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Hey, Memorial Drive Corridor! This week: Grant Park's Summer Shade Festival lineup just dropped with 140+ artists and even a wrestling match, and Rivian officially opened its East Coast HQ right off the BeltLine in Krog District. Add in a stacked government week, from airport bond refinancing to new pedestrian beacons on Glenwood Ave, and there's a lot to catch up on.

- News — Grant Park's free two-day Shade Festival is set, Rivian's new HQ lands on the BeltLine, and East Lake, East Atlanta Village, and Cabbagetown all get their own moments in the spotlight.
- Events — Shade Festival weekend headlines a packed calendar, with album releases at The Earl and 529, wrestling at Atlanta Dairies, and The Earl's 27th anniversary bash closing things out.
- Government — DeKalb debates zoning shifts and park upgrades, Atlanta Schools moves forward on a new elementary build, and City Council locks in major airport bond and stadium refinancing deals.
- Construction — Townhome permits keep stacking up along Cummings and Memorial, new pedestrian safety beacons are going in on Glenwood Ave, and a handful of traffic signal and overgrowth requests are working their way through the queue.

Let's dive in.

NEWS

Grant Park Summer Shade Festival Announces Music and Food Lineup
The free two-day festival runs August 22-23 in Atlanta's oldest park and benefits the Grant Park Conservancy, featuring over 140 artists, live music on two stages, local food vendors, and Deep South Wrestling.

Modern Infill Home in Reynoldstown Slices Asking Price Near BeltLine
The newly completed four-story home on Chester Avenue SE, located two blocks west of the Eastside BeltLine trail, has returned to the market with its asking price cut by $150,000.

East Atlanta Village Shifts Toward Daytime and Family-Friendly Businesses
Known for its nightlife and music venues, East Atlanta Village is now adding a growing number of daytime-oriented and family-friendly businesses to its commercial mix.

Historic Cabbagetown Neighborhood Featured in New Cultural Exhibit
The exhibition showcases previously unseen photos and local artifacts tracing Cabbagetown's origins as a mill town and its later artistic evolution.

East Lake’s Story Grows with Area's First Food Hall
This feature dives deeper into the Vela Park opening and what it means for the East Lake community’s continued development.

Rivian Unveils New East Coast HQ in Beltline's Krog District
Electric vehicle maker Rivian has opened its East Coast headquarters in the Krog District along the BeltLine, placing its corporate offices directly adjacent to the eastside trail.

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EVENTS | Presented by

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Monday, August 17
- Goodbye Summer | 5 Days of Summer
- Taylor Hollingsworth | Grant Central Pizza East
- Bussy Kween Power Trip | 529 Bar

Tuesday, August 18
- ONE Monthly Meeting | Our Neighborhood Edgewood

Wednesday, August 19
- Soft Palms: @ The Earl w/ Small, Baby Bites | The EARL
- Historic Preservation Land Use (HPLU) Meeting | Cabbagetown Neighborhood Improvement Association

Thursday, August 20
- Adventure Cubs | Zoo Atlanta
- Jasiah + Nascar Aloe - Capital Punishment Tour | 529 Bar
- Ritual Fire & Prayer album release | The Earl

Friday, August 21
- Deep South Wrestling at Atlanta Dairies: Summer Edition | Atlanta Dairies
- Malefic | 529 EAV
- The Well | The EARL

Saturday, August 22
- Grant Park Summer Shade Festival | Grant Park
- Run For The Park Returns to Summer Shade Festival | Grant Park
- Black Magnolias | Oakland Cemetery
- Keeper for a Day: Elephants | Zoo Atlanta
- Lyle The Therapy Gecko | The EARL
- Spiritless | 529 EAV
- Kids Night Out | Zoo Atlanta

Sunday, August 23
- Free Jazz and Gospel Concert: Joy and Jazztice | Eastside United Methodist Church
- Mornings at the Zoo | Zoo Atlanta
- Flat Tired | Grant Park
- The Women of Oakland | Oakland Cemetery
- KJ and the FunkMaysons | Grant Park
- Black Pontiac | 529 EAV
- The EARL'S 27th Anniversary Dunch! | The Earl

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 took up a packed zoning agenda on August 13, with proposals that would convert industrial land on Henrico Road into single-family lots, add new townhome communities near Chamblee-Tucker Road and Gresham Road, and allow a new liquor package store on Covington Highway. Only the agenda is posted for that meeting, so outcomes aren't confirmed yet, and the same goes for the board's separate business meeting. At that regular meeting on August 11, commissioners took up grant applications for lake and dam repairs at several county parks, an $800,000 upgrade for Sugar Creek Tennis & Golf, and a sewer funding deal tied to a large Decatur development. The agenda also included extending the county's moratorium on adult entertainment businesses and a historic preservation appeal for a Clifton Road property. Big-ticket items like a $1.24 million elevator modernization contract for county health centers and a new street light tax district near Lithonia rounded out the docket.

The Atlanta Board of Education met three times this past week, with the most substantive action coming out of the August 10 session. At the Board of Education meeting, members approved construction management services to build the new A.D. Williams Elementary School and signed off on a bundled demolition project covering the former West Atlanta, Peterson, Brewer, and Anderson Park sites plus a surplus lot on Pryor Street. The board also passed a Tax Anticipation Note to help manage the district's short-term cash flow and approved budget adjustments for both the current and upcoming fiscal years. New policies on repurposing school facilities and student technology use got a first read and will come back for a final vote later. Two additional board meetings on August 13 handled further district business, with minutes now posted for both.

The Atlanta City Council and its committees had a heavy week, tackling major financing deals, infrastructure funding, and zoning proposals across multiple sessions. At the Finance/Executive Committee, members approved refinancing Mercedes-Benz Stadium's public debt to lower annual payments, approved a land swap with Atlanta Public Schools, and cleared budget updates tied to new airport revenue bonds, which the full council then locked in by approving the final pricing terms for those Series 2026 airport bonds at a special session the same day. The Transportation Committee approved a $99 million fund for citywide road and sidewalk construction, a $4.5 million safety project for Peachtree Street in Midtown, and new parking bans on Stratford Drive and Larchmont Circle, while holding a proposal to regulate commercial parking garages. The City Utilities Committee signed off on a $57.2 million solid waste contract, a $25 million drinking water renewal project, and a new task force to study data center regulations. The Community Development/Human Services Committee approved more than $3 million in job training grants and forwarded several land-use plan changes to the full council, while the Zoning Committee took up new rules that would require special permits for self-storage facilities and medical cannabis dispensaries, alongside several mixed-use rezonings. Finally, the Public Safety & Legal Administration Committee reviewed a plan to expand community policing officers into every zone and weighed over $470,000 in lawsuit settlements against the city.

Notable Neighborhood Mentions

Atlanta City Council
- SR 42 / Moreland Avenue SE — The Atlanta City Council approved a memorandum of understanding with GDOT to adjust city water valve boxes during upcoming road work along Moreland Avenue.

Meetings This Week
- Atlanta City Council — Committee on Council | Aug-17, 11:30 AM | key topics: election polling public safety staffing, public comment rule updates, legislative sponsorship requirements
- Atlanta City Council | Aug-17, 1:00 PM | key topics: airport revenue bond proceeds, Mercedes-Benz Stadium debt refinancing, municipal solid waste contracts, Peachtree Street safety improvements
- DeKalb County Board of Commissioners — Committee of the Whole | Aug-18, 9:00 AM | key topics: Scott Candler Water Treatment Plant overhaul, road paving contracts, Flat Shoals Parkway sidewalk upgrades, data center regulations
- Fulton County Board of Commissioners | Aug-19, 10:00 AM | key topics: Behavioral Health Crisis Center bond issuance, St. Mark AME Church preservation funding, juvenile justice center elevator modernization
- Atlanta NPU — NPU-W | Aug-19, 7:00 PM | key topics: Invest Atlanta funding for Trestletree Court SE, alcohol license for Sagra on Gresham Avenue, Ormond Street setback variance

CONSTRUCTION

Permits
- 946 Cummings St SE — New plumbing permit filed for a 3.5-bath townhouse. Another sign of the ongoing townhome build-out in the area.
- 2015 Memorial Dr SE — Plumbing install approved for a new single-family townhome, with a second related filing still pending.
- 374 Martin Luther King Jr Dr SE — Rooftop solar system under review for a commercial building. No noise or traffic disruption expected, just panels going up.
- 2051 Delano Dr NE — Permit filed for a 1000W generator install at a commercial property.
- 951 Glenwood Ave SE — Tesla Wall Connector going into a commercial garage, adding an 11.5kW EV charger. Small job, but it points to more EV infrastructure creeping into commercial spaces nearby.
- 457 Flat Shoals Ave SE — An existing office space is being converted into an arts education facility for kids. Interior fit-out only, so expect contractor traffic but no major construction noise.
- 1071 Delaware Ave SE — Electrical permit for multiple gas generators (two 4000W, two 2000W) at a commercial site. Likely backup power for a business.
- 2411 Memorial Dr SE — Certificate of occupancy requested for an existing tenant space. No construction or renovation involved, just a paperwork step before a new business opens its doors.
- 152 Berean Ave SE — Fence going up around a triplex in Cabbagetown, tied to an earlier permit. Expect some short-term work at the property line but nothing major.

Road Work

Under Construction
- Glenwood Ave @ Haas Ave & @ Eastside Ave - Install RRFB — Crews are installing rectangular rapid flashing beacons for pedestrians on Glenwood Ave at Haas Ave and Eastside Ave.
- Glenwood Ave @ Brownwood Ave & @ Joseph Ave - Install RRFB — Similar pedestrian crossing upgrades are underway on Glenwood Ave at Brownwood Ave and Joseph Ave.
- SR 42/US 23 @ SR 154 & @ Arkwright Place — Crews are converting the SR 42 / Moreland Avenue intersection at Arkwright Place into a right-in/right-out setup. A new median will block all left turns at that intersection.
- I-20 from Capitol Ave to Flat Shoals Road, Lighting — This project is swapping out old high-pressure sodium lighting for energy-efficient LED fixtures along I-20. The work spans DeKalb and Fulton counties and may include new poles and conduit.
- SR 154 @ 7 Locations in DeKalb & 1 Location in Fulton, VRU — Crews are adding a mid-block pedestrian crossing along with a right-in/right-out and a restricted crossing U-turn on SR 154 / Memorial Drive between Hill Street and Pearl Street. This one spans DeKalb and Fulton counties.
- I-20 from W of Hill St/Fulton to W of Columbia Dr/DeKalb — GDOT's District Maintenance Office is resurfacing this stretch of SR 402 to fix its low pavement condition score. The project crosses both Fulton and DeKalb counties.

Service Requests
- Visibility/Overgrowth Issues — 10 reports covering Ashburton Ave & Glenwood Ave (2), Fulton Ter SE (2), Cecile Ave SE, Arkwright Pl SE, Lamon Ave SE, and three other spots. Most are marked solved or in progress, with one closed out.
- Traffic Signal Repairs — 8 reports at Brannen Rd SE & Fayetteville Rd SE, Hosea L Williams Dr & Woodbine Ave, Hosea L Williams Dr & Wyman St, Memorial Dr & Cherokee Ave, Hosea L Williams Dr & Whitefoord Ave, and three other intersections. A couple got bounced to Georgia Power, one turned up no problem found, and the rest are moving through the pipeline.
- Litter Removal — 4 reports on Arkwright Pl SE, Wyman St SE, Blvd & Decatur St, and Hosea Williams Dr. Half are already resolved.
- Potholes — 2 reports at Garrett St & Bill Kennedy Way and United Ave & Lynwood St, both in progress.
- Sign Repair/Replacement — One request at Marshalls Ln & Flat Shoals Rd, currently in progress.
- Tree Maintenance — One request on Oakview Rd NE in Decatur, acknowledged and awaiting action.

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Until next week,
Memorial Drive Corridor Busybody

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.