Presented By Green Box Homes

Hey, Druid Hills / North Decatur! This week: the One Northlake survey has officially closed with more than 1,000 responses in hand, and planners will share what they heard at an Oct. 1 meeting at Tucker City Hall. Meanwhile, DeKalb's school board made a big — and divided — move on its next superintendent, and the neighborhood's got a packed weekend ahead with the Druid Hills Community Yard Sale and Jazz on the Lawn at Callanwolde.

- News — A divided DeKalb school board names its lone superintendent finalist, new redistricting maps are out, and the One Northlake survey wraps with results due Oct. 1.
- Events — From a union-organizing book launch at Eagle Eye to Fernbank's dino talks and the Druid Hills Community Yard Sale, this week's calendar has something for every night.
- Government — Commissioners are weighing a $15.85M paving contract, a Michelle Obama Trail extension, and a required health study before lifting the data center moratorium.
- Construction — Clifton Rd is prepping for demolition, an $800K rebuild is underway on Crestline, and LaVista Rd is getting two traffic upgrades near Clairmont.

Let's dive in.

NEWS

One Northlake survey closed Sept. 15, results to be shared Oct. 1
More than 1,000 community members submitted feedback for the One Northlake comprehensive planning initiative before the survey closed. Planners will present the findings and outline next steps for the corridor at a community meeting on October 1 at Tucker City Hall.

Emory, Duke, Georgia Tech, UCB leaders address AI's promise and limitations in healthcare
Academic and medical leaders from Emory joined counterparts from Duke, Georgia Tech and UC Berkeley to discuss integrating artificial intelligence into patient care. Panelists noted AI's potential to speed diagnostic workflows alongside ongoing data-quality and regulatory challenges facing healthcare systems.

DeKalb County Schools releases new redistricting maps
The DeKalb County School District released updated draft redistricting maps as part of its comprehensive planning process. The proposed boundary changes are intended to balance facility capacity and enrollment across central and northern DeKalb County attendance zones.

A divided DeKalb school board votes interim superintendent as the sole finalist
The DeKalb County Board of Education voted 4-3 to name interim superintendent Dr. Norman C. Sauce III as the sole finalist for the permanent superintendent position. The vote triggers a state-mandated 14-day public comment period before the board can formally vote on his hiring.

DeKalb Schools pitches list of possible ESPLOST VII projects
DeKalb County School District officials presented a potential list of capital improvement projects that could be funded through the upcoming ESPLOST VII penny sales tax referendum. The list covers facility and infrastructure upgrades across the district's schools.

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.

Monday, September 21
- StoryWalk® at Mason Mill Park | Avis Williams Library - DeKalb County
- JWJI Colloquium featuring Atinuke Adediran (Fordham University) | Emory Bookstore
- Toddler Storytime | Avis Williams Library - DeKalb County
- Marshall J. Moore The Henchperson's Guide to Unionizing Book Launch | Eagle Eye Book Shop

Tuesday, September 22
- The Collaboration Lab: Build the Team Behind the Breakthrough | The Hatchery

Wednesday, September 23
- Fiddlin' Dan - Kids Sing Along, Play Along, and Laugh Along | Avis Williams Library - DeKalb County

Thursday, September 24
- Resistance Bands Exercise Class | Avis Williams Library - DeKalb County
- Dino Talk | Fernbank Museum of Natural History

Friday, September 25
- Dave Deckebach | Wild Heaven Toco Hills
- Greek Feast to Go | Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation
- Friday Movies | Avis Williams Library - DeKalb County
- Live Animal Encounter | Fernbank Museum of Natural History
- Experiments with Ethnography: Performing the Creative Humanities | Emory Performing Art Studio
- September Front Yard Friday: New Neighbor Night - Christina & Victor | Sagamore Hills Civic Association
- Gabrielle Cavassa: 2026 Jazz on the Lawn | Callanwolde Fine Arts Center

Saturday, September 26
- Fisheye | Wild Heaven Toco Hills
- Inner Healer Summit 2026: Health, Healing, Music & Wellness | UUCA / Spiritual Living Center of Atlanta
- Druid Hills Community Yard Sale | Druid Hills Civic Association Events
- The Stage Play: Why Am I Still Single? | Londzell Performing Arts Theatre
- Dino Talk | Fernbank Museum of Natural History
- FLAT ROCK SWING | Napoleon's Grill

Sunday, September 27
- Acoustic Honey | Wild Heaven Toco Hills
- Meet a Ranger | Fernbank Museum of Natural History
- Emory Chamber Music Society of Atlanta Lawless Family Concert | Fernbank Museum of Natural History

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

The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners' meeting didn't have minutes published yet, so here's what was on the agenda. Commissioners took up a $15.85 million countywide road paving contract to fix damaged streets, along with a $3.21 million contract to design new sidewalks along Flat Shoals Parkway and a $4.1 million contract to extend the Michelle Obama Trail toward Flakes Mill Road. The board also considered a $951,000 design contract for an aging bridge replacement and a nearly $17.9 million state loan to fund sewer improvements along Shoal Creek. On the environmental side, commissioners weighed a resolution requiring an independent health study on data centers before the county's existing moratorium can be lifted, plus a new ordinance to regulate commercial blasting near homes. The agenda also included a long-pending countywide noise ordinance update, new restrictions on retail pet sales, a resolution to rename the police East Precinct for the late Chief Eddie Moody, and close to $2.9 million in mobile healthcare contracts aimed at expanding primary care, dental, and maternal services for underserved residents.

DeKalb County Board of Education: As covered in today's news section, the board voted to name Dr. Norman C. Sauce III as sole finalist for superintendent. Beyond that headline decision, the board approved a wave of big-ticket contracts, including a $15 million renewal for portable air conditioning units across district schools and more than $4 million in furniture and gas-line work tied to the Cross Keys High School modernization project. It also signed off on a $1.36 million parking lot project at Dresden Elementary and a budget increase for building system replacements at Champion Theme Middle School. On the policy side, the board adopted new rules governing law enforcement interrogations in schools and updated student assignment guidelines, while AI use and internet policy came up for a second reading. At a separate called meeting two days later, the board revisited updated plans for E-SPLOST VII, the sales tax that funds school construction and technology upgrades, before heading into executive session.

Atlanta Board of Education: The board's Budget Commission got an early look at the district's finances, reviewing revenue projections and fund balances for fiscal year 2027 alongside first-look funding priorities for fiscal year 2028, though it took no binding action. The Policy Review Committee spent its session discussing draft rules for classroom use of artificial intelligence, a policy still in the discussion phase with no vote taken yet. Separately, the full nine-member board held a special called meeting to enter executive session, a closed-door setting typically reserved for personnel or legal matters, and took no public votes. Together, the week's meetings show the district still shaping its AI classroom guidance and long-term budget picture rather than finalizing either.

Meetings This Week
- DeKalb County Board of Commissioners — Board of Commissioners | Sep-22, 9:00 AM | key topics: road repaving contracts, data center study requirements, North Druid Hills Road bridge replacement, and Briarcliff Road rezoning
- DeKalb County Board of Commissioners — Zoning Meeting | Sep-24, 5:30 PM | key topics: townhome rezonings on Old Briarcliff Road and Chamblee-Tucker Road, Champions Run subdivision expansion, and daycare permits

CONSTRUCTION

Permits
- 1405 Clifton Rd NE — Sewer plug permit issued ahead of a building demolition. Expect some noise and crew activity on this stretch of Clifton soon.
- 1784 N Decatur Rd NE — Commercial plumbing renovation pending approval for Level 3, including work on domestic water and sanitary lines. This is inside the Emory medical corridor, so watch for contractor traffic once it's approved.
- 1402 Markan Dr NE — Roof replacement permit filed for a multi-family building. Additional materials are required before it moves forward.
- Crestline Dr — New construction permitted at $800,000. This is a full rebuild, so expect heavy equipment and an extended timeline on the street.
- Briardale Ln — $365,000 addition underway, adding a master bedroom, bathroom, and basement space to an existing home.
- Single family home — $180,000 second-story addition permitted, adding 992 square feet and three bedrooms to an existing house.
- Parkdale Dr — $86,675 permit filed to restore a home damaged by a fallen tree.
- Clifton Rd — Two separate $50,000 permits filed on the same street: one for alarm and data wiring, another for new construction electrical work. Together they point to active renovation work in that pocket of Clifton.

Road Work

Under Construction
- SR 236 / LaVista Rd & Shepherds Ln Signal Upgrade — This project is upgrading traffic signals at SR 236 / LaVista Rd and Shepherds Ln. DeKalb County.

Want to sponsor us? Submit here

Want to alter your neighborhood selections? Submit here

Want to promote an event? Submit here

Until next week,
Druid Hills / North Decatur Busybody

Be the smartest person in the room. 1440 navigates 100+ sources to deliver a comprehensive, unbiased news roundup — politics, business, culture, and more — in a quick, 5-minute read. Completely free, completely factual.

Sign up now!

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.