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Hey, Memorial Drive Corridor! This week: the Atlanta City Council is expected to take a final vote Monday on selling the city detention center to Fulton County for $68 million, and Summerhill neighbors are pressing for traffic fixes on Hank Aaron Drive after a fatal crash. Then we turn to the fun stuff, with Crawl-O-Ween on Carroll Street, Boo at the Zoo, and The Porch Press celebrating 40 years.

- News — Council's expected jail-sale vote leads the way, followed by Summerhill's call for safer streets, early voting in the Fulton Commission races, and word that the boil water advisory has been lifted.
- Events — Cabbagetown's Crawl-O-Ween, Oakland Cemetery's Capturing the Spirit of Oakland tours (Oct. 22–25), Mastodon at The Eastern, and a Porch Press 40th anniversary party fill out a packed week.
- Government — Atlanta's committees weighed the jail sale, a citywide zoning rewrite, and a $1.59 million land purchase to expand the Memorial Drive Greenway, with the full council meeting Monday.
- Construction — Look for a proposed right-in/right-out conversion at Moreland Avenue and Arkwright Place, pedestrian crossings planned along Memorial Drive, an 8-unit condo building up for review on Kirkwood Avenue, and a batch of signal repair reports.

Let's dive in.

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Summerhill neighbors demand traffic fixes after CAU student's death
Clark Atlanta University student Morgan Gamble was killed Tuesday night when a car hit hers at Hank Aaron Drive and Glenn Street, where police say the car was going 94 mph in a 30 mph zone. Nearby students are asking for speed bumps and a traffic light, and District 1 Councilman Jason Winston said he will work with the Mayor's administration and the community to review safety efforts along the corridor.

Atlanta City Council to Vote on Selling City Detention Center to Fulton County
Mayor Andre Dickens offered to sell the jail to the county for $68 million, and Fulton County Chair Robb Pitts accepted, but the council wanted to weigh in first. The deal is intended to ease overcrowding at the county jail on Rice Street, and Fulton County already leases some beds at the city jail. The council's Monday agenda also includes a proposed new police zone, flexible water payments for utility customers, and limits on autonomous weapons systems.

Fulton Commission Races Heat Up as Early Voting Launches Across Metro
Five of the Fulton County Commission's seven seats are on the Nov. 3 ballot, including the chair, and early voting runs through Oct. 30. In northern District 1, Republican incumbent Bridget Thorne faces a rematch with Democrat Maggie Goldman, whom she beat by 394 votes out of 72,410 cast four years ago.

East Atlanta Elite gives metro Atlanta girls a chance to compete in cheerleading without soaring costs
Lithonia coach Enricia Thornton founded East Atlanta Elite Cheerleading, which serves 30 girls ages 3 to 18 and uses scholarships and grants to keep costs down. Families pay a one-time annual fee of up to $350 depending on their finances, and the team competes at events including PrimeTime and CHEERSPORT Nationals.

Boil water advisory impacting metro Atlanta communities lifted
The advisory began after an issue at the Chattahoochee Water Treatment Plant, first reported by officials on Sunday. As of 8 a.m., it was lifted for portions of South Fulton, Fairburn, Union City, Chattahoochee Hills and Palmetto, and the Atlanta Department of Watershed Management said sampling showed no signs of contamination and that the city's drinking water meets or exceeds federal standards.

Entrepreneur slams ATL Beltline rail proposal as unfeasibly expensive
Bahman Irvani, who founded the transit software company Routematch, wrote in an AJC editorial that capital costs for the $3.5 billion Beltline rail project would work out to about $86 per ride. He estimates operating costs at another $35 per ride, for $121 total, compared with about $11 per ride on an electric bus. His figures draw on the Beltline Transit Study unveiled Sept. 3 and MARTA's federal filings.

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Monday, October 19
- Oakland Tour | Oakland Cemetery

Tuesday, October 20
- Bulwark LIVE: The Good Fight Tour | The Eastern
- Magic Movement | Grant Park- Greenspace F
- ONE Monthly Meeting | Our Neighborhood Edgewood
- The Reynoldstown Yoga Reset | Lang-Carson Park

Wednesday, October 21
- horsegiirL – NATURE IS HEALING Tour | The Eastern
- Wishy | The Earl
- Minecraft Experience: Villager Rescue Makes Its Southeast Debut This Fall in Atlanta | Pullman Yards
- Historic Preservation Land Use (HPLU) Meeting | Cabbagetown Neighborhood Improvement Association

Thursday, October 22
- Mastodon w/ Deafheaven | The Eastern
- Atlanta Dream Playoff Watch Party at Jolene Jolene (Oct. 22–31) | Jolene Jolene
- Hybrid Fitness Fusion (Chair & Standing) | Lang-Carson Park
- Adventure Cubs at the Zoo | Zoo Atlanta
- SKANK & DESTROY 3 | 529 EAV
- Dave Ross & Chris Gethard | The EARL
- Capturing the Spirit of Oakland (Oct. 22–25) | Oakland Cemetery

Friday, October 23
- Sugar w/ J. Robbins | The Eastern
- Innerspace Presents: Gunga, Japan Trip For Wayward | Halfway Crooks Brewery
- The Friday Bike Bus! 🚲 | Our Neighborhood Edgewood
- Dropsonic | The Earl

Saturday, October 24
- Spooky Pooch 5K | Grant Park
- House of Shadows (Oct. 24–30) | Pullman Yards
- DJ Shadow | The Eastern
- Exhibition at ABV Gallery | ABV Gallery
- Ursula 1000 launches Schitzz & Gigglzz at Banshee (Oct. 24–25) | Banshee Atlanta
- Coffin Bookshelf Workshop with The Evergreen Burrow | All The Tropes (Kirkwood)
- Boo at the Zoo | Downtown Atlanta Inc. (ADID)
- Zumba/Hip Hop Cardio | Terminal South/Switchman Hall
- 40 Years on the Porch: It's The Porch Press' 40th Anniversary Party! | Ormewood Church
- Kids Night Out at the Zoo | Zoo Atlanta
- Crawl-O-Ween | Cabbagetown Neighborhood Improvement Association

Sunday, October 25
- Market in the Park: Fall Festival | Grant Park
- Trees Atlanta Workshop: Collect Acorns for Atlanta | Trees Atlanta
- FREE: Original Indie Rock music from Aaron Rizzo | Eastside United Methodist 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

Atlanta City Council
Six committees met this week, and only agendas are posted so far, so outcomes aren't yet published. As covered in today's news section, the Finance/Executive Committee had the $68 million sale of the city detention center to Fulton County on its agenda, along with the FY 2027 property tax rates and a resolution urging that delinquent developers, data centers in particular, be barred from tax incentives. The Zoning Committee took up a full rewrite of the citywide zoning ordinance and map, a new legal definition of "family," and a batch of proposals to turn BeltLine industrial land into mixed-use districts. The City Utilities Committee looked at a ban on using drinking water to cool data centers, relief for sudden water bill spikes, and more than $47 million in water system transfers, plus a request for up to $20 million in state loans to replace lead service lines. The Community Development/Human Services Committee had a $1.59 million land purchase to expand the Memorial Drive Greenway, $21.85 million in added park construction and maintenance funding, and $24 million in federal housing grants on its agenda. The Public Safety & Legal Administration Committee considered limits on weapon-equipped robots and a $350,000 police lawsuit settlement, while the Transportation Committee weighed a $2 million federal grant for Centennial Yards street design and a traffic-calming study for one southside neighborhood.

DeKalb County Board of Commissioners
DeKalb commissioners met Tuesday with a long agenda that included two data center measures, one defining and classifying data centers for county oversight and another requiring an independent health and environmental study before the county lifts its moratorium. They also took up an ordinance targeting street drifting, unauthorized camping, and nuisance behavior. Two pet-related ordinances were up for consideration, one on restraining and transporting animals and one restricting the sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits in pet shops. The board also had more than $4.6 million in federal grants for park and community center upgrades on the agenda, plus an $11.12 million water treatment plant contract and a $3.33 million countywide road restriping contract. If you live near the county line, these decisions shape the rules and services you'll deal with day to day.

Notable Neighborhood Mentions

Atlanta City Council
- Memorial Drive Greenway (264 Memorial Drive, SE) — The city is proposing to acquire the 0.32-acre property for up to $1.59 million using impact fees and tax allocation district funds to expand the Memorial Drive Greenway.
- 483 Monument Avenue — An ordinance is on the agenda to allocate $1 million in municipal water and wastewater extension funds toward a stream stabilization and environmental restoration project.

Meetings This Week
- Atlanta City Council — Committee on Council | Oct-19, 11:30 AM | key topics: police presence at city rec center polling places, public comment procedure overhauls, civic board appointments
- Atlanta City Council | Oct-19, 1:00 PM | key topics: sale of the Atlanta City Detention Center, Memorial Drive Greenway expansion, restrictions on data center drinking water use
- DeKalb County Board of Commissioners — Committee of the Whole | Oct-20, 9:00 AM | key topics: residential rezonings on Old Briarcliff and Gresham roads, park improvement grant awards, Constitution Road corridor property acquisitions
- Fulton County Board of Commissioners | Oct-21, 10:00 AM | key topics: North Point Mall Tax Allocation District, utility easements for residential developments, senior transportation service extensions
- Atlanta NPU — NPU-W | Oct-21, 7:00 PM | key topics: Glynn Drive annexation and rezoning, residential setback variances, Grant Park festival permits

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Permits
- 2575 Alston Dr SE: A new 83-square-foot building is going up for a golf starter house at the first tee box.
- 800 Cherokee Ave SE: Site work is underway for a new animal habitat and care facility. The address is Zoo Atlanta, so expect construction activity around the grounds.
- 930 Kirkwood Ave SE: An 8-unit sprinklered condo building is up for review as new construction. It adds more for-sale housing to the area.
- 801 Glenwood Ave SE: A building addition is planned, along with new driveways, concrete walks, ADA access improvements and more parking. You'll likely see site work and some disruption around the property.

Road Work

Under Construction
- Moreland Ave at Arkwright Place — GDOT is turning the Moreland Avenue (SR 42) and Arkwright Place intersection into a right-in/right-out with a new median and a signalized pedestrian crossing. GDOT lists it as about 36% complete.
- I-20 lighting, Capitol Avenue to Flat Shoals Road — Older sodium streetlights along I-20 from Capitol Avenue to Flat Shoals Road are being swapped for energy-efficient LEDs. GDOT lists it as about 58% complete.
- Memorial Drive pedestrian safety upgrades — GDOT plans mid-block pedestrian crossings, right-in/right-out turns and restricted U-turns along Memorial Drive (SR 154), between Hill and Pearl streets and from Moreland Avenue east to Candler Road. Work has only just started.
- Pedestrian beacons along SR 42 and SR 3 — New pedestrian hybrid beacons are going in at four spots along SR 42, plus restricted U-turn crossings at SR 42 and Woodstock Road and at SR 3 and Camelot Parkway. GDOT lists it as about 98% complete.

Service Requests
- Right of Way Overgrowth — 10 reports of blocked sightlines and overgrown vegetation, including Memorial Dr SE and Bill Kennedy Way SE (two reports), Emerson Ave and Woodland Ave, Ridge Ave SW, Hill St SE, and Atlanta Ave SE and Greenfield St SE. Four more came in at other spots nearby.
- Traffic Signal Repairs — 8 reports, including Atlanta Ave and Boulevard, Glenwood Ave and Bill Kennedy Way, Krog St NE at the Beltline Eastside Trail, Moreland Ave SE and McPherson Ave SE, and Memorial Dr and Moreland Ave. Three more were filed at other intersections. If you're driving through any of these, expect odd signal timing.
- Litter Removal — 7 reports on Rover Ct, Atlanta Ave SE (including at Greenfield St SE), Farrington Pl and Farrington Ave, Hosea Williams Dr and Moreland Ave, and two other nearby spots.
- Potholes — Richmond St SE.
- Sign Repair or Installation — Bouldercrest Dr SE.
- Downed Tree — Rockyford Rd NE.

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Until next week,
Memorial Drive Corridor 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.