Presented by Rally Built Homes

Hey y’all, before we get into it, two quick things: 1. Did you know if you have any questions or feedback you can just reply to this email? We read and reply to pretty much everything. 2. Next week we’ll be publishing Tuesday morning due to some staff vacation time, but then we’ll be back to our normal Monday morning routine.

Hey, Downtown! This week: the Atlanta City Council voted 8-7 to sell the city detention center to Fulton County for $68 million after a chaotic, hours-long debate, while MARTA's Five Points renovation is running late and over budget with no firm numbers yet. Then there's plenty to enjoy, from Downtown Day to Halloween weekend plans.

- News — Beyond the council's tight jail sale vote and its Dec. 2 target closing date, MARTA's Five Points rebuild is delayed and costlier, Georgia State hit a record 54,320 students, and AtlDOT wants your input on transportation priorities.
- Business — Hawks fans get Bocado Pizza and Irie Mon Caribbean Cafe on the State Farm Arena concourse, and a year-round Hawks merch store is planned for Centennial Yards in 2027.
- Events — Downtown Day on Oct. 28, Hawks home games, Screen on the Green's Ghostbusters night, and a packed Halloween weekend with GSU Opera's free Idomeneo and the Georgia-Florida Gridiron Classic.
- Government — Fulton commissioners voted to join the North Point TAD and approved a bridge deal for senior rides, APS is reviewing a draft AI policy, and this week's City Council committees take up zoning, utilities and more.
- Construction — Look for a Peachtree hotel refresh, rooftop solar on Auburn Ave, LED tunnel lighting work on I-75, and a handful of flaky traffic signals near Ted Turner Dr.

Let's dive in.

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MARTA's Five Points renovation delayed, costlier than planned, officials say
MARTA General Manager and CEO Jonathan Hunt gave Atlanta City Council members an "off the top of my head" estimate of a $100 million budget increase, but he told the MARTA Board of Directors that committing to a specific date or price would be premature. The board questioned Hunt and staff this week, after a contractor first revealed the extended timeline to an Atlanta News First reporter.

Atlanta City Council votes to sell detention center to Fulton County for $68 million
The 8-7 vote came after an hours-long debate on Oct. 19, with a target closing date of Dec. 2. If negotiations run past that date, the city will pay $150 per detainee daily, and Chief of Staff Courtney English said that without a sale Fulton County would need to build a new jail or buy the facility, at a cost of $1.4 billion.

Georgia State University Sets New Enrollment Record
Fall enrollment totals 54,320 students according to the Oct. 7 census, surpassing the previous record set in fall 2020 by roughly 600 students. Perimeter College enrolled more than 19,000 students, up 4.46 percent, and graduate degree-seeking enrollment reached 8,426.

AtlDOT: What projects should we work on?
The Comprehensive Transportation Plan will guide future transportation improvements across Atlanta. The public can take a survey or attend an open house, and more information is available at atlctp.com.

BUSINESS

Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena add Bocado Pizza and Irie Mon Caribbean Cafe to concourse — Under an extended partnership with hospitality provider Levy, State Farm Arena now has two Atlanta-based vendors on its concourse, Bocado Pizza in Section 109 and Irie Mon Caribbean Cafe in Section 219, along with nearly 30 new food and drink items.

Atlanta Hawks merch store coming to Centennial Yards — The Hawks, Fanatics and Centennial Yards Company plan to open a year-round Atlanta sports apparel store at Centennial Yards in 2027, offering mostly Hawks apparel along with merchandise from several other Atlanta teams.

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Monday, October 26
- Like Roses | The Masquerade – Purgatory
- Repertory Singers present "Abide With Me" | Florence Kopleff Recital Hall

Tuesday, October 27
- Marcus Samuelsson Celebrates Back to Green | Atlanta Fulton Library Central Library
- Mico – Running From A Feeling Tour | The Masquerade
- Friends and Family: Natalie Baszile in conversation with Tayari Jones | Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History, 101 Auburn Ave NE
- ALVARO DIAZ | Tabernacle

Wednesday, October 28
- Atlanta Hawks vs. Miami Heat (7 p.m.) | State Farm Arena
- South Downtown Bar Crawl | Brewhouse Cafe South Downtown (SODO)
- Downtown Day 2026 | Downtown Atlanta Inc. (ADID)
- Live Music on the Broad St. Boardwalk | Downtown Atlanta Inc. (ADID)
- The Turn of the Screw | The Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse
- Night of the Living Drag | Tabernacle Presented by iTHINK Financial
- GWAR | The Masquerade - Heaven

Thursday, October 29
- Atlanta Hawks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (7 p.m.) | State Farm Arena
- Cocktails & Canapés: Art of Holiday Entertaining | Signia by Hilton Atlanta
- Madds Buckley 2026/2027 North American Tour | The Masquerade – Purgatory
- Markets on the Broad Street Boardwalk | Downtown Atlanta Inc. (ADID)
- Georgia State University Volleyball vs Appalachian State - Teacher / Staff Appreciation | Ga., GSU Sports Arena

Friday, October 30
- Georgia-Florida Hall of Fame Luncheon | College Football Hall of Fame
- Acoustic & Infused: GFC Live Music Showcase (30+) | Koncept House
- Screen on The Green | Downtown Atlanta Inc. (ADID)
- half alive: Billions Tour | The Masquerade - Hell
- Georgia State University Football vs Coastal Carolina - HALLOWEEN GAME | Center Parc Credit Union Stadium

Saturday, October 31
- Invesco QQQ Atlanta Gridiron Classic: University of Georgia vs. University of Florida | Mercedes-Benz Stadium
- Young Miko – Late Checkout Tour | State Farm Arena
- Witch Cake Staged Reading | Theatrical Outfit
- Vinyl Never Dies! Halloween Weekend @ Jagger Suite | Moxy Atlanta Downtown
- Saturday Adventures at the Center: Craftivism | National Center for Civil and Human Rights
- GSU Opera presents Idomeneo | Florence Kopleff Recital Hall

Sunday, November 1
- Atlanta United FC vs. Toronto FC | Atlanta’s Stadium
- The Menzingers | The Masquerade
- Sideline Sculpt with Atlanta Falcons Cheerleaders | Signia by Hilton Atlanta
- BOOK SIGNING: THE EARTH IS FLAT?! AND OTHER THINGS MY MOTHER TAUGHT ME | Downtown Atlanta Inc. (ADID)
- Antoine Boyer & Yeore Kim - Parisian Skies, Spanish Nights | Central Presbyterian Church

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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

Fulton County Board of Commissioners
Commissioners voted 6-0 to join Alpharetta's North Point Mall tax allocation district, but only after striking language that would have let the county's tax money pay for buying real estate. Two proposals from Commissioner Dana Barrett failed, one to lift the 5% cap on department budget requests for 2027 and one urging action against corporate takeovers of medical practices. The board held a $9.59 million, 12-month senior transportation contract with Transdev at the chairman's request. In its place, commissioners approved a three-month, $1.06 million bridge deal with Common Courtesy, so Fulton residents 60 and older keep their ride-sharing service through March 31, 2027. They also approved $3 million in standby contracts for emergency water line construction, split between two companies, and a pulled-from-the-agenda AI policy from Barrett never came up for a vote.

Atlanta Public Schools
The Policy Review Committee met Oct. 21 and discussed a draft policy on how students and teachers can use artificial intelligence in classrooms. Members also reviewed the board's draft legislative priorities for the 2027 state session. Nobody took a vote, so nothing changes in your child's classroom yet. Both items have to return to the full board for formal action first. A separate Oct. 21 board meeting posted only a standard agenda outline with no recorded actions, so there's no budget or finance news to report from it.

Atlanta City Council
As covered in today's news section, the council's Oct. 19 meeting included the vote on selling the city detention center to Fulton County. Only the agenda is posted so far for that full council meeting, and minutes aren't yet published, so what follows reflects what was up for consideration. The agenda also included a $2 million federal grant, matched by $500,000 from Centennial Yards Company, to design safer streets and sidewalks downtown. Council members also took up legislation that would require data centers to switch to closed-loop cooling instead of using city drinking water, along with a proposed data center task force. Other items on the agenda included a ban on septic tanks for new commercial buildings, new protections for residents hit with sudden water bill spikes, and a plan to buy land to expand the Memorial Drive Greenway. The Committee on Council met the same day and had on its agenda a request for certified police officers at recreation centers used as polling sites, competing changes to how you sign up and speak during public comment, an outside investigation into city payments to Foris Webb, III, and a charter amendment requiring every bill to name a council sponsor.

Notable Neighborhood Mentions

Atlanta City Council
- Atlanta City Detention Center (254 Peachtree Street SW) — A proposed intergovernmental agreement to sell the city detention facility to Fulton County for up to $68 million is on the agenda.

Meetings This Week
- Atlanta City Council — Zoning Committee | Oct-26, 11:00 AM | key topics: self-storage development moratorium extension, citywide zoning code update, and BeltLine industrial rezonings
- Atlanta City Council — Public Safety & Legal Administration Committee | Oct-26, 1:00 PM | key topics: housing code complaint protections, E911 network contract with AT&T, and federal public safety grants
- Atlanta NPU — NPU-M | Oct-26, 6:15 PM | key topics: Decatur Street rezoning, Pryor Street nightclub alcohol license, and Historic Fourth Ward Park festival permits
- Atlanta City Council — City Utilities Committee | Oct-27, 10:00 AM | key topics: commercial septic tank ban, water distribution rehabilitation funding, and annual storm sewer upgrades
- Atlanta City Council — Community Development/Human Services Committee | Oct-27, 1:30 PM | key topics: BeltLine TAD reallocation to the westside corridor, federal HUD housing grants, and community benefits agreements
- Atlanta City Council — Transportation Committee | Oct-28, 10:00 AM | key topics: airport runway and facility grants, neighborhood traffic calming, and pedestrian safety improvements
- Atlanta City Council — Finance/Executive Committee | Oct-28, 1:30 PM | key topics: Glynn Drive annexation public hearing, urban forestry contract with Trees Atlanta, and youth development grants

CONSTRUCTION | Presented by

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Permits
- 231 Peachtree St NE. Cosmetic renovation permit accepted for a food court space that Checkers used to hold. Expect a new quick-service tenant soon.
- 229 Auburn Ave NE. Rooftop solar with battery backup storage, spread across two roofs on one building. The permit is waiting on additional materials, so the timeline isn't set yet.
- 210 Peachtree St NW. Ready-to-issue alteration for a hotel refresh. Guestrooms get new flooring, finishes and furniture, bathrooms get new finishes and tub-to-shower conversions, and the corridors get updates too.
- 121 Baker St NW. Fire sprinkler work is issued. The crew will add and relocate sprinklers off the existing wet system to meet NFPA 13 requirements.

Road Work

Under Construction
- I-75/i-85 from Csx #050315P to Brookwood Interchange — Crews are repaving the Downtown Connector (I-75/I-85) north to the Brookwood Interchange. It was last resurfaced in 2016.
- SR 14/Sr 154 @ Cs 3586/Ted Turner Drive — One eastbound lane on SR 154 at Ted Turner Drive is being converted into a dedicated left-turn lane for westbound traffic, with new signal timing to match.
- I-75 @ Ralph Mcgill Blvd & @ Baker Street - Tunnel Lighting — Crews are replacing the old sodium lights with LED fixtures in the I-75 tunnels at Ralph McGill Boulevard and Baker Street.
- I-75 @ SR 154 - Tunnel Lighting — The same LED lighting swap is underway in the I-75 tunnel at SR 154.
- I-75 from I-85 to Memorial Drive — LED fixtures are replacing the old sodium streetlights along I-75 from I-85 to Memorial Drive.
- Sylvan Road @ Ns #718082W in Atlanta - Scoping Only — GDOT is scoping work at the Norfolk Southern railroad crossing on Sylvan Road. Detailed plans haven't been released.

Service Requests
- Non-Emergency Traffic Signal Repair: Seven reports came in, including Decatur St at Jesse Hill Jr Dr, Pine St NW, Walton St NW at Ted Turner Dr, Baker St NW, and Mitchell St SW at Ted Turner Dr SW. Two more locations round out the list. If your commute crosses Ted Turner Dr, expect some flaky lights.
- Non-Emergency Sign Repair, Replacement, or Installation: Four reports cover Baker St NW at Centennial Olympic Park Dr NW, John Portman Blvd NW, Walker St SW, and Peachtree Center Ave at Ellis St.
- Emergency Traffic Signal Repair (Level 1): N Ave NW at Centennial Olympic Park Dr NW got an urgent report on 10/23.
- Potholes: Pryor St SW has one reported on 10/21.
- Right of Way Overgrowth: Peachtree Center Ave at Harris St had a visibility issue reported on 10/20.

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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.