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Happy almost-Fourth, Decatur. Plenty to cover this week. DeKalb County is weighing property tax and fee increases that could hit homeowners soon, while Decatur's strategic plan revision is shaping up to be a serious fight over what gets built where. On a lighter note, the holiday weekend is shaping up to be a good one, and we've got everything you need to make the most of it.

- News — Decatur's land use future is on the table as the city rewrites its strategic plan, DeKalb County is eyeing millage rate and fee hikes that could mean bigger bills for homeowners, and an anonymous website has Avondale Estates officials fired up.
- Business — Dan's Snack Bar is moving into the former Mother's Best Fried Chicken space in Downtown Decatur, a notable new arrival in a high-visibility location.
- Events — Fourth of July hits Downtown Decatur in full force Saturday and the Peachtree Road Race brings 60,000 runners to Atlanta streets that same morning.
- Government — DeKalb commissioners shot down data center zoning rules and punted on millage rates, Avondale Estates is one public hearing away from a property tax vote, and City Schools of Decatur holds its final millage rate vote today.
- Construction — A $9.3M retail buildout at 2750 Lulah Ave and a combined $9M-plus expansion at Emory Decatur Hospital headline a busy week of permits, with road work active near Kensington MARTA and a pothole flagged on E Ponce de Leon Ave.

Let's dive in.

NEWS

Decatur strategic plan update to focus on land use policy
Decatur is deep into revising its 10-year strategic plan, and this round, land use and zoning are front and center. What gets built where in the area will be shaped by decisions made in this process, so now is the time to pay attention and make your voice heard.

DeKalb County considering millage rate, fee increases
DeKalb County is weighing higher property tax millage rates and bumped-up service fees as it works to close budget gaps, which means a potentially heavier bill for homeowners across the county. These conversations are happening now, and the window to weigh in before the budget is finalized won't be open long.

Anonymous Avondale Estates website frustrates city officials
Someone in Avondale Estates has launched an anonymous website taking aim at local government decisions, and city officials are not pleased. Whether you see it as a transparency tool or a rumor mill, it's lit up civic debate in the community.

Decatur hopeful FIFA World Cup leaves lasting impact on visitors after tournament's end
With soccer fans arriving from every corner of the globe, Decatur is rolling out the welcome mat and hoping visitors remember the Square long after the final whistle blows. Watch parties and local merchant promotions are part of a deliberate play to turn World Cup foot traffic into repeat customers and lasting economic momentum.

DeKalb Commission denies data center regulations
The DeKalb County Commission voted down a proposal that would have imposed tighter zoning and environmental standards on new data centers. This is a decision that landed hard with advocates who've been raising alarms about noise pollution and long-term environmental strain. For residents near potential data center sites, this outcome means fewer guardrails, at least for now.

10 spectacular things to do this Fourth of July weekend in Atlanta
America turns 250 this weekend, and Atlanta is not taking that lightly, from the legendary Peachtree Road Race to fireworks and festivals spread across the metro. Get off the couch, get outside, and go enjoy it.

BUSINESS

Dan's Snack Bar - opening - A new snack bar concept is set to take over the Downtown Decatur space formerly home to Mother's Best Fried Chicken; big shoes to fill, but we're curious to see what Dan's brings to the block.

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The Fourth of July falls on a Saturday this year, and downtown Decatur is rolling out a full celebration. Plus. the Peachtree Road Race brings its legendary 60,000-runner spectacle to Atlanta streets that same morning. If you're heading out July 4th, plan for crowds, road closures, and the kind of electric holiday energy that makes this city worth living in.

Monday, June 29
- Tai Chi/Qigong Midlevel Practice | Legacy Park
- Eddie's Attic Songwriters Open Mic Night | Eddie's Attic
- Tripp Spears | Eddie's Attic
- Monday Night Team Trivia at 8pm. | Twain's

Tuesday, June 30
- David Ryan Harris: In Residence at Eddie's Attic | Eddie's Attic
- Meg Cabot with Angie Thomas - The Princess Diaries Graphic Novel! | DeKalb County Public Library Decatur Branch
- LILAC WINE | Roaring Social Decatur
- Soul Sessions ATL | Eddie's Attic
- Adult-ish Sewing Club | Decatur Library
- Read the Rainbow Book Club | Decatur Library
- Book Bunch Book Club | Decatur Library
- $5 Beer Trivia Tuesdays in Avondale | Wild Heaven Beer

Wednesday, July 1
- Emily Varga with Rebecca Ross and Jill Tew - The River She Became! | Little Shop of Stories
- Volunteer Project | Woodlands Garden
- FAINA | Roaring Social Decatur
- The Kevin Oliver, Jr. Group | Eddie's Attic
- Midsummer Night Stream | First Baptist Church of Decatur

Thursday, July 2
- Sustainable Landscaping Volunteer Day | Legacy Park
- Heidi Huelskoetter With The Ormewoods | Eddie's Attic
- Romantasy Author Event with Shari B. Pennant & Jill Tew | Brave and Kind Books
- The WILD UNO Tournament | The Reading Room
- Homeland Exhibition Gallery Hours | Decatur Library

Friday, July 3
- The Wild Feathers | Eddie's Attic
- Qigong/Dao Yin Class: Mindful Movement Series | Woodlands Garden
- Local Dog | Wild Heaven Beer

Saturday, July 4
- Fourth of July in Downtown Decatur | Downtown Decatur
- RED, WHITE, AND STRIKE! FREE BOWLING (21+) | Roaring Social Decatur
- Fourth of July Family Day | Jimmy Carter Presidential Library
- Peachtree Road Race | Lenox to Piedmont Park

Sunday, July 5
- Jack Botts | Eddie's Attic
- Begin the World Over: A Listening Party and Conversation with Kung Li Sun & Ash-Lee Henderson | 184 S. Candler St.
- Black Feminist Book Club Reads: The Death of Vivek Oji | 184 S. Candler St.

GOVERNMENT

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 its June 23 meeting, the Board made two notable denials: commissioners rejected a developer's bid to rezone land for a new 12-home subdivision, and — in a decision with county-wide implications — shot down a proposed text amendment that would have established zoning standards and regulatory guidelines for data centers in industrial and office districts. On the approval side, commissioners greenlit an update to the county code creating an excise tax on short-term rentals and clarifying their zoning treatment, with planning staff directed to report back in six months. The Board also approved a $1.2 million contract with Trusted Hands Senior Care to assist seniors with daily living needs, and signed off on an implementation plan for a North DeKalb day center supporting residents experiencing homelessness. Several high-dollar items were deferred to committee, including proposed hikes to residential sanitation and stormwater fees, over $4 million in trail design contracts for the South River Trail and North Fork Peachtree Creek Trail, and — notably — the 2026 Ad Valorem Tax Millage Rates, which were punted to the Finance, Audit & Budget Committee until July 7. A second meeting on June 26 was also on the calendar, but no documents or minutes are yet available, so any outcomes from that session remain unknown.

DeKalb County School District Board of Education

The DeKalb County School District Policy Committee met on June 25 to review several policy updates with direct implications for local families, though minutes confirm that no final votes were recorded — meaning all items discussed remain under evaluation. The most consequential item on the table was Student Assignment Policy (JBCC), which governs how students are placed in schools and touches on neighborhood attendance boundaries; public comments on this policy were also reviewed, signaling that the district is actively gathering community input before any changes are finalized. The committee also took up a new Artificial Intelligence policy (IFBI) — which would establish how AI tools are used and regulated in classrooms — as well as a Literacy Policy (IB) and an Internet Acceptable Use policy (IFBG). Parents and residents who want to weigh in before anything becomes official should mark their calendars: the committee's next scheduled meeting is July 30, 2026.

Avondale Estates Board of Mayor and Commissioners

The Avondale Estates Board of Mayor and Commissioners had a packed week, convening for two public hearings on the proposed millage rate — one on June 23 and a second on June 24 — before holding both a work session and a regular meeting later that same evening. The central issue across all of these gatherings is a tentative millage rate of 9.55 for 2026, which the city has acknowledged would constitute a property tax increase for local homeowners and commercial property owners; Georgia law requires three public hearings before a tax increase can be formally adopted, so the process is still ongoing. The June 24 work session also included scheduled discussion of proposed adjustments to residential sanitation and stormwater fees, as well as a review of the Center Street Stormwater Project — a drainage infrastructure effort that could signal upcoming construction activity for nearby residents. At the regular meeting, the Board was slated to hear the first reading of the millage rate ordinance and to consider rescinding a prior authorization to use eminent domain on a Maple Street property, citing that the land is "no longer needed for a transportation purpose." Because no minutes have been posted for any of these meetings, all outcomes — including whether any fees were set, the eminent domain resolution was passed, or additional hearings were scheduled — remain unconfirmed.

Meetings This Week
- City Schools of Decatur — Board of Education — June 29, 2026 — The board will hold its third public millage hearing at the Elizabeth Wilson School Support Center (125 Electric Ave.), offering residents an opportunity to comment on the school system's proposed tax rate before any final decision is made.
- City Schools of Decatur — Board of Education, Special Called Meeting — June 29, 2026 — The board is scheduled to hold a final vote on the Fiscal Year 2027 millage rate, which determines the school tax portion of Decatur property owners' bills.
- City of Avondale Estates — Board of Mayor and Commissioners, Millage Rate Public Hearing #3 — June 30, 2026 — The board will hold its third and final public hearing on a proposed 2026 millage rate of 9.55, with a vote to adopt the rate scheduled immediately after. Also on the agenda: resolutions setting 2026 residential sanitation and stormwater utility fees, and a purchase agreement for police in-car radio upgrades.

CONSTRUCTION

Permits
- 2750 Lulah Ave — $9.3M retail development permitted. Phase II of the Lulah Hills buildout.
- N Decatur Rd (Emory Decatur Hospital) — $1.47M renovation to convert existing hospital space into two MRI suites. Routine for a facility this size, but good signal that the hospital continues investing in diagnostic capacity.
- Emory Decatur Hospital campus — Multiple permits totaling roughly $7.8M for interior reconstruction on Levels 2 and 4, converting space into inpatient rooms and support areas. The cluster of permits suggests a meaningful expansion of inpatient capacity is underway.
- 2665 N Decatur Rd, Ste 240 — $108K HVAC overhaul: demo of existing ductwork and diffusers, replacement with new units and VAV boxes. Noisy, dusty work inside but nothing that should spill onto the street.
- Chapel St — $300K single-family home permitted. New construction on a residential street; expect activity from groundwork through framing over the coming months.

On the quieter side: 13 single-family residential permits, one accessory structure, and one tree removal rounded out the week — routine stuff totaling about $111K.

Road Work

Under Construction
- Kensington MARTA Station Transit Access & Mobility (Phase I-LCI, DeKalb County) — Transit access improvements underway at Kensington MARTA Station. Expect activity around the station as crews work to improve mobility connections.
- I-285 Concrete Rehab (Snapfinger Road to SR-8, DeKalb County) — Resurfacing work is active on I-285/SR-407 between Snapfinger Road and SR-8. The project targets a low pavement condition score, so expect lane disruptions in that stretch — worth knowing if you're connecting to I-285 from the east side.

Service Requests

- Tree Maintenance — Requests filed on Sycamore St, New St, and E Ponce de Leon Ave.
- Parks & Greenspace Maintenance — Issues reported at Oakhurst Park, along N Candler St, and one additional location.
- Vegetation Maintenance — Overgrowth flagged on S Candler St and Drexel Ave.
- Missed Sanitation Collection — Pickups missed on Freeman St and Inman Dr.
- Sidewalk Maintenance — Conditions reported on Merrill Ave and Sycamore Ridge Dr.
- Code Violations — Reports filed on Seneca St and Mount Vernon Dr.
- Pothole — Reported at the 400 block of E Ponce de Leon Ave.
- Traffic Signal Issue — At the 300-400 block of Inman Dr.
- Stormwater Issue — On Sycamore Dr.
- Graffiti — Reported on E Ponce de Leon Ave.
- Street Sign — Issue flagged on Kirk Rd.
- City Facilities Maintenance — At the 100 block of New St.
- Deceased Animal — Reported on S McDonough St.

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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.

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