Brookhaven / Chamblee: A Doughnut Tragedy, Trail Upgrades, and the Cherry Blossom Blast

Good morning, Brookhaven and Chamblee! Spring has officially sprung (along with some wild weather), and we're getting you ready for a weekend of pink petals at Blackburn Park. Today, we're diving into the apartment boom headed for the Perimeter line, a bittersweet goodbye to a local doughnut legend, and why your next home renovation might involve a crash course in rainwater drainage.

- Big Stories — From a multifamily tsunami to trail upgrades and school shakeups, we're breaking down everything shifting in our neighborhood.
- Local Business Updates — We've got the bittersweet news on a beloved doughnut shop closing its doors for good.
- Upcoming Events — Clear your Saturday for the Cherry Blossom Festival and start stretching for a week full of egg hunts and trivia nights.
- Local Government Discussion — We're wading through Brookhaven's rainwater runoff battles and Chamblee's new mission for zero-fatality streets.
- Development & Construction Nearby — From indoor golf transformations to library glow-ups, here is where the heavy machinery is heading next.

Let's dive in.

BIG STORIES

DeKalb County Schools makes changes to closure list (March 23, 2026)
The district just dropped a revised list for school closures and consolidations, and parents are understandably hovering over the refresh button. It's all part of a massive redistricting shake-up, so if you have tiny humans in the system, you'll want to check if your local spot is still on the chopping block.

Apartment influx near I-285, MARTA stations poised to swell (March 19, 2026) Get ready for more neighbors because a "multifamily tsunami" is heading toward the Brookhaven-Perimeter line. With a new residential project moving forward near the MARTA stations, our local skyline is about to look a lot more crowded (and modern).

Parents question DeKalb Schools' storm safety protocols after tornado confirmed near 3 campuses (March 18, 2026) After last week's tornado touched down in the county, local parents are asking some very loud questions about how schools handle severe weather. It's sparking a major conversation about whether the current shelter-in-place timing actually keeps students safe when the sirens start blaring.

Decide DeKalb approves funding to extend South Peachtree Creek Trail (March 20, 2026) Your weekend morning walks are getting a serious upgrade thanks to fresh funding for the South Peachtree Creek Trail extension. This project will eventually connect more of our neighborhoods to job hubs and retail centers—meaning you might actually be able to leave the car in the garage for a change.

LOCAL BUSINESS UPDATES

Sublime Doughnuts - closing - Put down the sprinkles and grab a tissue, because our Briarcliff Road sugar fix is officially a thing of the past. After nearly a decade of serving up those iconic strawberry n' cream treats, the shop has shuttered its doors, leaving a giant, doughnut-shaped hole in our neighborhood's morning routine.
(March 17, 2026)

UPCOMING EVENTS

The weekend we've all been waiting for is finally here! Blackburn Park transforms into a pink-petaled paradise for the Brookhaven Cherry Blossom Festival, and between the music, the food, and the artisan market, you won't want to be anywhere else. Clear your Saturday schedule—this is the signature neighborhood event of the year!

Monday, March 23
- Preschool Storytime | Chamblee Library
- Eggstravaganza Scavenger Hunt | Brookhaven Branch Library
- Weekday Winning: Mega Mondays | Wild Heaven Toco Hills
- Marie Benedict in conversation with Virginia Prescott | Atlanta History Center

Tuesday, March 24
- Shaken & Stirred Mixology Class Returns | Bar Margot
- Hanabie | Buckhead Theatre
- Tuesday Trivia @ Toco Hills | Wild Heaven Toco Hills
- Brush Sushi 10 Year Anniversary Party | Brush Sushi

Thursday, March 26
- Lotus Lens Screening: Manila in the Claws of Light | Atlanta Chinatown
- VOX ATL Adult Spelling Bee | Salesforce Tower
- Three Choirs Festival | Peachtree Road United Methodist Church
- Becky Robinson: Members Only Tour | Buckhead Theatre

Friday, March 27
- OUMA Lecture with Elena Pakhoutova, PhD | Oglethorpe University Museum of Art
- Children's Stations of the Cross | Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church
- National Paella Day at Gypsy Kitchen | Buckhead Village District
- Frankie Quinones: Good Vibes Only | Buckhead Theatre

Saturday, March 28
- Brookhaven Farmers Market | Brookhaven Farmers Market
- Brookhaven Cherry Blossom Festival | Blackburn Park
- Pound the Pavement for Peter - Family Fun Run | Capital City Country Club - Brookhaven
- Fair Strikes Pinball Tournament at The Escape Gamebar | Fair Strikes Pinball Tournament at The Escape Gamebar
- Saturday Vinyasa Yoga Classes with Highland Yoga | Buckhead Village
- Stayin' Alive: One Night of the Bee Gees | Buckhead Theatre

Sunday, March 29
- Meditation on the Passion of Christ | The Cathedral of St. Philip
- 2026 Atlanta Interfaith Hunger Seder | Ahavath Achim Synagogue
- Italian Sunday Dinner | Local Three Kitchen & Bar

LOCAL GOVERNMENT DISCUSSION

DeKalb County School District

Discussion from the Past Week

The Policy Committee met last Thursday to sift through the fine print of five major board policies. While the official minutes are still MIA—a classic bureaucratic cliffhanger—the agenda tells us they were deep in the weeds on several items that dictate the how and where of local student life.

The heavyweight on the table was Policy JBCC: Student Assignment. For anyone in Brookhaven or Chamblee who has ever stressed about school boundaries or transfer rules, this is the policy to watch. It governs exactly how the district decides which kid goes to which school and the rules for moving between them. While no maps were redrawn in this specific session, this policy provides the framework for those future boundary-change conversations.

But here's the thing: the committee also fast-tracked a discussion on Policy BAC: Equity, which was a last-minute addition to the agenda. This policy is intended to be the district's North Star for ensuring resources, staff, and funding are spread fairly across the county, regardless of a school's zip code.

Meanwhile, on the business side, the board reviewed updates to how the district handles Gifts and Bequests (donation rules) and Solicitations (vendor access rules). Also worth noting: the committee touched on Policy CN: Administrative Records, ensuring the district is actually keeping track of the mountain of paperwork it generates. All five policies are expected to head to the full Board of Education soon for official adoption.

City of Brookhaven

Discussion from the Past Week

The Board of Appeals had a very busy Wednesday, and if there's one takeaway for residents, it's that the city is getting incredibly serious about where your rainwater goes. Between a work session and the regular hearing, the board waded through half a dozen variance requests, most of which centered on impervious coverage—that's bureaucratic speak for surfaces like roofs and concrete that don't soak up water. Because Brookhaven is increasingly concerned about drainage and flooding, several homeowners found themselves offering to install expensive underground filtration systems just to keep their artificial turf or a new screened-in porch.

Meanwhile, commercial development is moving forward on the Buford Highway corridor, but not without some logistical gymnastics. The board looked at plans for a new Panda Express and a multi-tenant building at Northeast Plaza. Because the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) has very specific rules about how close trees can be to high-speed roads, the developers had to ask for permission to flip the standard sidewalk layout—putting the pavement by the street and the greenery further back.

Also worth noting: The city is leaning hard into technology to make these dry meetings more accessible. They've started using Wordly AI, which provides real-time translations of the proceedings in over 25 languages. It's a sophisticated touch for a meeting that otherwise spent significant time debating the structural integrity of rotting wooden retaining walls and the non-conforming size of older neighborhood lots.

Most notable to your neighborhood:

Meetings in the Next Week
- City Council Work Session, March 24 at 4:30 PM: Council will review the Brookhaven Police 2025 crime statistics and discuss a community equity program. A zoning item is noted for 4001 Peachtree Rd.
- City Council Regular Meeting, March 24 at 6:30 PM: A major vote is expected on citywide building heights and density rules, along with land acquisition for the North Druid Hills multi-use path.
- City Council Advance, March 27 at 8:00 AM: Mayor John Park and the Council will meet for a big-picture strategic planning session to discuss long-term focus areas for the city.

City of Chamblee

Discussion from the Past Week

The Chamblee City Council, along with the Urban Redevelopment and Public Facilities Authorities, had a marathon Tuesday, balancing multi-million dollar budgets with the nitty-gritty of where to put dumpsters and how many balconies a building actually needs. Most notably, the city is officially going on the offensive against traffic fatalities with the Safe Streets for All plan. The goal is zero deaths by 2050, focusing on high-injury networks like Buford Highway and Peachtree Boulevard. Expect to see more mid-block crosswalks, protected bike lanes, and potentially lower speed limits in your future.

On the development front, Regent Partners is proposing Edmund Chamblee, a 61-unit mixed-income apartment complex on Hardee Avenue. While the city likes the housing, they aren't exactly thrilled with the developer's request to cut corners—specifically asking for zero balconies and less brick than required. Staff gave a thumbs-down to the bare-bones aesthetics but a thumbs-up to the project's actual structure. Meanwhile, the city is cleaning up some zoning orphans on Chamblee Tucker Road that were annexed last year, making sure the Waffle House and local hotels are officially recognized on the city map.

The city's financial arms were also busy moving money around. The Public Facilities Authority approved a $4.1 million budget, the lion's share of which—nearly $3.5 million—is headed straight to Fish Bolt Park. Not to be outdone, the Urban Redevelopment Authority is managing about $2.1 million in debt service for previous projects. In smaller life-in-the-city news: microblading is finally being classified as a beauty shop service rather than a tattoo establishment (a win for salon owners), and new rules are coming for EV parking spots—if you aren't charging, you can't park there, and even if you are, you've got a two-hour limit.

Most notable to your neighborhood:

Meetings in the Next Week
- Downtown Development Authority Regular, March 24, 2026 at 6:30 PM – The board will elect new officers and handle the graduation of the Peachtree Station development (the Whole Foods hub), moving it off its special bond status and back onto regular tax rolls. They are also working on land conveyances at 5442 Peachtree Rd to make room for the upcoming Chamblee Dunwoody Roundabout and cleaning up DDA-owned properties at 5546 and 5554 Peachtree Rd.

DeKalb County Board of Commissioners

Discussion from the Past Week

The Committee of the Whole—essentially the commissioners' version of a high-stakes group project planning session—spent its time last week setting the stage for some massive spending and new rules. The biggest ticket item on the table is the county's aging plumbing. They are moving forward with a $300,000 study to figure out if DeKalb should keep running its own Water and Sewer system or spin it off into an independent Water and Sewer Authority. It's a move intended to ensure long-term stability, but the underlying question is whether an independent authority would be better at fixing the leaks than the current county structure.

Speaking of things that need fixing, the county is also looking to tighten the leash on data centers and construction projects. A new resolution would require a baseline assessment of health and environmental impacts before any new data centers get the green light, reflecting a growing local anxiety over the noise and energy these giant server farms consume. Meanwhile, developers who use explosives to clear land might soon face a Control Blasting and Safety Ordinance, which would mean much stricter county oversight whenever someone decides to blow things up to make way for new builds.

On the tech and lifestyle front, Commissioner Ted Terry is leaning into the future with a proposal for an AI Tech Dividend Fund, exploring how the county can actually make money off artificial intelligence to help with fiscal stability. For those who feel like every house on their block is becoming an Airbnb, the county is also looking at hiring a cloud-based platform (Deckard Technologies) to better track and enforce rules for short-term rentals.

Finally, the Board is wading into the complicated issue of public safety and vagrancy. A proposed ordinance aimed at unauthorized camping and public nuisance behaviors was moved forward, though it's already sparking the kind of debate you'd expect when balancing property rules with the needs of the unhoused.

Most notable to your neighborhood:

Meetings in the Next Week
- Board of Commissioners on March 24 at 9:00 AM: The board is expected to pull the trigger on over $45 million in sewer and water contracts, including massive gravity sewer restorations and valve repairs. They will also vote on the $835,275 maintenance contract for PDK Airport in Chamblee and a $22 million purchase of new police pursuit vehicles and county trucks.
- Committee of the Whole on March 26 at 9:00 AM: No agenda is available yet for this mid-week strategy session.
- Board of Commissioners - Zoning Meeting on March 26 at 5:30 PM: Commissioners will tackle a dozen land-use cases, including proposals for new cottage homes, townhomes, and senior housing across the county. The headliner is a controversial bid for a new gas station and drive-through pharmacy on North Decatur Road that has already faced a "no" vote from the Planning Commission.

DEVELOPMENT AND CONSTRUCTION NEARBY

Permits
- Cambridge Square, Ste M — Big news for the Ashford Dunwoody corridor: a vacant spot is getting a massive $780,000 interior build-out. That is a serious investment for a new tenant; we'll be watching to see which shop or restaurant claims the keys.
- Chamblee City Center — The skyline is about to change. Permits are moving for the massive Chamblee City Center mixed-use project, which includes 340 apartments and nearly 40,000 square feet of commercial space. Expect some heavy machinery and traffic shifts as this beast wakes up.
- 1400 Lake Hearn Dr, Bldg 1 — Someone is dropping $210,000 to rearrange a commercial kitchen, moving sinks and cooktop hoods. Sounds like a major cafeteria or dining upgrade is cooking near the hospital district.
- 4330 Peachtree Rd NE, Ste 250 — Trade your forks for drivers. A former restaurant space is undergoing a $200,000 transformation into an indoor golf simulator. Perfect for when you want to hit the links but don't want to deal with the Georgia humidity.
- 3980 Dekalb Technology Pky, Ste 610 — There's $123,000 worth of interior demolition and office reconstruction happening here. Someone is clearing out the old to make room for a fresh corporate footprint.
- Brookhaven Library — Good news for local readers! Site improvements and a building expansion are officially in the works for our DeKalb County library branch.
- 3166 Chestnut Dr Conn, Ste 102 — A medical clinic in the area is getting a $50,000 facelift. It's a standard renovation, but enough of a spend to suggest a total interior refresh.
- 4118 Carver Dr — The new townhouse community here is getting its irrigation meter. It's a small detail, but it means the new construction phase is wrapping up and the landscaping is about to go in.
- 3110 Ashford Dunwoody Rd — This one is just a water review for now, but it's a necessary step for whatever Brookhaven development is bubbling up next near Blackburn Park.

Road Work

Under Construction
- SR 13 / Buford Highway Resurfacing — The orange cones are officially out from the Fulton County line all the way up to Chamblee Tucker Road. They're smoothing out the rough patches to improve the road rating, so expect some lane closures and a slower crawl through the heart of the neighborhood while the paving crews do their thing.
- Peachtree Industrial Blvd Signal Optimization — Keep your eyes peeled for crews working on the signals between Peachtree and New Peachtree. They're tweaking the tech to help traffic flow better, but expect some intermittent delays while they get the timing right.
- Ashford-Dunwoody Road EB Ramp at I-285 — Big news for the Perimeter commuters: work is underway to add a third lane to the eastbound ramp connecting to I-285 northbound. It's a move to kill that daily bottleneck, but definitely watch for construction vehicles merging into the chaos during your morning drive.
- PATH400 Trail Extension (Fulton County) — Just across the line near Windsor Parkway, work is active on the middle segment of the PATH400 extension. This spans into Fulton, but it's a major win for our local connectivity—just be mindful of crews working near the corridor as they bridge the gap toward Sandy Springs.

Construction Work Program
- Ashford Dunwoody Road at Windsor Parkway — This busy intersection is slated for a major safety and operational overhaul. It's a primary gateway for Ashford Park and Brittany residents, so expect this to eventually smooth out those rough morning rush moments.
- City of Chamblee Rail Trail Extension — Great news for the walkers and bikers: the Rail Trail is stretching further north from Pierce Drive toward Peachtree Boulevard and Peachtree Industrial. It's all about making Chamblee more walkable, which we love to see.
- Shallowford Road (New Peachtree to Chamblee Dunwoody) — This stretch is getting a serious complete streets upgrade with a new 10-foot shared-use path on the west side and a 5-foot sidewalk on the east. It'll make the trek between New Peachtree and Chamblee Dunwoody Road much friendlier for those not in a car.
- I-285 Eastbound & Westbound Managed Lanes (DeKalb & Fulton Counties) — The Top End express lane project is officially in the pipeline, spanning from Northside Drive all the way to Henderson Road. This is a massive multi-county effort that will eventually change the way we all navigate the Perimeter—get ready for some long-term construction energy on this one.
- SR 141 (Peachtree Blvd) at North Shallowford Road — This Chamblee intersection is due for a realignment. If you've ever found the flow near Parsons Drive a bit wonky, this project is designed to straighten things out and improve the daily commute.
- I-85 Pavement Markings (DeKalb & Gwinnett Counties) — New, high-visibility markings are coming to I-85 between SR 155 and SR 140. It's a simple update that spans the county line but makes a world of difference during those rainy late-night drives back into town.
- North Fork Peachtree Creek Trail (Phase I) — Plans are moving forward for a multi-use trail following the creek from Fischer Trail to Chamblee-Tucker Road. It's a win for local connectivity and getting some fresh air near the water.
- I-85 & I-285 Bridge Preservation — Crews will be hitting four different bridge locations across 85 and 285 in DeKalb for maintenance like painting and joint repairs. It's the kind of preventative medicine our infrastructure needs to keep the interstates humming.