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Hey, Midtown! This week: the City Council hit pause on a proposed $68 million sale of the Atlanta City Detention Center, and Pride weekend is about to fill Peachtree and Piedmont Park with a crowd of 100,000. We're also raising a glass to Mary Mac's beloved Flo Patrick and checking in on Spring Street's protected bike lanes, which are nearly done.

- News — Council members want answers on funding, retrofits, and about 180 corrections jobs before the jail sale moves forward, while Rep. Everton Blair Jr. is named Pride's Honorary Grand Marshal and Midtown remembers Flo Patrick of Mary Mac's Tea Room.
- Business — Florida's Pilar Coffee Bar is heading to Ansley Mall along the Beltline as part of a push toward more than 20 locations by the end of 2027.
- Events — Pride Festival and Parade take over Piedmont Park and Peachtree Street October 10–11, with Mexodus, Fest-of-Ale at the Garden, and a spooky chef's table filling out the week.
- Government — Fulton County still hasn't set its property tax rate, with the Board's first regular meeting October 7 on deck, and Atlanta Public Schools takes up its FY2027 tax levy October 5.
- Construction — A new restaurant is taking shape at 1010 Spring St, a 353-square-foot open-air pavilion is permitted at 1589 Peachtree, and overnight lane closures begin on 10th Street for emergency sewer repairs.

Let's dive in.

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Spring Street Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvements Near Completion in Midtown
Construction is nearing completion on the half-mile Spring Street Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvements Project along Midtown's northern corridor. The multimodal project extends from Peachtree Street south to 17th Street, adding protected cycling and pedestrian infrastructure adjacent to the SCAD Atlanta campus.

Citing unanswered questions, City Council delays vote to sell Atlanta’s lockup
The Atlanta City Council Finance Committee has halted action on a proposed $68 million sale of the Atlanta City Detention Center to Fulton County. Council members requested further review regarding deal funding structures, planned building retrofits, and the status of roughly 180 city corrections personnel.

U.S. Rep. Everton Blair Jr. Named Honorary Grand Marshal for Atlanta Pride
Congressman Dr. Everton Blair Jr. has been selected as the Honorary Grand Marshal for the 2026 Atlanta Pride Festival, scheduled for October 10–11 in Piedmont Park. Blair was recently sworn into the U.S. House of Representatives representing Georgia’s 13th Congressional District following an August special election runoff.

Midtown Mourns Longtime Mary Mac's Hospitality Fixture Flo Patrick
Patrons and community members are celebrating the life of Flo Patrick, who served for decades as a defining hospitality ambassador at Midtown's Mary Mac’s Tea Room. Known for personally greeting generations of local diners, Patrick became an enduring symbol of the historic Ponce de Leon Avenue restaurant.

BUSINESS

Florida-based Pilar Coffee Bar expanding to Ansley Mall along the Beltline — Florida coffee chain Pilar Coffee Bar is opening a new location at Ansley Mall along the Atlanta Beltline, part of the brand's broader goal of opening more than 20 locations by the end of 2027.

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Monday, October 5
- Mexodus | Coca-Cola Stage
- Frame by Frame: The Art of Stop-Motion Animation | Center for Puppetry Arts
- I Spy | The Goizueta Stage for Youth and Families

Tuesday, October 6
- Big Peach Social Run | 6:30pm/Big Peach Ride and Run
- Garden Playtime | Atlanta Botanical Garden
- Weekly Walking Club | Piedmont Park
- NPU-E Meeting | Midtown Neighbors Association

Wednesday, October 7
- Like Father | Alliance Theatre
- Recipe Revival | 6:30pm - 8:45pm/High Museum of Art
- The 502s | THE LOFT
- Midtown Member Walking Tour & Happy Hour | the Wimbish House
- 5th Annual Women’s Business Forum | Hotel Indigo Atlanta Midtown
- Plant. Eat. Repeat. Workshop: Container Gardening for Edible Plants | Atlanta Botanical Garden

Thursday, October 8
- Brahms + Wagner | Bolt Entertainment
- Game Design Studio: Strange Finds | Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA)
- Fest-of-Ale | Atlanta Botanical Garden
- Georgia Grown Dinners: Burns Sullivan | Atlanta Botanical Garden
- Infrastructure Committee Meeting | Midtown Neighbors Association
- The Ghastly Dreadfuls (18+) | Center for Puppetry Arts
- Best of Atlanta Comedy Showcase – Thursday October 8 at 8:00PM | Laughing Skull Lounge

Friday, October 9
- Rodney Jordan Quintet w/ the Memphis Blue Project | All Saints’ Episcopal Church
- Paul Oakenfold | Centerstage Theater The Loft
- Brian Fallon | THE LOFT
- Don Lemon & DL Hughley: DL + DL ‘Anything Goes’ | Bolt Entertainment
- Spooky Chef's Table at the Kimpton Shane Hotel | Kimpton Shane Hotel
- The Art of Pasta Making Featuring ENZO Steakhouse & Bar | Epicurean Atlanta, Autograph Collection

Saturday, October 10
- Atlanta Pride Festival & Parade 2026 | Piedmont Park
- Kanan Gill: Not This Again | Center Stage Theatre
- Joshua Ray Walker | CENTER STAGE – THE VINYL
- Garden Chef Demo: Pamela D. Jones Mack | Atlanta Botanical Garden

Sunday, October 11
- Pride Parade Viewing Party | Fox Theatre
- Deltron 3030 | Center Stage Theatre
- Silvana Estrada | THE LOFT
- 2026 Atlanta Pride Parade | Piedmont Park
- Candlelight: Tribute to Taylor Swift | Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta

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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

Fulton County Board of Commissioners
The Board held a quick, eight-minute special meeting on September 30 to conduct the required public hearing on the Fiscal Year 2026 General Fund millage rate, which sets your county property tax rate. Two residents spoke by Zoom. Commissioners took no vote to adopt the rate, so the final number still isn't set. The Board also voted 4-0 to pull two items from the agenda, a contract renewal with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield and the 2027 premium rates for county employee and retiree health plans. Those health plan decisions will have to come back at a later meeting.

Atlanta City Council
As covered in today's news section, the Finance/Executive Committee held the $68 million sale of the Atlanta City Detention Center to Fulton County. That same committee advanced a $325,000 donation to the Gateway Center for homelessness services and a $438,005 weapons detection upgrade contract. The Transportation Committee backed several Hartsfield-Jackson contracts, including $4.9 million to extend rental car center maintenance and $640,000 for parking deck design. It also held three street abandonment proposals, plus the BeltLine bike lane and multi-way stop sign requests, for more review. The City Utilities Committee agenda included a proposal to protect you from unexplained water bill spikes, a $17.5 million transfer for the North Fork storage tank and pump station, and held legislation that would ban data centers from using drinking water for cooling (the council hasn't published minutes for these meetings yet, so outcomes aren't confirmed). The Zoning Committee took up a citywide requirement for a Special Use Permit for new self-storage facilities and a sweeping rewrite of Atlanta's zoning code, while the Community Development/Human Services Committee had stronger tree protections and a $7.75 million federal lead hazard grant on its agenda.

Atlanta Public Schools
The Student Advisory Council met on September 30 at the Center for Learning and Leadership. The agenda covered the district's "Forward 2040" long-term plan, efforts to strengthen the core instructional curriculum, and an overview of student standing committees. The record shows no minutes and no votes. That means the district made no rezoning, tax, or contract decisions at this session. If you follow the long-range plan, this meeting gave students a chance to weigh in, and you can watch for updates as it develops.

Notable Neighborhood Mentions

Atlanta City Council
- Peachtree Street (from North Avenue to West Peachtree Street) — The Transportation Committee held a proposed resolution to accept a $3.6 million state Surface Transportation Block Grant for streetscape and transportation improvements along Peachtree Street.

Meetings This Week
- Atlanta Public Schools — Board of Education | Oct-05 | key topics: FY2027 property tax levy adoption, school facility modernizations, Towns Elementary lease
- Atlanta City Council — Committee on Council | Oct-05, 11:30 AM | key topics: police presence at recreation center polling sites, public comment speaking order rules, board appointments including Midtown CID
- Atlanta City Council | Oct-05, 1:00 PM | key topics: special use permits for self-storage facilities, park land acquisition on Hamilton E. Holmes Drive, eliminating public pool fees, multiple mixed-use rezonings
- Atlanta NPU — NPU-E | Oct-06, 6:30 PM | key topics: Peachtree Street food truck permit, Spring Street open-air café alcohol license, Piedmont Park festival permits
- Fulton County Board of Commissioners | Oct-07, 10:00 AM | key topics: 2026 property tax millage rate adoption, Camp Creek wastewater facility upgrades, senior transportation contract extension, deed theft discussions

CONSTRUCTION

Permits

- 1010 Spring St NW: Interior demolition filed for a future restaurant. It covers removing existing walls and wall openings, so expect some indoor demo work. The permit is still in review, but a new place to eat is on the way.
- 1589 Peachtree St NE: A new open-air pavilion is permitted for outdoor ceremonies and events. It's a 353-square-foot steel-framed structure. If events start up there, you'll likely hear them.
- 999 Peachtree St NE: The busiest address this week, with several filings. A second-generation white box suite is issued, and it includes demolition of most of the existing space. Electrical permits for new lighting on that work and for a second white-boxed suite are pending. Another filing covers a 4,263-square-foot remodel of Suite 2750, which expands the adjacent office use in Suite 2725. A separate electrical permit covers 23rd-floor restroom renovations with new lighting and power. Tenants are clearly reshuffling in this tower.
- 905 Juniper St NE: Two pending permits cover renovation work in Unit 416. One is plumbing, with demolition of existing plumbing and new shower valves, toilet, and faucets. The other is electrical rough-in and trim-out for a bathroom. It's routine interior work.
- 1230 Peachtree St NE: A fire alarm renovation is pending for Suite 2445. It's a low-key upgrade with no outside impact.

Road Work

Under Construction
- SR 8 & SR 8 We from SR 3 to SR 42 — Resurfacing of SR 8 to improve the road's low pavement condition score.
- Buford Spring Connector @ I-85 - Tunnel Lighting — The tunnel's old high-pressure sodium lights are being replaced with energy-efficient LEDs, with conduit and wiring replaced where needed.
- I-75 from I-85 to Memorial Drive — Crews are swapping the old high-pressure sodium lights along this stretch for energy-efficient LEDs, and may also replace poles, conduit and wiring.
- I-75 @ Ralph Mcgill Blvd & @ Baker Street - Tunnel Lighting — The tunnels' old high-pressure sodium lights are being replaced with energy-efficient LEDs, with conduit and wiring replaced where needed.

Utility Work

Atlanta Watershed:
- Traffic Advisory: Overnight Lane Closure on 10th Street NE for Emergency Sewer Repairs Beginning October 5th — Overnight lane closures will be in place on 10th Street NE starting October 5th to accommodate emergency sewer repair work.

Service Requests
- Traffic Signal Repairs: Nine reports came in, five non-emergency and four emergency. Non-emergency requests cover Piedmont Ave & 10th St (two reports), Peachtree St at 6th St, Spring St & 17th St, and Juniper St & 7th St. Emergency requests cover Peachtree St & 6th St (two reports, plus one more filed under 6th St NW & Peachtree St NW) and Virginia Ave & Monroe Dr. Peachtree & 6th drew the most attention, so you'll want to watch that intersection.
- Litter Removal: Four reports cover Spring St NW (two), Juniper St & 5th St, and Durant Pl NE.
- Visibility and Overgrowth: Overgrown vegetation at W Peachtree St NW & 5th St NE was reported and has been cleared.

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Until next week,
Midtown Busybody

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