety modernization at one of the corridor's busiest addresses.
- 479 Edgewood Ave SE — Fire underground work filed. Early-stage infrastructure permitting that often signals more to come.
- 1043 Ponce de Leon Ave NE — Fire sprinkler permit filed. No description on record yet, but worth keeping an eye on.

Road Work

Under Construction

- I-75 Tunnel Lighting Upgrades (@ Ralph McGill Blvd & Baker Street) — Workers are swapping out old HPS fixtures for LED lighting inside the tunnels along this stretch, with scope potentially including conduit and wiring work. Expect lane disruptions near the connector as this one plays out.
- I-75 Lighting Overhaul (I-85 to Memorial Drive) — A broader LED lighting upgrade running the length of this corridor. Same deal — pole, conduit, and wiring replacements possible. If you're commuting in or out of downtown via I-75, give yourself extra time.
- I-75/I-85 Connector Resurfacing (CSX crossing to Brookwood Interchange) — The Downtown Connector is getting its first resurfacing since 2016. Active work on one of Atlanta's most congested corridors means this one is worth watching closely.
- SR 8 Resurfacing (SR 3 to SR 42) — Crews are resurfacing SR 8 (Ponce de Leon Ave) to address a low pavement condition score. Direct impact on east-west movement through the Beltline corridor.
- SR 154 Pedestrian Improvements (DeKalb & Fulton) — A mid-block pedestrian crossing plus a Right-In/Right-Out and a Restricted Crossing U-Turn are being added between Hill Street and Pearl Street on SR 154 (Memorial Drive). Multi-county project with real implications for anyone walking or driving near the south Beltline edge.
- SR 42 / Moreland Ave at Arkwright Place — Intersection Reconfiguration — This intersection is being converted to right-in/right-out only, with a new median eliminating left turns. If Moreland is part of your regular route, now's the time to rethink it.
- I-20 Lighting Upgrade (Capitol Ave to Flat Shoals Rd) — LED lighting coming to I-20 east of downtown across Fulton and DeKalb. Peripheral to the Beltline but relevant if I-20 is your bypass route.

Pre-Construction

- SR 10/North Avenue Resurfacing (Fulton County) — Pavement work along North Avenue between I-75 and Ponce de Leon Ave. A short stretch, but it sits right at the edge of the neighborhood — good to know before it moves to active construction.
- I-75/I-85 Downtown Connector Study — GDOT is scoping a study on the full connector between Baker Highland and Decatur Street. No construction yet, but this one's worth watching — it covers the spine of downtown Atlanta's most congested corridor.
- I-75/I-85 Capping — The Stitch, Phase I (Fulton County) — The long-anticipated highway cap project is funded and moving through pre-construction. Phase I would deck over a section of the Downtown Connector, stitching together neighborhoods severed by the highway for decades. Big picture stuff for the whole east side.
- Peachtree Street Multimodal Improvements, Ellis to Baker (Fulton County) — Tied to The Stitch, this LCI project rebuilds Peachtree Street infrastructure between Ellis and Baker with pedestrian-first, multimodal design in mind. Still pre-construction, but the funding is in place.
- SR 8/Ponce de Leon Ave at SR 42 — Intersection Improvements (DeKalb/Fulton) — Operational upgrades at the Ponce and Moreland intersection, including an extended westbound left-turn lane (160 feet of storage) and a new westbound right-turn lane. If you navigate this notoriously awkward intersection regularly, relief is eventually coming.
- I-75 Bridge Preservation — Four Fulton County Locations — Polymer overlay, repainting, joint replacement, and general structural upkeep at four bridge sites along I-75 in Fulton County. Maintenance work, but bridge projects tend to create lane restrictions when they kick off — worth tracking.

Utility Work

Atlanta Watershed
- 24-Hour Lane Closures on 10th Street NE for Sewer Mainline Work — Expect lane closures eastbound at 504 10th Street NE between Charles Allen Drive and Monroe Drive for ongoing sewer mainline repairs, starting May 13th and continuing for four weeks.

Service Requests

Neighbors have been busy flagging infrastructure issues across the corridor this week. Traffic signal repairs are underway at several key intersections — Euclid Ave & Moreland Ave (reported twice), Krog St & Wylie St, Edgewood Ave & Jackson St, and John Lewis Freedom Pkwy & Moreland Ave. Potholes are on the radar along Gartrell St & Boulevard (two reports), Ashley Ave NE, and Boulevard Place NE. Sign repairs or replacements are in progress at Corley St NE and at the Ponce de Leon & Monroe Drive intersection. A litter removal request was filed along Ponce de Leon at Argonne Ave. Overgrowth blocking sightlines on Edgewood Ave SE and Center Ave has already been resolved. Three downed tree reports from Sinclair Ave NE, Linwood Ave NE, and Rankin St NE appear to be cleared or closed out.