Presented By Neil Hediger Real Estate

Hey, Downtown! This week: Georgia-Pacific pulled the plug on its big residential overhaul of 133 Peachtree, ending one of downtown's most-watched conversion projects, while Dragon Con quietly turned 40 and packed the streets over Labor Day weekend. Also on our radar: a $3.5 billion Beltline rail proposal, a possible Parking Bill of Rights for drivers tired of surprise fines, and a stretch of Peachtree Street that's suddenly buzzing with interior buildouts.

- News — Georgia-Pacific abandons its downtown HQ conversion, SoDo developers make their pitch to Rotary, and Beltline officials unveil a $3.5 billion light-rail vision.
- Events — Atlanta United hosts Orlando City, the Food & Wine Festival lands at the Home Depot Backyard, and Tabernacle welcomes Fortuna's summer tour.
- Government — Fulton commissioners fund 55 affordable homes and jail elevator upgrades, and Council takes up parking protections and Upper Westside rezonings this week.
- Construction — Live Nation pulls an electrical permit near Centennial Olympic Park, 600 Peachtree gets a major interior refresh, and 17 traffic signal repair requests hit downtown intersections.

Let's dive in.

NEWS

Georgia-Pacific ditches plan for apartments, mixed-use overhaul of downtown HQ
Georgia-Pacific has abandoned its plan to convert its 51-story tower at 133 Peachtree St. into a mixed-use residential building with apartments and retail, citing market headwinds and high construction costs. The reversal ends what would have been one of the largest office-to-residential conversions in the central business district.

Dragon Con celebrates 40 years in downtown Atlanta
Dragon Con marked its 40th anniversary over Labor Day weekend, drawing tens of thousands of attendees to the annual multiday pop culture convention in Downtown Atlanta.

SoDo leaders ask Atlanta Rotary to help 'restore order' downtown
South Downtown developers David Cummings and Jon Birdsong spoke to the Atlanta Rotary Club, urging civic and corporate leaders to back downtown revitalization efforts. They pointed to business community involvement and coordinated service partnerships as key to addressing public realm challenges and supporting long-term neighborhood growth.

Beltline officials propose $3.5 billion light-rail system for Atlanta
Atlanta Beltline officials released final recommendations from the Beltline Transit Study, proposing a $3.5 billion light-rail system with preferred route alignments across the city. The plan aims to improve travel times, access to major medical centers, and integration with the wider regional transit network.

Atlanta officials considering Parking Bill of Rights to increase transparency for drivers
The Atlanta City Council is reviewing legislation sponsored by Councilmember James Dozier that would create a Parking Bill of Rights for motorists using private lots citywide. The ordinance targets surprise fines, confusing signage, and aggressive vehicle booting practices in high-traffic commercial districts.

Atlanta Public Schools moves into next phase of redistricting plan
Atlanta Public Schools is advancing to the next phase of its district-wide redistricting initiative, aimed at balancing facility capacity and enrollment numbers. The process could result in boundary changes affecting families across the city.

EVENTS | Presented by

Peace of Mind Recycling is your one stop shop for a convenient and affordable way to make sure your recyclables actually get… recycled! With Atlanta's city recycling services your guess is as good as ours in regards to what actually gets recycled. We document where we take your glass, metal, electronics & everything else so you can rest assured it's going to the good place 100% of the time.

Tuesday, September 8
- Field Trip: Downtown Springs & Trees with Ranger | Walter's Clothing
- Schur | The Masquerade

Wednesday, September 9
- Atlanta United FC vs. Orlando City SC | Atlanta's Stadium
- Rialto Feed Your Senses with Nathanael Smith Trio | Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University
- Bermuda Search Party – Atlantic Adieu Tour | The Masquerade – Purgatory
- Connect Expo Series 2026 | Georgia World Congress Center
- Forever Fly Entertainment presents Midweek Melodies | Apache XLR
- Uncle Acid and the deadbeats | The Masquerade

Thursday, September 10
- Atlanta Food & Wine Festival 2026 | Home Depot Backyard at Mercedes-Benz Stadium
- Bridging the Arts to Civil Rights History with Karyn Parsons and Dr. David Childs | National Center for Civil and Human Rights
- FORTUNA: TOXIC AND SWEET SUMMER TOUR | Tabernacle
- Brent Cobb | Mercedes-Benz Stadium - Home Depot Backyard

Friday, September 11
- Linea Personal: TODO O NADA | Hop ON – Hop OFF Tours
- SUCKAPUNCH! Drag Wrestling | 18+ | The Masquerade – Purgatory
- Elder | The Masquerade
- BLÜ EYES: Two People At Once Tour | The Masquerade – Purgatory

Saturday, September 12
- RPM 911 Victory Run 5K | Atlanta, GA
- Arrows In Action | The Masquerade
- Saturday Adventures at the Center: Storytime with J.P. Miller | National Center for Civil and Human Rights
- Jay Tripwire | Alley Cat Music
- Atlanta Shakespeare Company presents Measure for Measure | Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse

Sunday, September 13
- Ken Carson – xperimenting tour | State Farm Arena
- Archers | The Masquerade – Purgatory
- Members and Friends Day at Children's Museum of Atlanta | Children's Museum of Atlanta
- Ensemble ATL presents "Ten of a Kind" with the Sonaré Chamber Winds | Florence Kopleff Recital Hall
- Inaugural HBCU Micro-Scholarship Unity Gathering | The Gathering Spot ATL

GOVERNMENT | Presented by

Want to spruce up your home or get a unique gift for a loved one? Check out Hightower Photo + Art, a local Atlanta artist that makes these extremely cool Atlanta neighborhood prints (and much more).

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

Past Week Roundup

Fulton County Board of Commissioners

Commissioners moved to expand affordable housing this week, approving funding for 55 new units, a mix of single-family homes and apartments, in communities on the west side. The board also signed off on a $4.42 million contract to modernize nine elevators at the Fulton County Jail, a project that will take about a year and a half to complete. Elsewhere, commissioners approved more than $1.7 million in water main relocation agreements with Roswell and Milton to support road work and a new multiuse trail connection. The board also approved the 2026 Budget Soundings, a key step in shaping next year's county budget, and authorized a $1.2 million grant-funded rental assistance agreement with the Urban League of Greater Atlanta to help local tenants stay housed. Together, these moves show the county leaning into housing affordability and infrastructure upkeep at the same time.

Meetings This Week
- Atlanta City Council — Committee on Council | Sep-08, 11:30 AM | key topics: public comment sign-up order reforms, police presence at recreation center polling places, civility pledge, and civic board appointments
- Atlanta City Council | Sep-08, 1:00 PM | key topics: private parking lot consumer protections, police fleet lease financing, major Upper Westside mixed-use rezonings, and pedestrian safety improvements

CONSTRUCTION

Permits

- 338 W Peachtree St NW — A commercial buildout for event space just got routed for review. Downtown's events scene keeps expanding.
- 85 Centennial Olympic Park Dr NW — Live Nation pulled an electrical permit, now issued. Expect ongoing buildout tied to their presence near the park.
- 249 Ivan Allen Jr Blvd NW — Cosmetic-only interior upgrades filed, no mechanical or electrical work involved. Still needs more paperwork before it moves forward.
- 328 Marietta St NW — Crack and seam repairs on a TPO roof are under review. Roof work like this usually means visible crews and equipment on site, but no major disruption expected.
- 103 Peachtree St SW — A small riser room alteration got accepted, routine infrastructure work.
- 600 Peachtree St NE — This building's had a busy month. Fire sprinkler modifications tied to an interior remodel were issued three times over, plus an electrical permit for 11 light fixtures, 11 lighting controls, and dozens of outlets. Someone's doing a serious interior refresh here.
- 580 Peachtree St NE — HVAC work to rework two supply air grilles was issued. Minor, but part of the same wave of interior updates hitting this stretch of Peachtree.

Road Work

Under Construction
- I-75/I-85 from CSX #050315P to Brookwood Interchange — Crews are resurfacing SR 401 to fix its low OCI score. The roadway hasn't been resurfaced since 2016.
- I-75 @ Ralph McGill Blvd & @ Baker Street, Tunnel Lighting — GDOT is swapping out the old HPS tunnel lighting for energy-efficient LED fixtures at both tunnels. The work may also involve replacing conduit and wiring.
- I-75 @ SR 154, Tunnel Lighting — This project brings the same HPS-to-LED lighting upgrade to the SR 154 tunnel, with possible conduit and wiring replacement.
- I-75 from I-85 to Memorial Drive — Crews are upgrading corridor lighting from HPS to LED along this stretch. Expect pole, conduit, and wiring replacement as part of the scope.

Service Requests
- Traffic Signal Repairs — 17 reports flood in this week, hitting Centennial Olympic Park Dr & Walton St (twice), Capitol Ave & Memorial Dr, Peachtree Center Ave & Edgewood Ave, Andrew Young International Blvd & Piedmont Ave, John Portman Blvd, and a dozen other intersections downtown. Two emergency-level signal issues also popped up at Pryor St & Martin Luther King Jr Dr and Memorial Dr & Washington St. Most are already in progress.
- Litter Removal in the Right of Way — Crews have requests waiting on Pryor St & I-20, Whitehall St SW, Marietta St NW, and Techwood Dr NW.
- Sign Repair or Replacement — You'll find open requests on Edgewood Ave NE and at Auburn Ave & Courtland St.
- Graffiti Removal — A report's in progress at N Ave & State St.
- Potholes — A complaint on Peachtree St SW came back with no problem found.
- Overgrowth in the Right of Way — An issue at Ted Turner Dr NW & W Peachtree Pl NW is already resolved.

Want to sponsor us? Submit here

Want to alter your neighborhood selections? Submit here

Want to promote an event? Submit here

Until next week,
Downtown Busybody

Every day, 4.5 million readers turn to 1440 for their factual news fix. We sift through 100+ sources to bring you a complete summary of politics, global events, business, and culture — all in a brief 5-minute email. No spin. No slant. Just clarity.

Join for free today!

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.