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Happy voting day, Druid Hills / North Decatur. If you haven’t cast your ballot yet, make sure to get that done today. This week: Wagaya Groceries is planning a third location in Emory Village, with a tonkatsu cafe, slated to open by the end of the year. Meanwhile, the Manor Druid Hills housing transfer won approval despite calls for delay, and DeKalb's third school redistricting proposal is on the table. Read on for a weekend packed with festivals, too.

- News — The Manor Druid Hills housing transfer was approved after a deferral motion died for lack of a second, DeKalb's third redistricting plan weighs three elementary-to-middle-school conversions for the Cross Keys cluster, and commissioners approved a camping ordinance 5-2.
- Business — Wagaya Groceries is planning an Emory Village store, two doors from its existing restaurant, with Japanese and East Asian groceries plus a sit-down tonkatsu cafe.
- Events — The Decatur Wine Festival, Beer City Cup (Nov. 7–8) and Chastain Park Fall Arts Festival (Nov. 7–8) headline a Saturday that also offers a Fernbank birding workshop and candlelit concerts.
- Government — DeKalb school committees reviewed draft AI and internet policies with no votes taken, and this week's Planning Commission agenda includes North Druid Hills Road and Memorial Drive rezonings.
- Construction — Emory-area renovation permits and Buford Highway resurfacing are on the list.

Let's dive in.

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Manor Druid Hills transfer approved despite calls for delay
At an Oct. 26 special-called meeting, the Development Authority of DeKalb County approved assigning the 381-unit housing portion of the development at 2601 Briarcliff Road to Manor Druid Hills LLC, which will be 90% owned by Northwestern Mutual and 10% by an entity controlled by Related. A motion by board member Andrew Greenberg to defer the vote died for lack of a second, and the new owner will take over the existing affordable-housing commitments and tax-incentive payments.

Emory University professor helps shape 'The Gilded Age'
Erica Dunbar, chair of Emory's African American Studies Department, has worked on the HBO series since it began and became a co-executive producer by the time Season 1 aired. This spring she will lead an Emory course titled "Lights, Camera, Action: Black Life and Culture in HBO's The Gilded Age."

DeKalb County unveils new school redistricting plan
The district's third proposal includes four options for the Cross Keys High School cluster, which has no middle school of its own. Three options would convert Woodward, Dresden or John Lewis Elementary into a middle school, and any elementary and middle school boundary changes would take effect in fall 2027.

DeKalb County approves unauthorized camping ordinance amid debate
Commissioners approved the ordinance 5-2, requiring officers to issue a warning and offer assistance services before an arrest and giving people 24 hours to move their belongings. The measure was authored by District 3 Commissioner Nicole Massiah, and Commissioner Ted Terry voted against it, citing the lack of standard operating procedures.

Emory Decatur Hospital expanding breast surgery services
The Emory Division of Breast Surgery now offers services at Emory Decatur Hospital, led by board-certified breast surgical oncologist Priscilla F. McAuliffe, MD, PhD, FACS. The hospital also recently opened a breast health center and an enhanced high-risk breast clinic, and appointments can be scheduled at 404-778-3307.

BUSINESS

Wagaya Groceries opening third location in Emory Village — Owner Takashi Otsuka says the new Emory Village store, slated to open by the end of the year two doors down from the existing Wagaya restaurant, will include a grocery with Japanese and other East Asian products plus a sit-down tonkatsu cafe, ahead of a planned 2027 Inman Quarter location.

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Thursday, November 5
- Live Animal Encounter | Fernbank Museum of Natural History
- Lakeside Theatre Company presents its Fall 2026 double bill | 3801 Briarcliff Rd NE

Friday, November 6
- Fisheye | Wild Heaven Toco Hills
- Friday Movies | Avis Williams Library - DeKalb County
- Eli Winter | Railroad Earth

Saturday, November 7
- Give Us A Minute | Wild Heaven Toco Hills
- Beer City Cup Atlanta (Nov. 7–8) | DeKalb County, GA
- Decatur Wine Festival | Decatur Square
- Chastain Park Fall Arts Festival (Nov. 7–8) | Chastain Park
- ECMSA: Masterclass with Robert McDuffie, violin | Performing Arts Studio
- Sleepover Festival 2026 | Railroad Earth
- Introduction to Birding Workshop | Fernbank Museum of Natural History
- Sensory Morning | Fernbank Museum of Natural History
- 44 Live Jazz Festival | Piedmont Park
- Candlelight: Vivaldi's Four Seasons | Performing Arts Studio
- 🎟️SWIMMING POOL Q'S | Napoleon's Grill

Sunday, November 8
- Dave Deckebach | Wild Heaven Toco Hills
- Morning Hike | Fernbank Museum of Natural History
- Dino Talk | Fernbank Museum of Natural History

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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

DeKalb County School District
The district's Audit Committee met Oct. 28 and went over the state's FY 2025 E-SPLOST compliance and performance audit, which tracks how local education sales tax dollars get spent on school construction and repairs. Members also received an update on the E-SPLOST procedures manual, which sets the accounting and purchasing rules for those projects, and on the search for a full-time internal E-SPLOST financial auditor. No votes were recorded. The Policy Committee met virtually the same day and reviewed draft policies on artificial intelligence, internet use and the disposal of surplus school property, along with purchasing, insurance and board ethics items, and it also took no formal action. If you have kids in DeKalb schools, the AI and internet policies will shape how students use technology in class. The joint work session with county commissioners on Oct. 26 covered student safety, workforce pathways and shared facility use, and no votes were taken there either. The district's minutes for all three meetings are posted, and the Policy Committee's next meeting is Nov. 11.

DeKalb County Board of Commissioners
The board met Oct. 27, and the agenda was packed. Minutes aren't published yet, so outcomes aren't confirmed for most items. As covered in today's news section, the unauthorized camping ordinance was among the items before commissioners. The board also took up a proposal to buy the former YMCA property on Snapfinger Road, five federal grants totaling more than $4.6 million for county park renovations, and a rezoning that would allow townhomes on Old Briarcliff Road near you. Other items included an ordinance on how pets are restrained and transported, a $25,000 pilot program for pet enclosures, and a resolution moving 30 vacant county-owned properties to the DeKalb Regional Land Bank Authority. Commissioners also had up to $490,797 in SPLOST funds on the table for design work on a joint fire and police training facility, plus a rebate program to help homeowners and contractors swap gas lawn equipment for electric.

Notable Neighborhood Mentions

DeKalb County Board of Commissioners
- 729 Old Briarcliff Rd — A proposal to rezone the property from office-institutional to medium-density residential to allow construction of single-family attached townhomes is on the agenda.
- Intersections of Stephenson Rd at Alford Rd & Valley Brook Rd at Hollywood Dr — A contract change order to install two new traffic signals at the intersections is on the agenda.

Meetings This Week
- DeKalb County Board of Commissioners — Committee of the Whole | Nov-05, 9:00 AM | key topics: Gresham Road and Briarcliff Road rezonings, Lithonia Park recreation center, and data center regulations
- DeKalb County Board of Commissioners — Planning Commission | Nov-05, 6:00 PM | key topics: North Druid Hills Road and Memorial Drive rezonings, daycare permits, and housing plan adoption
- DeKalb County School District — Board of Education | Nov-09 | key topics: Dunwoody High School stadium improvements, school repair contracts, and artificial intelligence policy

CONSTRUCTION

Permits
- 1784 N Decatur Rd NE: Commercial electrical permit issued for an interior renovation on level 3. Crews will demo the space and build it back, so expect some construction activity.
- 1784 N Decatur Rd NE: Three low voltage permits issued for fire alarm system modifications tied to the same renovation. The upgrades follow the interior rebuild.
- 1364 Clifton Rd NE: Commercial alteration accepted for an interior renovation of an existing lab and support area on the fourth floor of Emory University Hospital's main campus.
- 1525 Clifton Rd NE: Commercial electrical permit pending for a renovation of a vacant first-floor space in a six-story medical office building. It's slated to become a new concierge practice.
- 1365 Clifton Rd NE: Commercial electrical permit issued for installation work that reuses existing circuits in several areas.

Road Work

Under Construction
- Buford Hwy (SR 13) resurfacing — Crews are repaving Buford Highway from the Fulton County line to Chamblee Tucker Road. GDOT lists the work as about 94% complete.

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Until next week,
Druid Hills / North Decatur Busybody

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