Presented by Rally Built Homes

Hey, Downtown! This week: a heated council debate over selling the city jail to Fulton County, a new research tower opening at Georgia State, and enough live music and theater to fill your whole calendar. Plus, the chefs behind The Plate Sale pop-up are finally opening a brick-and-mortar spot on Broad Street.

- News — A new nine-story Georgia State research tower opened downtown even as officials clashed over a $68 million detention center sale, and a documentary revisits Atlanta's 1906 race massacre.
- Business — The Plate Sale's Mike and Shyretha Sheats are opening farm-to-table restaurant Mule Train in South Downtown, and dueling piano bar Park Bench is expanding to Centennial Yards.
- Events — Kacey Musgraves and Ed Sheeran both hit downtown stages this week, alongside Theatrical Outfit's Fences, Take 6, and the 10th anniversary of Atlanta Culture Week.
- Government — Felicia Moore cleared committee for a seat on the Ethics Board while bigger fights over the detention center sale and speaker-order rules stay stuck, plus a full slate of committee meetings this week.
- Construction — Grady's East Wing renovation rolls on, a 210 Peachtree hotel gets a full interior overhaul, and three separate parking decks are getting concrete and coating repairs citywide.

Let's dive in.

NEWS

Georgia State unveils new 9-story research tower in downtown Atlanta
The new tower off Decatur Street near the Petit Science Center includes classrooms, lecture space, teaching labs, and room for the Institute for Biomedical Sciences, with top floors reserved for future expansion. The project follows an $80 million Woodruff Foundation donation that kicked off construction in 2024, and Gov. Brian Kemp spoke at the ribbon-cutting about the building's contribution to Georgia's workforce.

Atlanta detention center sale sparks heated debate
A Sept. 23 work session on the proposed $68 million sale of the 1,300-capacity Atlanta City Detention Center to Fulton County ended in a shouting match, with the building appraised at $144 million. Southern Center for Human Rights' Tiffany Roberts and NAACP legal fellow Ashley Conyers raised staffing and human-rights concerns, while Sheriff Patrick Labat cited a 10% hiring increase and Councilmember Michael Julian Bond proposed a joint city-county authority instead of a sale.

Documentary revisits Atlanta’s 1906 race massacre with a warning for today
Trent Frank's film "Never Again: The 1906 Atlanta Race Massacre" screened at All Saints' Episcopal Church as part of the inaugural 1906 Remembrance Exposition Week, recounting the four days of violence that killed at least 25 people amid inflammatory newspaper coverage during the Hoke Smith-Clark Howell gubernatorial race. Morehouse professor Clarissa Myrick-Harris White noted in the film that Black-owned businesses' economic power was a target, and 256 Black residents were rounded up after a white police officer was killed in self-defense.

Atlanta’s 911 system restored after technical failure
Atlanta's E-911 system went down Monday night due to a technical issue unrelated to a cyberattack, prompting dispatchers to relocate to a temporary call center at the public safety training facility while Fulton County's Emergency Communications Center assisted with calls. Calls were still answered but took longer to process since dispatchers had to record information by hand, and the city is investigating the cause after last activating this contingency plan in 2022.

BUSINESS

The Plate Sale chefs opening Southern farm-to-table restaurant Mule Train in South Downtown — Husband-and-wife duo Mike and Shyretha Sheats are opening their first brick-and-mortar restaurant, a 40-seat farm-to-table concept called Mule Train, at 87 Broad Street in South Downtown.

Live music venue Park Bench expanding to Centennial Yards — The dueling piano bar, a downtown Atlanta favorite since 1994 that later operated at The Battery Atlanta, is opening a second location in the new Entertainment District at Centennial Yards, steps from Mercedes-Benz Stadium and State Farm Arena.

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Monday, September 28
- Loathe: A Stranger to You | Hop ON – Hop OFF Tours
- Atlanta Culture Week® - 10th Anniversary Edition | Multiple Venues
- Play Haven Reading: To Serve the Hive | Theatrical Outlet

Tuesday, September 29
- Arin Ray: The "Limbo" Tour | The Masquerade – Purgatory
- Slothrust: The Dystopian Theatre Tour | The Masquerade – Purgatory
- Where Being Takes Root: Artist Talk | Florence Kopleff Recital Hall

Wednesday, September 30
- Kacey Musgraves – Middle of Nowhere | State Farm Arena
- Live Music on the Broad St. Boardwalk | Downtown Atlanta Inc. (ADID)
- How Bright the Path Grows: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the March on Washington -- Marcia Chatelain in conversation with Sherie M. Randolph | Auburn Avenue Research Library
- GSU Symphony Orchestra & Campus Orchestra Concert | Florence Kopleff Recital Hall
- Theatrical Outfit presents August Wilson's Fences | Theatrical Outfit

Thursday, October 1
- SCHOOLBOY Q – 10 Years of Blank Face LP | Hop ON – Hop OFF Tours
- Haunted Underground: A Haunted Bar Experience | Underground Atlanta
- Lunch&Learn Artist Talk/Workshop w/Darline Stuart | Fulton County Government Center Atrium
- Angel Du$t and Agnostic Front | The Masquerade – Purgatory
- Markets on the Broad Street Boardwalk | Downtown Atlanta Inc. (ADID)
- Macbeth | The Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse
- Guest Artist Recital: Daniel Anastasio, Piano | Florence Kopleff Recital Hall
- Edith Pageaud - Chords of Light and Shadow | Central Presbyterian Church

Friday, October 2
- Take 6 | Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University
- Screen on The Green | Downtown Atlanta Inc. (ADID)
- Jack Thorpe & Miya Suen Faculty Recital | Florence Kopleff Recital Hall
- Issa Rae | Tabernacle

Saturday, October 3
- Ed Sheeran: LOOP Tour | Mercedes-Benz Stadium
- Saborea Atlanta 2026 | Omni Atlanta Hotel at Centennial Olympic Park
- Fred Armisen: Comedy For Musicians But Everyone Is Welcome | Hop ON – Hop OFF Tours
- He Is Legend | The Masquerade – Purgatory
- Saturday Adventures at the Center: Book Spotlight "Sofia Valdez, Future Prez" | National Center for Civil and Human Rights
- Georgia State University Football vs Old Dominion - HOMECOMING | Center Parc Credit Union Stadium

Sunday, October 4
- Alicia Villarreal – Bendita Locura Tour 2026 | Hop ON – Hop OFF Tours
- Bear Ghost – Tiny Hitman Tour 2026 | The Masquerade – Purgatory
- A Worthy Objective: National Teachers Day at the Center | National Center for Civil and Human Rights

GOVERNMENT | Presented by

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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

Atlanta City Council had a busy week, though the full council's minutes from its September 21 meeting aren't posted yet, so outcomes on that agenda aren't confirmed. The Committee on Council met the same day and moved forward on several appointments, giving a favorable 5-0 recommendation to former Council President Felicia Moore's seat on the City of Atlanta Ethics Board. Members also unanimously backed two reappointments to the Atlanta Commission on Women and approved a Piedmont Park security representative for the Special Event Technical Advisory Group. Bigger policy questions stayed parked in committee, including proposed rules that would let residents speak in the exact order they sign up for public comment, a charter change requiring every piece of legislation to have a named sponsor, and a call for outside counsel to investigate city contracts tied to Foris Webb, III. A resolution asking Fulton and DeKalb election boards to station certified police officers at recreation centers used as polling sites also remains stuck in committee, meaning none of these changes take effect yet.

Meetings This Week
- Atlanta City Council — Zoning Committee | Sep-28, 11:00 AM | key topics: self-storage special use permits, industrial-to-mixed-use rezonings, citywide zoning ordinance rewrite
- Atlanta City Council — Public Safety & Legal Administration Committee | Sep-28, 1:00 PM | key topics: Atlanta City Detention Center proposals, vehicle booting fees, municipal surveillance technology oversight
- Atlanta NPU — NPU-M | Sep-28, 6:15 PM | key topics: Decatur Street rezoning, Pryor Street nightclub liquor license, park festival permits, pedestrian bill of rights
- Atlanta City Council — City Utilities Committee | Sep-29, 10:00 AM | key topics: water billing dispute protections, sewer infrastructure investments, MARTA transit stop litter cleanup
- Atlanta City Council — Community Development/Human Services Committee | Sep-29, 1:30 PM | key topics: park land acquisitions, tree protection ordinance standards, lead hazard reduction grant
- Atlanta City Council — Transportation Committee | Sep-30, 10:00 AM | key topics: Centennial Yards complete streets funding, traffic signal property acquisitions, public street abandonments
- Atlanta City Council — Finance/Executive Committee | Sep-30, 1:30 PM | key topics: Atlanta City Detention Center sale proposal, DeKalb County boundary annexations, data center tax compliance
- Fulton County Board of Commissioners — Board of Commissioners | Sep-30, 6:00 PM | key topics: FY 2026 General Fund millage rate public hearing, 2027 employee healthcare contracts

CONSTRUCTION | Presented by

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Permits
- 80 Jesse Hill Jr Dr SE — Plumbing permit issued for Grady Hospital's East Wing renovation, covering the 5th and 6th floor phase 2 work. Expect ongoing construction activity around the hospital as this multi-floor project continues.
- 210 Peachtree St NW — Five separate alteration permits filed for a hotel overhaul. Guestrooms get new flooring, finishes, and furniture, bathrooms get updated finishes and tub-to-shower conversions, and corridors are getting refreshed too. This is a full property update, not a quick touch-up.
- 192 Peachtree Center Ave NE — Parking garage maintenance permit awaiting additional materials, covering concrete repairs, sealant replacement, and traffic deck coating. Standard upkeep, but it could mean lane closures in the garage.
- 161 Peachtree Center Ave NE — Similar deck maintenance work planned here too, with partial depth concrete repairs, sealant install, and traffic deck coatings.
- 227 Courtland St NE — Another round of structural upkeep, with barrier cable installation, concrete repairs, sealant work, and deck coating for a parking structure. Between this, Peachtree Center Ave, and the Peachtree Center Ave garage, downtown's aging parking infrastructure is getting a coordinated refresh.
- 131 Walker St SW — Permit filed to repair an exterior wall damaged in a car collision. Nothing systemic here, just cleanup from an accident.

Road Work

Under Construction
- I-75/i-85 from Csx #050315P to Brookwood Interchange — This project, selected by the District Maintenance Office, is the resurfacing of SR 401 to improve the roadways current low OCI score. GDOT lists Fulton as affected county.
- I-75 @ Ralph Mcgill Blvd & @ Baker Street - Tunnel Lighting — The purpose of this project is to upgrade the existing tunnel lighting from HPS to energy-efficient LED fixtures. GDOT lists Fulton as affected county.
- I-75 @ SR 154 - Tunnel Lighting — The purpose of this project is to upgrade the existing tunnel lighting from HPS to energy-efficient LED fixtures. GDOT lists Fulton as affected county.
- I-75 from I-85 to Memorial Drive — The purpose of this project is to upgrade the existing lighting systems, along this corridor, from HPS to energy-efficient LED fixtures. GDOT lists Fulton as affected county.

Service Requests
- Traffic Signal Repairs — 9 non-emergency reports came in on N Ave & Peachtree St, Forsyth St & Martin L King Jr Dr, Andrew Young International Blvd & Ted Turner Dr, Piedmont Ave & Ellis St, Ted Turner Dr & Baker St, and several other intersections downtown. Crews closed out four and have five more in progress.
- Emergency Traffic Signal Repairs — 6 Level 1 emergency reports hit Piedmont Ave & Ellis St, Williams St & Simpson St, Gilmer St & Peachtree St, Marietta St & Peachtree St, Decatur St & Peachtree St, and one other spot. Two got fixed, two turned out to be duplicates, and one's marked solved.
- Overgrowth Blocking Visibility — Walker St SW and Williams St & W Peachtree Pl both have overgrowth reports affecting sightlines. One's already resolved, the other's still being worked.

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Until next week,
Downtown Busybody

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