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Hey, Brookhaven / Chamblee! This week: Brookhaven voters approved property tax relief for qualifying seniors and disabled homeowners, with an 81% vote, and Greystar has closed on land for 340 apartments in Chamblee City Center. Stick around for Veterans Day events, a Latin GRAMMY watch party at Block & Drum, and a look at the Planning Commission's workforce housing proposal.

- News — Brookhaven's senior tax relief and its National Wildlife Federation certification lead the way, along with the ESPLOST VII landslide and Greystar's Chamblee City Center land deal.
- Events — Veterans Day at the Atlanta History Center, a Latin GRAMMY watch party in Chamblee, Fernbank After Dark, and a Rooster Party at the Chamblee Library to name the city's mascot.
- Government — DeKalb moves a $9.9M recreation center contract and shelter deals forward, sends an Ashford Road septic-to-sewer petition to a public hearing, and Brookhaven's Planning Commission takes up a workforce housing ordinance.
- Construction — A new gym at American Way, a $234K retail build-out on Buford Highway, and SR 13 resurfacing near Chamblee Tucker Road.

Let's dive in.

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Brookhaven voters approve property tax relief for seniors and disabled homeowners
The measure passed with 81% of the vote on Nov. 3 and takes effect January 1, 2027, applying only to Brookhaven's city taxes, not county or school taxes. City communications director Burke Brennan said qualifying seniors will see an average reduction of $154 annually.

Greystar closes on land for 340-unit apartment project in Chamblee City Center
Greystar has closed on land for the residential component of the Chamblee City Center town center development.

Brookhaven achieves National Wildlife Federation recognition
Brookhaven is the 185th community nationwide and the 10th in Georgia certified as a Community Wildlife Habitat, after registering for the program in 2025. The National Wildlife Federation's community profile lists 153 certified habitat locations in the city, and the city's qualifying work includes pollinator gardens at Blackburn and Skyland parks and a native tree nursery.

Brookhaven Parks and Recreation wins top honors from district association
The Georgia Recreation and Park Association District 6 named the department Agency of the Year in the 40,001 to 80,000 population category, and honored Holidays in the Haven as Special Event of the Year. The City Council recognized the awards at its Oct. 27 meeting, and Holidays in the Haven returns Dec. 19.

DeKalb County voters approve ESPLOST VII by wide margin
The referendum passed with 81.02% of the vote (233,691 votes in favor to 54,760 opposed). ESPLOST VII runs from July 1, 2027, until 2032 and is expected to collect more than $925 million across three school districts, with about $825 million going to DeKalb County School District.

Results for DeKalb County Commission, legislative races
In the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners races, incumbent Michelle Long Spears won District 2 with 79.76%, and Keyanna Jones Moore won District 3 with 95.43%. Among state House races, incumbents Long Tran (District 80), Karla Drenner (District 85), Viola Davis (District 87), and Scott Holcomb (District 101) led in the results listed.

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Monday, November 9
- Chamblee Municipal Court November Amnesty Program | City of Chamblee
- Fall Harvest Scavenger Hunt | Brookhaven Branch Library
- Take & Make Craft: Standing Dinosaur | Doraville Branch Library
- Mah-Jongg Mondays Free Play | Chamblee Branch

Tuesday, November 10
- Adult Life Skills Class | Chamblee, GA
- Family Storytime | Brookhaven Branch Library

Wednesday, November 11
- New(er) Dads Trivia Night | The Harvey
- Veterans Day 2026 | Atlanta History Center
- English as a Second Language (ESL) | Chamblee Branch
- BFCA Book Club | Brookhaven Fields Community Association
- Josh Garrels | The Buckhead Theatre

Thursday, November 12
- SONIDO: Latin Night @ Block & Drum | Latin GRAMMY Watch Party | BLOCK & DRUM
- Money Matters - Financial Education and Budgeting Workshops | Chamblee, GA
- LEGO Day at Chamblee | Chamblee Branch
- Chair Yoga for Adults | Chamblee Branch
- Mindfulness for Everyday Life | Chamblee Branch
- Multi Chamber Mixer @ Hyatt Regency Atlanta Perimeter at Villa Christina | Hyatt Regency
- SiM | The Buckhead Theatre

Friday, November 13
- Gothla Atlanta 2026 featuring Belladonna! | Atlanta Fusion Belly Dance
- Atlanta Social Media Marketers Coffee Meetup | Stellow Coffee
- Fernbank After Dark: Amazing Animals | Fernbank Museum of Natural History
- Cyrano De Bergerac | Conant Performing Arts Center

Saturday, November 14
- FREE Puppy Hour at Central Bark Brookhaven | FREE Puppy Hour at Central Bark Brookhaven
- Rooster Party | Chamblee Branch
- Magic: The Gathering for Teens | Chamblee Branch
- St. Cecilia Concert and Pot Luck | Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church

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

Past Week Roundup

DeKalb County Board of Commissioners
At the Committee of the Whole, commissioners moved dozens of items toward final votes, including a $9.91 million contract to build the Luscious Sanders Recreation Center and more than $1.4 million in contracts with Frontline Response for a 400-bed emergency shelter and for warming and cooling centers. They also advanced $1.75 million in affordable housing money for blighted property cleanup, the county land bank, and a housing compliance system, plus a $5.2 million water pipe supply contract. A $1.3 million request from the Affordable Housing Fund to address vehicular homelessness was withdrawn, though a related resolution moved on to committee review. Commissioners also sent a septic-to-sewer petition for a stretch of Ashford Road in Brookhaven to a public hearing, which matters if you live nearby and have an aging septic system. The Planning Commission met that evening, and its agenda included several residential rezonings, a gas station request with alcohol sales, two daycare proposals, a countywide ordinance targeting chronic nuisance properties, and the Comprehensive Housing Plan. Minutes aren't published yet for that meeting, so outcomes aren't confirmed, but anything it recommended heads to the full board on Nov. 19.

City of Chamblee
The Chamblee City Council held a budget retreat workshop at City Hall on Thursday morning. The agenda centered on a review of the city's Fiscal Year 2027 budget, which shapes spending on services like public safety, roads, and parks. The agenda didn't list draft figures, so specific numbers and any direction given to staff aren't public yet. The council also had a closed executive session on the agenda, and no votes were listed for the workshop. Once the budget details surface, you'll be able to see how your city tax dollars are planned for next year.

City of Brookhaven
The City Council opened its Nov. 3 meeting with a budget presentation from City Manager Christian Sigman and the first public hearing on the city's spending plan. That hearing was your first formal chance to weigh in on how the city funds police, paving, drainage, and parks before the budget is adopted. The council also approved the prior meeting's minutes, and LifeLine Animal Project introduced a featured pet. The next night, the Planning Commission work session and the regular Planning Commission meeting took up a proposed citywide ordinance requiring new developments of 10 or more units to set aside 10% of homes as workforce housing at 60% of area median income, with bigger incentives along Buford Highway and an in-lieu fee option for developers. Both agendas also included three neighborhood rezoning requests for smaller lots, attached housing, and neighborhood shopping zoning, along with a clarification of height rules for the Briar-Hills Innovation District. The outcomes of those votes aren't confirmed since the Planning Commission agendas are all that's posted so far.

Notable Neighborhood Mentions

DeKalb County Board of Commissioners
- Ashford Road — The committee advanced a resident petition to transition neighborhood properties along Ashford Road from septic systems to public sewer service to a full public hearing.

City of Brookhaven
- 1424 Windsor Parkway — Dennis Trepanier is requesting to rezone the parcel from RS-75 to RS-50 to allow smaller single-family residential lot sizes.
- 2717 Archway Drive — Lacy Adams is seeking to rezone the property from RS-75 to RSA-5 to allow attached single-family homes up to five units per acre.
- 1330 Windsor Parkway and 3146–3148 Osborne Road — Chad Lambeth is proposing to rezone four commercial parcels from Local Commercial to Neighborhood Shopping with concurrent variances.

Meetings This Week
- DeKalb County School District — Board of Education | Nov-09 | key topics: Dunwoody High School stadium improvements, district-wide theater audiovisual upgrades, artificial intelligence policy
- DeKalb County Board of Commissioners | Nov-10, 9:00 AM | key topics: Gresham Road residential rezoning, Luscious Sanders Recreation Center contract, Briarcliff Road salon suites rezoning, Ashford Road septic-to-sewer petition
- City of Brookhaven — Arts and Culture Commission Regular | Nov-11, 5:30 PM
- City of Brookhaven — Brookhaven Development Authority Annual | Nov-12, 10:00 AM
- City of Chamblee — City Council Public Hearing & Work Session | Nov-12, 6:00 PM | key topics: data center regulations, North Shallowford Road and East Johnson Circle rezoning, 5800 Peachtree Road rezoning, Clairmont Road right-of-way abandonment

CONSTRUCTION

Permits
- 5260 Peachtree Blvd: Commercial business permit closed on 11/06 for a watershed review. It's a quiet one, but it shows the city is checking stormwater rules on this site.
- 2175 American Way, Unit 142: Interior build-out for a new gym in a retail space, closed 11/05. The permit entry listed only apartment numbers for this address, so the unit number is the best guide to where it sits. You'll have a new place to work out soon.
- 4041 Clairmont Rd: Commercial apartment permit closed on 11/02. The filing includes no project details.
- Parking deck (address not listed): Commercial permit closed 11/02 for changes to an existing three-level open-air parking garage. The filing doesn't give a street address, so check the project location before you plan around it.
- 5150 Buford Hwy, Unit B 199: Restaurant remodel closed 11/02 for a change of restaurant type. The work covers life safety and fog, oil and grease systems. A new kitchen concept is moving in.
- 3983 Buford Hwy NE, Chamblee: $234K retail build-out closed 11/02 inside an existing one-story building. That's a sizable investment, and it points to a new storefront on the corridor.

Road Work

Under Construction
- Peachtree Industrial Boulevard signal upgrades — Crews are fine-tuning the traffic signal system on Peachtree Industrial Boulevard between Peachtree Road and New Peachtree Road to keep traffic moving more smoothly.
- Buford Highway resurfacing — Crews are repaving Buford Highway from the Fulton County line to Chamblee Tucker Road.

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Until next week,
Brookhaven / Chamblee Busybody

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