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Hey, Downtown! This week: vertical construction has officially begun on Trinity Central Flats, the 200+-unit affordable housing project rising at Trinity and Shirley Franklin, while Hotel Phoenix just launched a poolside Tailgate Club at Centennial Yards worth checking out. Add in a jam-packed events calendar — Falcons football, Chayanne at State Farm Arena, and a Cash Money & No Limit reunion tour — and there's a lot to catch up on this week.
- News — A Philly firm just bought a Marietta Street parking lot with redevelopment in mind, and a deep dive asks whether Downtown's diversion center is actually keeping people out of jail.
- Business — Hotel Phoenix's new poolside Tailgate Club is turning Centennial Yards into the place for elevated game-day gatherings.
- Events — From Béla Fleck at the Rialto to Falcons vs. Panthers and a Shaky Knees takeover at the Masquerade, Downtown's calendar is stacked all week.
- Government — Council rezoned nearly 37 acres near Chattahoochee Avenue, killed the Peachtree Circle historic district in a close vote, and formally introduced the jail sale to Fulton County.
- Construction — Piedmont Avenue duplexes and a Marietta Street office-to-residential conversion are inching forward, while I-75 tunnels get LED lighting upgrades.
Let's dive in.
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NEWS
Trinity Central Flats rises downtown, a Philly firm eyes a Marietta St lot, and diversion center results are mixed
Images: Downtown affordable housing development begins climb
Vertical construction is now underway at the intersection of Trinity Avenue and Shirley C. Franklin Boulevard on Trinity Central Flats. The development is slated to deliver more than 200 units of attainable housing alongside ground-floor retail to Downtown Atlanta.
Philly company buys Atlanta parking lot, dangles development potential
Philadelphia-based Parkway Corporation has purchased a 113-space surface parking lot at 289 Marietta Street in Downtown Atlanta. While continuing parking operations in the near term, the firm is exploring future redevelopment possibilities for the site near Centennial Olympic Park.
The Center for Diversion and Services tries to help struggling Atlantans stay out of jail. Is it working?
A deep dive looks into the effectiveness of Downtown's Center for Diversion and Services, which provides care and resources to individuals detained for nonviolent misdemeanors instead of jail time. While the facility has processed over 2,000 diversions to date, overall utilization and service scaling have advanced at a slower pace than originally projected.
ATL e-bike rebates are back; Midtown lease; South Downtown; more!
The City of Atlanta has reopened its popular e-bike rebate portal following City Council approval of $1 million in fresh funding. Atlanta residents looking to offset the cost of an electric bike for local commuting have until September 22 to submit an application.
City of Atlanta accepts Fulton County's offer to purchase Atlanta City Detention Center
Mayor Andre Dickens has formally informed the Fulton County Board of Commissioners that the City of Atlanta will accept the county's offer to purchase the Atlanta City Detention Center for $68 million. The Mayor states the agreement is expected to deliver over $600 million in net present value to Fulton County taxpayers by leveraging existing detention capacity and avoiding substantially greater future capital costs.
BUSINESS
Hotel Phoenix launches a poolside Tailgate Club at Centennial Yards
Hotel Phoenix debuts poolside Tailgate Club at Downtown's Centennial Yards — Hotel Phoenix, the first 19-story hotel to open at Downtown's Centennial Yards development, has launched its new “Phoenix Tailgate Club,” offering elevated poolside food-and-beverage events.
EVENTS | Presented by
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Masquerade stacks the week with tobi lou, Militarie Gun, and Hail the Sun, plus Fences opens
Monday, September 14
- Mari Froes | The Masquerade – Purgatory
- FORAGER | The Masquerade
- Moxy Atlanta Downtown's Back-to-School Refill | Moxy Atlanta Downtown
- EVENINGS WITH FORTUNA | Tabernacle
- Stephen Dawes Presents The Skin to Skin Tour | The Masquerade - Purgatory
Tuesday, September 15
- tobi lou – Same Old Jeans Tour | The Masquerade – Purgatory
- Max Fry | The Masquerade
- Scene Queen: METALICIOUS | The Masquerade - Heaven
Wednesday, September 16
- August Wilson's FENCES | Theatrical Outfit
- Militarie Gun – 20 Songs for 20 Dollars | The Masquerade – Purgatory
- Wind Walkers: The “I Don't Belong Here” Tour | The Masquerade – Purgatory
- Hail The Sun | The Masquerade
Thursday, September 17
- Béla Fleck: My Bluegrass Heart at Rialto Center | Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University
- Vader | The Masquerade – Purgatory
- Aging Well in Metro ATL: The Power of Data in Action - a Data in the ATL Speaker Series Event | Downtown Atlanta Campus - Library North - Classroom 1
Friday, September 18
- Cash Money & No Limit Tour | State Farm Arena
- Wines that Made America Dinner | Omni Atlanta Hotel at Centennial Olympic Park
- Shaky Knees Presents: The Rapture | 18+ | The Masquerade – Purgatory
- Shaky Knees Presents: Cartel | 18+ | The Masquerade – Purgatory
- Bèl Rèv: Atlanta's Dreamy Circus Dinner Theatre | LOOP
- Atlanta Shakespeare Company presents Measure for Measure | Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse
- Dining in the Dark: A Unique Blindfolded Dining Experience at Commerce Club Atlanta | The Commerce Club
Saturday, September 19
- Atlanta Dream v Chicago Sky (HBCU + D9 Night) | State Farm Arena
- Shaky Knees Presents: Hot Mulligan W/ Kerosene Heights | 18+ | The Masquerade – Purgatory
- R&B ONLY LIVE – Atlanta, GA | Hop ON – Hop OFF Tours
- Shaky Knees Presents: The Two Lips | 18+ | The Masquerade – Purgatory
- String Day | Florence Kopleff Recital Hall
- Big Screen on the Green: Summer of '96 Edition Presented by American Express | The Home Depot Backyard
Sunday, September 20
- Atlanta Falcons v Carolina Panthers | Atlanta's Stadium
- Chayanne – Bailemos Otra Vez | State Farm Arena
- Double Reed Day | Florence Kopleff Recital Hall
GOVERNMENT | Presented by
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Council rezones 37 acres near Chattahoochee Ave, kills Peachtree Circle historic district, and eyes jail sale to Fulton
Note: our information comes from posted meetings documents (agendas and minutes when available) — latest source document hyperlinked to each meeting.
Past Week Roundup
The council approved a major rezoning of nearly 37 acres along Logan Circle and Chattahoochee Avenue, clearing former industrial land for new apartments and ground-floor retail. Members also passed new consumer protection rules for private “park-for-hire” parking lots, cracking down on surprise fees and aggressive booting and ticketing practices. In a split 11-4 vote, the council killed a proposal to create the Peachtree Circle Historic District, denying the added protections four members had pushed for. Council also approved $17.8 million in financing to buy new police vehicles and put $4.5 million toward Buckhead road resurfacing. Separately, the council introduced legislation authorizing the sale of the Atlanta City Detention Center to Fulton County for up to $68 million, a deal covered in today's news section. At the Committee on Council, members advanced a new “Civility Pledge” requiring councilmembers to commit to respectful, ethical conduct, along with appointments to the Civil Service Board and the Downtown Atlanta CID, while holding off on reforms to public comment procedures and requests for an independent investigation into city contracts tied to a former council staffer.
Meetings This Week
- Atlanta City Council — Zoning Committee | Sep-14, 11:00 AM | key topics: proposed citywide zoning code rewrite, District 8 subdivision moratorium, Ellsworth Industrial mixed-use rezoning
- Atlanta City Council — Public Safety & Legal Administration Committee | Sep-14, 1:00 PM | key topics: proposed city detention center sale, police camera expansion, abandoned-property cleanup contract
- Atlanta City Council — City Utilities Committee | Sep-15, 10:00 AM | key topics: proposed restrictions on data center drinking-water use, data center task force, street resurfacing funding
- Atlanta City Council — Community Development/Human Services Committee | Sep-15, 1:30 PM | key topics: BeltLine light rail transit support, tree recompense fee waivers for affordable housing, short-term rental rules
- Atlanta City Council — Transportation Committee | Sep-16, 10:00 AM | key topics: BeltLine Southside Trail funding, full-loop BeltLine light rail support, airport Plane Train expansion
- Fulton County Board of Commissioners — Board of Commissioners | Sep-16, 10:00 AM | key topics: proposed property tax millage rates, English Avenue affordable housing funding, public comment rules
- Atlanta City Council — Finance/Executive Committee | Sep-16, 1:30 PM | key topics: proposed detention center sale and leaseback, property tax millage rates, BeltLine refinancing bonds
CONSTRUCTION
Piedmont Ave duplexes advance, an office tower goes residential, and I-75 tunnel lighting gets an LED upgrade
Permits
- 1314, 1318, and 1322 Piedmont Ave NE — Three separate permits for new 3-bed/3.5-bath duplexes, each around 4,500 square feet. All three are stuck awaiting additional materials, but once they clear, expect construction noise on this stretch for a while.
- 41 Marietta St NW — A big one. This permit converts floors of an existing office building into multifamily residential units, covering the 10th floor and up. It's another sign of downtown's office-to-residential shift, and it's still waiting on additional materials before it can move forward.
- 131 Walker St SW — Repair work on an exterior wall damaged by a car collision. Not flashy, but it'll mean some scaffolding and street-level work in the area.
- 210 Peachtree St NW — This hotel property has multiple permits filed for guestroom and corridor renovations, including new flooring, finishes, furniture, and bathroom tub-to-shower conversions. One version is marked “Ready to Issue” and several duplicates are “Accepted,” so work here looks imminent. If you're near this block, expect some interior renovation activity soon, though it shouldn't spill much noise onto the street.
Road Work
Under Construction
- I-75/I-85 from CSX #050315P to Brookwood Interchange — GDOT is resurfacing SR 401 to fix a low OCI score on a stretch that hasn't been repaved since 2016.
- I-75 @ Ralph McGill Blvd & @ Baker Street Tunnel Lighting — Crews are swapping out the old HPS tunnel lighting for energy-efficient LED fixtures, with possible conduit and wiring replacement along the way.
- I-75 @ SR 154 Tunnel Lighting — This project brings the same HPS-to-LED lighting upgrade to the SR 154 tunnel, with conduit and wiring work included in the scope.
- I-75 from I-85 to Memorial Drive — GDOT is upgrading corridor lighting from HPS to LED along this stretch, and the work may include new poles and conduit too.
Service Requests
- Traffic Signal Repairs — 13 reports citywide, including non-emergency and emergency-level fixes at Marietta St & Forsyth St, Andrew Young International Blvd & Williams St, Linden Ave & Peachtree St, Decatur St & Jesse Hill Jr Dr, Capitol Ave & Memorial Dr, Auburn Ave & Bell St, Ivan Allen Jr Blvd & W Peachtree St, and Piedmont Ave & John Wesley Dobbs Ave. Most are in progress, with a handful already closed or resolved.
- Litter Removal — Crews are working through reports on Spring St, Marietta St, Whitehall St, and Edgewood Ave.
- Overgrowth/Visibility Issue — Reported at Williams St & W Peachtree Pl, where growth is blocking sightlines.
- Downed Tree — A tree came down at Ted Turner Dr & W Peachtree Pl. Crews already cleared it.
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Until next week,
Downtown Busybody
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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.
