Morning, neighbors! East Atlanta Village is having a real moment with four new restaurants opening this year, and just down the road, the Atlanta Track Club is dreaming up a new community hub in Summerhill. Plus, city council just found $2.9 million for unpaved streets.

- News — EAV's restaurant revival, a Summerhill track hub, and fresh renderings for a Beltline mixed-income project all point to an area on the move.
- Business — East Lake's $80 million Vela Park just held its ribbon cutting with 328 apartments and a food hall to match.
- Events — Saturday, August 15 gets crowded fast with ShedFest at Pullman Yards, the Popsicle race, and The Earl's anniversary series closing out with Ted Leo.
- Government — Fulton commissioners voted 5-0 to keep tax breaks away from data centers and sent a TSPLOST referendum to voters, while Atlanta City Council tees up a Grady-area pedestrian plaza and dozens of rezonings.
- Construction — A brand-new office building rises on Hosea Williams Drive while Flat Shoals Avenue keeps churning through small business turnover and Edgewood Avenue deals with an emergency lane closure.

Let's dive in.

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NEWS

Atlanta City Council approves $2.9 million to address unpaved streets
The funding follows a resolution from Antonio Lewis targeting unpaved streets in Southeast Atlanta, and will pay for a comprehensive survey and evaluation of all gravel, dirt and unpaved streets citywide.

An East Atlanta Village restaurant revival is underway
After a wave of post-COVID closures that put a damper on the neighborhood hub, EAV has welcomed four new spots this year alone: Bar Schmutzi, Joystick, Sagra and Zarate Tiki Co.

Atlanta Track Club talks vision for new track, community hub in Summerhill
The Atlanta Track Club has released plans, including renderings, for a new track and community hub in the Summerhill neighborhood.

Fresh images, timeline, details for Beltline mixed-income build emerge
New renderings and a project timeline have surfaced for the Wingate mixed-income development along the Southside Beltline corridor near Grant Park and Ormewood Park, which is planned to include direct trail connectivity.

We asked 150 people on Beltline what changes they want. Here's what happened
An urban planning report surveyed 150 Beltline trail users on priorities including transit, pedestrian safety and greenspace, compiling their feedback for future corridor development decisions.

Atlanta Residents Map Nearly 500 Cameras in Neighborhood Safety Survey
Edgewood Neighbors documented nearly 500 security cameras across the area as part of a grassroots mapping project. This comes as camera surveillance continues to be a hot topic across the city

BUSINESS

Vela Park - opening - Perennial Properties held a ribbon cutting on August 5th for the $80 million, 14-acre mixed-use development in East Lake featuring 328 apartments and a food hall.

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Monday, August 10
- Disney Channel Original Movies Trivia | Red's Beer Garden
- Oakland Tour | Oakland Cemetery

Tuesday, August 11
- CNIA Monthly Meeting | Cabbagetown Neighborhood Improvement Association
- Airplane Mode at Wylde Center | Scraplanta
- Tacos & Jajas | 97 Estoria
- Bark Culture | The Earl
- Fernbank | 529 Bar

Wednesday, August 12
- ONE Transportation Committee Meeting | Our Neighborhood Edgewood
- Cody Bolden & The Roadhands | 529 Bar
- Cairo Jag | The Earl

Thursday, August 13
- Ladies Night Basketbal at Grant | Grant Park Recreation Center
- Demon King | 529 EAV
- The Echolocations | The Earl

Friday, August 14
- The EARL's 27th Anniversary Series | The Earl
- One More Time 2000's EDM Hits Dance Night | 529 EAV

Saturday, August 15
- ShedFest 2026 | Pullman Yards
- Popsicle 5k/10k/Half Marathon | New Realm
- Down | The Eastern
- Exhibition: 'Repost' • Summer Group Exhibition | ABV Gallery
- Dinner + Movie at Atlanta Dairies
- Keeper for a Day: Reptiles and Amphibians | Zoo Atlanta
- Victorian Symbolism | Oakland Cemetery
- Weekend STEM Academy at Grant Park | Grant Park Recreation Center
- The EARL's 27th Anniversary Series | The Earl
- One More Time Dance Night at 529! | 529 Bar
- The Underdog Tour | 529 Bar

Sunday, August 16
- Trainer for a Day: World of Wild Theater | Zoo Atlanta
- Fear and Accusation: The Leo Frank Story | Oakland Cemetery
- Meet & Greet Luxury Picnic: Join The Peach City Collective | Grant Park

GOVERNMENT

Note: our information comes from posted meetings documents (agendas and minutes when available) — latest source document hyperlinked to each meeting.

Past Week Roundup

Fulton County Board of Commissioners
Fulton County commissioners made a bold move this week, voting 5-0 to oppose tax abatements or financial incentives for data center projects anywhere in the county, specifically naming potential deals with OpenAI and Anthropic as targets of the policy. That matters if you're worried about your tax dollars subsidizing massive server farms instead of funding services you actually use. Commissioners also re-established a county Budget Commission to help shape next year's budget, and approved big public safety spending, including nearly $772,000 for suicide prevention upgrades at the county jail and over $581,000 to outfit new inmate transport vans. In a separate special meeting, the board voted 4-0 to send a Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST) referendum to voters, along with an agreement spelling out how the money would be split among cities if you approve it at the ballot box. That referendum could shape how transportation and infrastructure projects get funded across the whole county for years to come.

Atlanta City Council
The full council and its Committee on Council both met this week, with a packed agenda still awaiting final votes on several fronts. As covered in today's news section, council approved $2.9 million to survey and address unpaved streets citywide. Council members are also set to consider agreements tied to Atlanta's bid for the 2028 Democratic National Convention, a new pedestrian plaza near Grady Hospital that would close a stretch of Jesse Hill Jr. Drive to traffic, and strict new consumer protection rules for private parking garages and lots covering rate disclosures and dispute resolution. A $5.6 million expansion of the city's solar energy contract and major water infrastructure spending, including $15.5 million for Flint River Pump Station upgrades, are also on the table, alongside dozens of rezoning requests spanning Buckhead to South Atlanta. Separately, the Committee on Council confirmed Stephanie Jackson as the city's new Auditor for a five-year term and approved $36,825 in budget funding for council communications, while holding several governance proposals, including a council civility pledge and a request for police officers at recreation center polling sites, for further review.

Notable Neighborhood Mentions

Atlanta City Council
- 708 Kirkwood Avenue SE — A proposed Comprehensive Development Plan change would shift this Kirkwood property's land use from Low Density Residential to Low Density Mixed Use, and it's on the agenda for council consideration.

Meetings This Week
- Atlanta Public Schools — Board of Education | Aug-10 | key topics: A.D. Williams Elementary construction approval, multi-site demolition bundle, Tax Anticipation Note resolution, facility repurposing policy
- Atlanta City Council | Aug-10, 11:00 AM | key topics: Ponce de Leon Avenue mixed-use rezoning, Glenn Street industrial-to-mixed-use conversion, self-storage special use permit rule, medical cannabis dispensary buffer regulations
- Atlanta City Council | Aug-10, 1:00 PM | key topics: APD C.A.R.E.S. unit expansion, fire inspection fee increases, lawsuit settlements, surveillance technology transparency
- Atlanta City Council | Aug-11, 10:00 AM | key topics: solid waste rate adjustments, Data Center Task Force proposal, $25M drinking water renewal contract, Moreland Avenue GDOT infrastructure agreement
- Atlanta City Council | Aug-11, 1:30 PM | key topics: Ponce de Leon and Decatur Street corridor land use redesignations, vacant property security standards, park security funding, tree canopy protection updates
- Atlanta City Council | Aug-12, 10:00 AM | key topics: Peachtree Street safety engineering project, Beecher Road sidewalk land acquisitions, $55M citywide infrastructure fund, dockless e-scooter/e-bike permit extensions
- Atlanta City Council | Aug-12, 1:30 PM | key topics: Mercedes-Benz Stadium debt refinancing, Old Fire Station 22 lease, neighborhood reinvestment grants, City-APS land swap

CONSTRUCTION

Permits
- 1986 Hosea L Williams Dr NE — New 2,840 sqft office building permitted from the ground up. A vacant lot in the corridor is about to become an actual workplace.
- 256 Clifton St SE — Full tear-off and replacement of the gymnasium's steep-slope shingle roof. Expect roofing crews and noise around the building for a while.
- 1460 La France St NE — Exterior upgrades filed for a pool area. Points to ongoing amenity work in the neighborhood.
- 791 Wylie St SE — Multi-family building swapping out 9 windows, like-for-like with no structural changes. Routine, but you'll likely see lift equipment on site.
- 457 Flat Shoals Ave SE — A new tenant is fitting out an existing office space for an extracurricular arts education facility. Another sign of small business turnover along Flat Shoals.
- 477 Flat Shoals Ave SE — New ductwork going into two existing HVAC systems and bathroom exhaust fans. Interior work, minimal disruption expected.
- 494 Flat Shoals Ave SE — Long-vacant commercial space getting inspected so Georgia Power can restore electricity. Could mean a new business is moving in soon.
- 218 Powell St SE — Duplex owner hired a concrete contractor to install a new driveway. Expect a truck and some dust on Powell St for a day or two.
- 1039 Grant St SE — Plumbing remodel underway, six fixtures involved. Interior work only.
- 777 Memorial Dr SE — Straightforward HVAC swap, replacing a 2-ton heat pump unit. Nothing that should affect neighbors.

Beyond these, 22 more commercial permits came through for HVAC, electrical, and conversion work, mostly interior upgrades rather than new construction. On the residential side, 93 minor permits filed this period, dominated by electrical work (27), dead or hazardous tree removal (12), HVAC replacements (10), and home additions (9). None of those carry a listed dollar value or signal major construction, but the volume shows steady upkeep and small-scale investment across Grant Park, Ormewood Park, Kirkwood, and the rest of the corridor.

Road Work

Under Construction

- SR 260 Pedestrian Upgrades (DeKalb County) — Crews are installing RRFBs (rectangular rapid flashing beacons) at Haas Ave, Eastside Ave, Brownwood Ave, and Joseph Ave. Expect minor slowdowns near these crossings as work continues.
- SR 42/Moreland Ave at Arkwright Place (Fulton County) — This intersection is getting converted to right-in/right-out only.
- I-20 Lighting Upgrade, Capitol Ave to Flat Shoals Rd (DeKalb and Fulton Counties) — GDOT is swapping out old lighting for energy-efficient LEDs along this stretch, with possible pole and conduit replacement. Expect intermittent lane impacts, especially at night when crews typically handle this kind of work.
- SR 154 Pedestrian and Intersection Safety Project (DeKalb and Fulton Counties) — This multi-location project adds a mid-block pedestrian crossing plus RIRO and RCUT intersection changes between Hill St and Pearl St. It spans several sites across both counties, so watch for shifting traffic patterns as work progresses.
- I-20 Resurfacing, Hill St to Columbia Dr (DeKalb and Fulton Counties) — Crews are rehabbing the concrete on this stretch of I-20 to fix a low pavement quality score.

Utility Work

Atlanta Watershed
- Lane Closure at 339 Edgewood Avenue SE Due to Emergency Repairs — Crews closed a lane on Edgewood Avenue SE between Fort Street SE and William Street for emergency repairs starting Aug 11. Expect slower traffic if you're driving through that stretch.

Service Requests

Overgrowth complaints lead the week, with 10 reports covering Ashburton Avenue and Glenwood Avenue, Woodland Avenue, Rockyford Road, Gaskill Street and Estoria Street, and Wyman Street. Crews have made progress on half of these already.

Potholes — Seven reports scattered across Berean Avenue, Fayetteville Road, Winter Avenue, Murray Hill Avenue, and the Murray Hill/Browning intersection. Most are in progress, and one's already closed out.

Traffic Signal Repairs — Non-emergency fixes needed at Clifton Street and the Glenwood Avenue/Bill Kennedy Way intersection.

Graffiti Removal — Two right-of-way cleanups underway on Glenwood Avenue.

Litter Removal — Crews already cleared right-of-way litter on Estoria Street and Boulevard.

Downed Tree — A tree came down near Loomis Avenue and Bryan Street. That one's closed.

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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.