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Hey, Decatur! This week: a hydraulic leak has knocked out a Decatur High elevator for months, DeKalb Schools is restarting its contentious redistricting process, and cooling centers opened as the heat index hit a brutal 109 degrees. There's also a duplex variance fight brewing on Sycamore Drive and a new downtown coffee shop in the works — plenty to catch up on.

- News — A broken elevator, a restarted redistricting plan, a data center lawsuit against DeKalb, and cooling centers opening as the heat advisory drags on all lead this week's headlines.
- Business — Toco Hills is getting a new Go Greek Yogurt franchise, adding another quick-bite option to the corridor.
- Events — From an architecture walking tour to Eddie's Attic shows all weekend and an Alt-Rock Fest at the Avon Theater, the calendar is packed with music, art, and community gatherings.
- Government — Decatur's Zoning Board weighs a tight-setback duplex variance, DeKalb commissioners tackle townhomes and liquor licenses, and Avondale Estates keeps wrestling with its civility pledge enforcement.
- Construction — The hospital corridor is adding new MRI suites and CT tech, a coffee shop is moving into downtown, and sidewalk and tree maintenance requests dot neighborhoods from 2nd Ave to Fairfield St.

Let's dive in.

NEWS

Decatur High School elevator needs replacement after failure
One of Decatur High School's elevators suffered a major hydraulic fluid leak at the start of the school year, and City Schools of Decatur officials say replacing or modernizing the unit could take several months.

Avondale Estates debates civility pledge consequences
The Avondale Estates Board of Mayor and Commissioners discussed potential consequences for officials who violate the city's civility pledge, weighing enforcement options and standards of conduct for local governance.

DeKalb Schools restarts redistricting plan and releases timeline for community input
The DeKalb County School District has restarted its comprehensive facilities planning process to address uneven student populations across schools, with families set to weigh in as community engagement sessions begin on upcoming boundary and facility changes.

At Atlanta’s new welding school, women wield the torch
Women now represent 16 percent of the student body at the new Tulsa Welding School campus in Decatur, which opened earlier this year.

DeKalb opens cooling centers as heat advisory continues
DeKalb County opened public cooling centers as heat index values reached up to 109 degrees, with facilities and transportation services made available to assist vulnerable residents.

Developers sue DeKalb County over moratorium on new data centers
Shadowbox Studios and an affiliated real estate company filed a lawsuit in DeKalb County Superior Court challenging the county's temporary ban on data center construction.

BUSINESS

Go Greek Yogurt opening new franchise location in Toco Hills — Go Greek Yogurt is expanding into the area with a new franchise location opening in Toco Hills.

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EVENTS | Presented by

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Tuesday, August 18
- Decatur Architecture Walking Tour | 101 E Court Square
- XINA MARIE JAZZ | Roaring Social Decatur

Wednesday, August 19
- Sustainable Landscaping with Decatur Comunity Habitat | Legacy Park
- Wednesday Walk & Talk | Woodlands Garden
- AUTHOR EVENT | Kimberly Lemming is BACK with new romcom | Brave and Kind Books
- Roofdog | Eddie's Attic

Thursday, August 20
- David Penn and CreativeTone Live | Eddie's Attic
- Dominoes + Drums | The Reading Room
- Cliterati Open Mic Featuring: Valerie Hsiung in celebration of The Pedestrian | 184 S. Candler St.

Friday, August 21
- Elf Power with Five Eight and Shehehe | Wild Heaven Beer
- Sip & Savor Wine Tasting | Historic DeKalb Courthouse
- Vintage Jewelry Pop-up | T.E. Wilcox
- Can't Stop Change: Queer Climate Stories from the Florida Frontlines -- Film Screening & Discussion | 184 S. Candler St.
- GROOVEBOX | Roaring Social Decatur

Saturday, August 22
- Lauda Musicam Director's Concert | Holy Trinity Parish
- Ryan Banks | Wild Heaven Beer
- Closing Exhibit: Home, The United Methodist Children's Home | Historic DeKalb Courthouse
- Woodland Explorers with Stephen Wing | Woodlands Garden
- The Banned Book Bunch - Storytime | 184 S. Candler St.
- ATL Alt-Rock Fest | Avon Theater
- A Night at the Archives I Opening Celebration | Kudzu Archives
- Book Release & Signing with Amy Buchanan | Decatur Library
- The Good Divide | The Lost Druid Brewery
- August Flight Club: Comedy + Wine | The Reading Room
- This Is How You Love Her: A Journey to Radical Self-Love -- Traci Saulsberry & Janée Bolden | 184 S. Candler St.
- Candlelight: Neo-Soul Favorites ft. Songs by Prince, Childish Gambino, & More | The Chapel on Sycamore

Sunday, August 23
- Live Music: Cyrus at 3 pm | Wild Heaven Beer
- Tristan Roberson | Eddie's Attic

GOVERNMENT

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

Past Week Roundup

City of Decatur
The Zoning Board of Appeals took up a proposal to build a new duplex, and the request centers on a side yard variance that would let the builder place the home closer to its property lines than the code normally allows. That matters if you live nearby, since a tighter setback changes the spacing and privacy buffer between houses on the block. No decision has been finalized yet since only the agenda is available, so the outcome could go several ways once the board weighs in. Meanwhile, the Planning Commission's scheduled meeting was cancelled, and the Development Authorities met without any public documentation of what was discussed.

DeKalb County Board of Commissioners
The board's zoning meeting agenda was packed, with proposals to convert industrial land on Henrico Road into single-family lots, new townhome communities near Chamblee-Tucker and Gresham roads, a new liquor package store on Covington Highway, and county-wide rules targeting chronic nuisance properties. At its regular meeting, commissioners considered multi-million dollar grant applications for lake and dam repairs at several county parks, an $800,000 upgrade to Sugar Creek Tennis & Golf, and a sewer funding agreement tied to development near Commerce Drive. They also weighed extending the county's moratorium on adult entertainment businesses and reviewed a historic preservation appeal on Clifton Road. Big-ticket contracts included over $1 million each for health center lighting upgrades and elevator modernization work. As with several other meetings this week, only agendas are posted so far, so these items were up for consideration but final votes aren't confirmed yet.

City of Avondale Estates
The Board of Mayor and Commissioners took up a first reading on amendments to the 2026 city budget and capital spending plan, plus an agreement with the Downtown Development Authority to extend stormwater infrastructure along Center Street. At a work session the same day, commissioners discussed a downtown multi-modal transportation project aimed at safer walking and biking routes, an amendment letting golf carts cross between South Avondale Drive and Pine Street, and a citywide ban on private decentralized wastewater systems. As covered in today's news section, the board also continued debating consequences for violating its civility pledge. Separately, the Downtown Development Authority considered accepting $355,000 from the city to fund the Center Street stormwater work and amending its contract with developer Avila to carry out those repairs, along with a roof issue at a downtown property and an introduction of the DDA's new Finance Director.

City Schools of Decatur
The Board of Education held several sessions on the same day, starting with a pre-work session touching on board norms and a legal services RFP. Its regular meeting agenda called for votes on seven vendor and facility contracts, including electrical, plumbing, and mechanical services, plus a school nutrition food distribution deal, though the published record doesn't include final vote counts or dollar figures. The board also had five policy updates on the table, covering employee leave, paid parental leave, school admissions, and equal opportunity rules. At a separate work session, members discussed school year opening readiness, a human resources update, the district's 2026-2027 policy plan, and proposed changes to attendance zone and law enforcement policies, all as discussion items rather than final votes.

DeKalb County School District
The district's Board of Education approved a $22.8 million contract with Gold Star Foods for school nutrition distribution and renewed a $10 million architectural and engineering services contract for capital projects. Members also signed off on roughly $6.16 million in USDA food processing contracts and a $1.5 million districtwide elevator maintenance deal with KONE, along with HVAC cooling tower replacements at two elementary schools and a construction agreement for stadium improvements at Dunwoody High School. On the policy side, the board advanced a second reading of a new districtwide policy governing artificial intelligence use and gave a first reading to rules on law enforcement investigations inside schools. These moves signal real money flowing into facilities and food service that touch daily school operations across the district.

Notable Neighborhood Mentions

City of Decatur
- 428 Sycamore Dr — A side yard variance is being proposed to allow construction of a new residential duplex.

DeKalb County Board of Commissioners
- 160 Clairemont Ave, Decatur, GA 30030 — A request by the Solicitor-General's Office to assume office space lease rights is under consideration.
- 750 Commerce Dr, Decatur, GA 30030 — A sewer construction and financing agreement with developer PPF AMLI is on the agenda.

Meetings This Week
- City of Decatur — Decatur City Commission | Aug-17, 7:30 PM | key topics: retail alcohol license transfer, fourth-quarter financial report, West Ponce de Leon Avenue safety improvements, Great Lakes stormwater management
- City of Decatur — Historic Preservation Commission Meeting | Aug-18 | key topics: 651 Clairemont Avenue fenestration alterations, Decatur Cemetery historic designation
- DeKalb County Board of Commissioners — Committee of the Whole | Aug-18, 9:00 AM | key topics: Scott Candler Water Treatment Plant overhaul, road paving and maintenance contracts, Michelle Obama Trail extension, Flat Shoals Parkway pedestrian upgrades, data center environmental study moratorium

CONSTRUCTION

Permits
- 2675 N Decatur Rd — $164K commercial buildout at the hospital, new network cabling for a CT scanner replacement. Not the kind of project you'll notice from the street, but it points to ongoing upgrades at the medical campus.
- 2701 N Decatur Rd — $403,810 renovation to build out two new MRI suites. Another sign the hospital corridor keeps investing in bigger equipment and bigger spaces.
- 2691 Lulah Ave, Ste C10 — Two permits here totaling over $87K, covering new plumbing and gas lines plus a mechanical overhaul: two new rooftop units, three mini-split systems, and 29 new electric heaters. Expect some noise and truck traffic around this address while crews finish the work.
- 545 N McDonough St, Ste 101 — $75,000 remodel to turn the space into a new coffee shop. Downtown's getting another caffeine option, so keep an eye out for an opening date.
- 3505 Creekview Pl, Scottdale — $60,000 interior refresh at this townhouse: new flooring, bathtubs, sinks, cabinets, and paint. A straightforward renovation, but it signals reinvestment in the Scottdale housing stock.
- 15 217 01 001 (Mixed Use) — Utility upgrade swapping in a larger 1.5" water meter. Routine, but it often means a business is scaling up its water demand.

Road Work

Under Construction
- Kensington MARTA Station-Transit Access & Mobility-Ph I-LCI — Crews are working on transit access and mobility upgrades around the Kensington MARTA station in DeKalb County.
- I-285 from Snapfinger Road to SR 8 — GDOT's District Maintenance Office is resurfacing this stretch of SR 407 to fix a low OCI score on the roadway, with concrete rehab work underway in DeKalb County.

Service Requests
- Sidewalk Maintenance — 9 reports on 2nd Ave (3), Commerce Dr (2), Lockwood Ter, Pinehurst St & Sycamore Ridge Dr, Lamont Dr, and one other location. Most remain acknowledged, one closed.
- Tree Maintenance — Reports on Feld Ave, Sams St, Fairfield St, and Garland Ave, with one already closed out.
- Code Violations — Flagged on Greenwood Cir, 2nd Ave, and Coventry Rd. Two still under review, one resolved.
- City Facilities Maintenance — Fairpark Ln (two reports) and Maxwell St. Two of the three are closed.
- Missed Sanitation Collection — Glendale Ave and the 200-202 block of Nelson Ferry Rd both reported missed pickups this week.
- Stormwater Issue — Reported on Champlain St.
- Vegetation Maintenance — Reported on Madison Ave.
- Street Maintenance — Reported on Woodlawn Ave.
- Pothole — Reported on Erie Ave.
- City Parks and Greenspace Maintenance — Reported near the coordinates 33.77567, -84.30407.
- Street Sign — Reported on W Howard Ave.

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Until next week,
Decatur Busybody

Disclaimer: We use advanced data retrieval and analysis techniques across hundreds of sources, and may be prone to occasional error. Independently verify information with a secondary source, and please let us know if we got anything wrong via the feedback form.