Emory / Druid Hills: New B-School Dean Plus Data Centers and Sewers

Hey, Emory and Druid Hills neighbors! Emory just named a new dean for Goizueta Business School, DeKalb County is pressing pause again on data centers, and a decades-old federal sewer agreement is getting a significant rewrite — all stories with real implications for this neighborhood. There's plenty more inside, including a packed week of local events and a construction update that shows Clifton Road is deep in renovation mode.

- News — Emory taps a new Goizueta dean, DeKalb extends its data center moratorium through September, and the county moves to renegotiate a long-running federal consent decree over its aging sewer system.
- Events — Full slate of weekday events in the neighborhood, but venture outside the neighborhood for Juneteenth celebrations at Piedmont Park and Spring Arts Festival at Old Fourth Ward Park.
- Government — The school board is set to vote Monday on the FY27 budget, a $15 million science curriculum, and school tax rates, and Thursday's county committee meeting brings a $325 million water and sewer contract and roundabout plans for Ponce de Leon.
- Construction — Emory's Clifton Road corridor is in the middle of a major renovation wave — medical clinic space, structural demolition, and lab upgrades — plus pedestrian improvements and roundabouts are in the pipeline for North Druid Hills Road and Ponce de Leon Avenue.

Let's dive in.

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NEWS

Emory names new dean for Goizueta Business School
Emory University has tapped Saby Mitra as the next dean of the Goizueta Business School, signaling a significant change for one of the Southeast's most prominent MBA programs. For a campus that anchors so much of Druid Hills' identity and economy, who leads Goizueta matters.

DeKalb County Commission extends data center moratorium
DeKalb commissioners have pushed the pause button again on new data center development, extending the moratorium through September 30 to give officials time to grapple with what these power-hungry, water-intensive facilities actually mean for local infrastructure. It's the kind of decision that sounds technical until you realize it shapes what gets built in your backyard.

DeKalb, EPA to rewrite multi-decade sewage lawsuit agreement
DeKalb County and the EPA are renegotiating a federal consent decree that has governed sewer upgrades for decades, with the goal of restructuring how the county addresses its aging, spill-prone system. Residents have lived with the consequences of those failures a long time, and what comes out of this renegotiation will determine whether real progress finally follows.

World Cup Atlanta: Additional watch parties in metro Atlanta
Metro Atlanta is fully in World Cup mode, and organizers have lined up more community watch parties across the area for fans who want to take in the action with a crowd. Whether you're a lifelong supporter or just swept up in the summer's infectious energy, there are more options than ever to find your people and your match.

EVENTS | Presented by

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Monday, June 15
- StoryWalk® at Mason Mill Park | Avis Williams Library - DeKalb County
- Story Time | Fernbank Museum of Natural History
- Teen Take & Make: Dinosaur Terrarium | Avis Williams Library - DeKalb County
- Books and Babies Storytime | Avis Williams Library - DeKalb County
- Toddler Storytime | Avis Williams Library - DeKalb County
- English as a Second Language (ESL) | Avis Williams Library - DeKalb County
- TPD 05 - Intro to Drawing | Callanwolde Fine Arts Center
- TPD 06 - Atlanta Arts Week | Callanwolde Fine Arts Center
- CCMP 03 - Creative Camp (June 15-18): Make It Mini! | Callanwolde Fine Arts Center
- Emergency Vet | Clairmont Presbyterian Church
- Little Chemist | Clairmont Presbyterian Church

Tuesday, June 16
- Founders Pitch & Networking Night Atlanta | Wild Heaven Beer & Fox Bros. Bar- Q at Toco Hills
- Friends of the Toco Hill-Avis G. Williams Library Meeting | Avis Williams Library - DeKalb County
- Live Animal Encounter | Fernbank Museum of Natural History

Wednesday, June 17
- Dino Talk | Fernbank Museum of Natural History
- Drop-In Technology Support | Avis Williams Library - DeKalb County
- Preschool Storytime | Avis Williams Library - DeKalb County

Thursday, June 18
- K.A. Linde talks The Raven at the Ash Door | Eagle Eye Book Shop
- Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Discussion | Avis Williams Library - DeKalb County
- Live Animal Encounter | Fernbank Museum of Natural History
- Mason Mill Field Trip Ages 9 & Up Fun Spot Week 2 | MASON MILL RECREATION CENTER
- Mason Mill Field Trip Ages 5-8 Spivey Splash Week 2 | MASON MILL RECREATION CENTER

Friday, June 19
- Morning Hike | Fernbank Museum of Natural History
- Dino Talk | Fernbank Museum of Natural History

- Juneteenth Atlanta Parade and Music Festival | Piedmont Park

Saturday, June 20
- Meet a Ranger | Fernbank Museum of Natural History
- Live Animal Encounter | Fernbank Museum of Natural History

- Green Market | Piedmont Park

- Old Fourth Ward Spring Arts Festival | Historic Fourth Ward Park

Sunday, June 21
- Family Nature Walk | Fernbank Museum of Natural History
- Dino Talk | Fernbank Museum of Natural History

GOVERNMENT

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 Board of Commissioners

The Board met twice this week, with the most consequential action coming at the June 9 regular session, where commissioners voted to extend DeKalb's moratorium on new data centers by 100 days through September 30, 2026, buying planning staff more time to finalize permanent zoning regulations for the land- and energy-intensive facilities. The Board also approved resolutions supporting state-designed roundabouts at key intersections on Ponce de Leon Avenue and Clairmont Road, moves that could meaningfully improve traffic flow and pedestrian safety at some of the area's busiest corridors. Commissioners greenlit a $3.7 million contract for roof repairs at several county public health facilities and passed a Fiscal Year 2026 budget amendment to reallocate capital funding across county operations. However, several high-stakes items were punted to June 23: proposed increases to stormwater utility fees and residential and commercial sanitation rates, a District 3 ordinance addressing public camping and vagrancy, and a pool renovation contract extension — while a major overhaul of the county's noise ordinance was deferred all the way to July 7. On June 10, the Board held a town hall specifically to present those proposed stormwater and sanitation fee increases to the public — no votes were taken, but residents had the chance to weigh in before commissioners take up the rates later this month.

DeKalb County School District Board of Education

The school board convened on June 11 for its second public hearing on the district's proposed property tax millage rate, which directly determines how much DeKalb homeowners pay in school taxes each year. The session was structured as a community input opportunity, giving residents a formal chance to comment on the proposed rate before the board takes any final action. No vote on the millage rate was taken at this hearing, and because no official minutes were recorded for the session, there is no public record of who spoke or what concerns were raised. A final decision on adopting the millage rate is expected at a subsequent board meeting — residents who want to influence the outcome still have time to engage before that vote occurs.

Meetings This Week
- DeKalb County School District — Board of Education — Monday, June 15, 2026
The board will hold its second presentation of the proposed FY27 school budget alongside a third public hearing on the millage rate, giving residents another opportunity to weigh in before final votes are taken. No budget adoption or tax rate approval is expected at this session.

- DeKalb County School District — Board of Education — Monday, June 15, 2026
The board is scheduled to vote on adopting the FY27 operating budget and setting the local property tax levy — decisions that will directly affect homeowners' upcoming tax bills. Also on the agenda: approval of an E-SPLOST continuation agreement, a $15 million districtwide K-12 science curriculum purchase, $3.1 million in new school buses, renovations at Stoneview Elementary, a $1.36 million parking lot overhaul at Dresden Elementary, and a first reading of a new board policy governing the use of artificial intelligence in schools. Fernbank Science Center (156 Heaton Park Drive) and Cross Keys High School (1626 N Druid Hills Road NE) are both on the agenda — the former for up to $475,000 in campus renovations, the latter for a geotechnical and materials testing contract of up to $491,738 tied to site construction.

- DeKalb County Board of Commissioners — Committee of the Whole — Thursday, June 18, 2026 at 9:00 AM | 178 Sam's Street, Decatur (Multipurpose Room A1201)
Commissioners will take up public hearings on the 2026 county property tax millage rates, a proposed $233.8 million design-build contract to overhaul the Scott Candler Water Treatment Plant, and a $325.5 million multi-year water and sewer repair contract. Trail expansion design contracts for the South River Trail and North Fork Peachtree Creek Trail are also on the agenda, along with new zoning rules and a permit moratorium targeting data center development. Additional items include a $1.48 million ambulance services funding increase, road and signal improvements along Pleasantdale Road and Valley Brook Road, and a playground replacement at Frazier Rowe Park. A rezoning request at 2697 Kelly Lake Road — from R-75 to R-60 for 12 proposed single-family homes — and a separate rezoning at 1942 Columbia Drive from R-75 to RSM for a new residential community are both scheduled to be heard.

CONSTRUCTION

Permits

- 1405 Clifton Rd NE — Two demolition permits filed for full vertical structural demolition (no ground disturbance yet). The city of Atlanta is involved in the request, suggesting this is a coordinated institutional project. Expect noise and debris activity.
- 1525 Clifton Rd NE — Back-to-back permits for the 5th and 6th floors, both prepping for a new medical clinic. Structural infill work is the first phase — a full interior renovation follows. Two floors of healthcare space coming online is a meaningful expansion.
- 1364 Clifton Rd NE — Interior upgrades to the Rollins Pavilion, including ceiling finishes and lighting. Cosmetic, but it's Emory's public health building, so worth noting.
- 1300 Clifton Rd NE — Low-voltage cable work in the GBS Foundation Center. Routine, but signals ongoing buildout of tech infrastructure on campus.
- 1515 Dickey Dr NE — 76 CAT6 data drops permitted. Network infrastructure upgrade, likely tied to a larger renovation.
- 569 Asbury Cir NE — About 1,865 sq ft of existing tech lab space is getting new flooring, doors, and classroom surfaces. A modest refresh, but the "classroom" scope suggests a teaching or training function is moving in.
- 1365 Clifton Rd NE — Fire sprinkler additions and relocations at an existing building. Often follows interior reconfiguration — consistent with the renovation wave happening across this stretch of Clifton.
- Westminster Way — A $175K single-family permit covering demolition, foundation work, first and second floor structural work, and full exterior/interior buildout. One of the bigger residential projects in the area this week.

Beyond that, 28 additional residential permits were filed across the neighborhood — mostly single-family work — totaling roughly $310K. Nothing unusual for a busy early-summer stretch.

Road Work

Under Construction
- SR-236 Signal Upgrade at Shepherd's Lane (DeKalb County) — Signal work is underway at this Lavista Road intersection, about a mile from the neighborhood core. Expect delays and possible signal timing disruptions as you move through that corridor.
- SR-236 Eastbound Left Turn Lane Extension at SR-155 (DeKalb County) — crews are extending the left turn lane where Lavista Road meets Chamblee Tucker Road. The fix will help traffic flow long-term, but in the meantime, expect lane restrictions and slower merges heading eastbound through that intersection.

Pre-Construction
- SR-155 / North Druid Hills Rd Pedestrian Improvements (DeKalb County) — A shared-use path is coming to the south side of North Druid Hills Road, plus a 6-foot sidewalk along the north side, near the Azalea Circle intersection. Good news for walkers and cyclists in the area — though construction activity will eventually follow.
- SR-236 @ North Druid Hills Road Pedestrian Improvements (DeKalb County) — Same pedestrian infrastructure push extends to the SR-236 intersection: a shared-use path on the south side and a sidewalk on the north side of North Druid Hills Road. Part of what looks like a broader corridor upgrade along this stretch.
- SR-155 / US-23 @ SR-236 Restriping (DeKalb County) — A lane restriping project is planned at the SR-155 and SR-236 intersection. Minor in scope, but if you navigate that intersection regularly, expect some temporary disruption when crews get to work.
- Ponce de Leon Ave / SR-8 Roundabouts (DeKalb County) — Two roundabouts are planned along the Ponce de Leon corridor: one at SR-8 and Eastlake, and one at SR-8 at North Ponce, West Parkwood, and East Parkwood. This one will reshape how traffic moves on a busy connector — worth keeping on your radar.
- Ponce de Leon Ave / SR-8 Bridge Maintenance at Lullwater Creek (DeKalb County) — Structural maintenance is planned for the bridge carrying Ponce de Leon Avenue over Lullwater Creek. Routine upkeep, but bridge work typically means lane restrictions when it kicks off.
- Ponce de Leon Ave / SR-8 Drainage Improvements (DeKalb County) — A drainage upgrade is in the works along SR-8/Ponce De Leon Ave between South Ponce de Leon Ave and Ridgecrest Road. This segment is a designated urban principal arterial, so any construction will have noticeable traffic implications.
- North Druid Hills Road @ CSX Railroad Bridge (DeKalb County) — A corridor improvement project spanning roughly 2,600 feet along North Druid Hills Road between Spring Creek Drive and Willivee Drive includes bridge work at the CSX crossing. If you use this stretch regularly, this is one to watch as it moves toward construction.

Service Requests

Potholes — Three reports cluster around the Beech Valley Way / Rock Springs Road intersection, with another at Old Briarcliff Road and Old Briarcliff Way.

Traffic Signal Repairs — Two signals on Fairview Road flagged for non-emergency repairs — one at Oakdale Road, the other at Ponce de Leon Avenue.