North Decatur: DeKalb Schools Owes Millions and Lulah Hills Keeps Building

Before we get into it, just a heads up that we’re making some neighborhood changes across the board, and this area may be impacted. The change we’re considering is combining this newsletter with our “Emory / Druid Hills” edition. The areas share a ton of commonalities and are both Unincorporated DeKalb. If you’re vehemently opposed to that, however, let us know below:

Hey, North Decatur! It's been a consequential week, and there's a lot to catch up on. A tight vote just locked in DeKalb's $1.6 billion school budget, an incumbent county commissioner lost her seat in Tuesday's runoff, and a paperwork error has left DeKalb schools owing millions to APS and City of Decatur Schools.

- News — A $1.6B school budget barely clears, DeKalb launches an affordable housing bond, a paperwork error costs local schools millions in E-SPLOST funds, and two major races flip in Tuesday's runoff.
- Business — Mother's Best Fried Chicken is closing its Church Street spot, and an all-day eatery called Dan's Snack Bar is moving in to take its place.
- Events — A reptile education show hits Avis Williams Library Tuesday, FIFA World Cup viewing lands Wednesday at Londzell, and the week closes with live music, a Jimmy Buffett tribute, and Front Yard Friday in Sagamore Hills.
- Government — Commissioners are set to vote Monday on millage rates, a potential data center moratorium, and a combined $559M in water infrastructure investments — decisions that will hit your tax bill and your tap.
- Construction — Three permitted buildings at 1051 Oak Tree Rd (Lulah Hills) add 447 units and $52M in construction value to the area, while a string of pre-construction road projects on North Druid Hills and Clairmont signal a busier commute ahead.

Let's dive in.

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NEWS

DeKalb School Board narrowly passes a $1.6 billion budget
A $1.6 billion budget doesn't sail through, but scrapes through on a close vote. The spending plan shapes everything from classroom staffing to facility upkeep at the public schools your kids, grandkids, or neighbors attend, so how those dollars get allocated is very much your business.

DeKalb County to launch affordable housing investment bond
DeKalb County is rolling out a new bond program aimed squarely at the affordable housing crunch that's been squeezing residents for years. If it delivers, it could mean real new development in neighborhoods where the gap between what people earn and what housing costs has grown nearly impossible to bridge.

Atlanta, Decatur schools owed millions in sales tax funds after paperwork error
Somewhere along the way, a paperwork error left City Schools of Decatur and Atlanta Public Schools short of millions they were already counting on from E-SPLOST collections, and DeKalb Schools as the recipient of that money. These are funds earmarked for capital projects and school improvements — the kind of money that doesn't just get quietly replaced — so watch this one closely.

Incumbent DeKalb commissioner defeated in runoff election, and DeKalb School board member chosen
District 3 has a new face at the county commission table: Keyanna Jones Moore ousted incumbent Nicole Massiah in Tuesday's runoff, a result that signals voters were ready for a change in direction. Meanwhile, Tracy Brisson won the open District 4 school board seat over Sonja Szubski — two races, two outcomes worth tracking as new leadership takes shape heading into fall.

BUSINESS

Dan's Snack Bar - opening/closing - Mother's Best Fried Chicken is closing its 406 Church Street location in Downtown Decatur, with an all-day eatery called Dan's Snack Bar set to take its place.

EVENTS | Presented by

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Monday, June 22
- StoryWalk® at Mason Mill Park | Avis Williams Library - DeKalb County
- Big Idea Dinosaur Adventures | Chamblee, GA
- 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
- Weekday Winning: Mega Mondays | Wild Heaven Toco Hills

Tuesday, June 23
- 8 Legged Scales: Reptile Education and Entertainment | Avis Williams Library - DeKalb County
- Weekday Winning: Toco Tuesdays | Wild Heaven Toco Hills

Wednesday, June 24
- FIFA SOCCER CITY WORLD CUP EXPERIENCE | Londzell Performing Arts Theatre
- SOCCER CITY FIFA WORLD CUP EXPERIENCE HAITI VS MOROCCO | Londzell Performing Arts Theatre
- LEGO Legends Club | Avis Williams Library - DeKalb County
- Drop-In Technology Support | Avis Williams Library - DeKalb County
- Preschool Storytime | Avis Williams Library - DeKalb County
- Weekday Winning: Wicked Good Wednesday | Wild Heaven Toco Hills

Thursday, June 25
- Resistance Bands Exercise Class | Avis Williams Library - DeKalb County
- Weekday Winning: Thirsty Thursday | Wild Heaven Toco Hills

Friday, June 26
- June Front Yard Friday - Bruce & Diane | Sagamore Hills Civic Association
- Thirsty Neighbors | Wild Heaven Toco Hills
- Friday Movies | Avis Williams Library - DeKalb County

Saturday, June 27
- NIGHT OF SOUL WITH KIM BURRELL, LEANDRIA JOHNSON AND JAMAL ROBERTS | Londzell Performing Arts Theatre
- Marsoupial | Wild Heaven Toco Hills
- Discharging Student Loan and Bad Debt Workshop Luncheon | Courtyard by Marriott Atlanta Northlake

Sunday, June 28
- 🎟️🍋‍🟩MARGARITATOWN -- A Tribute to Jimmy Buffett and Other Coastal Classics 🎟️ Ticketed show* | Napoleon's Grill
- Local Dog | Wild Heaven Toco Hills
- Sonic ALchemy Sessions | 178 Laredo Drive, Decatur, GA

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 – Committee of the Whole

The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners was scheduled to meet June 18 to take up a packed agenda — though since no minutes are posted, note that any item could be tabled, deferred, or withdrawn before action is taken. The biggest-ticket item was a proposed $233.8 million design-build contract with Ruby-Collins, Inc. to demolish and rebuild major infrastructure at the Scott Candler Water Treatment Plant, the facility that serves much of the county's drinking water supply; a separate $325.5 million multi-year contract for on-call water and sewer repairs was also on the table. Residents who walk or bike local trails will want to watch two proposed design contracts — a $3.12 million agreement to plan Phase VI of the South River Trail and a $998,946 contract to design a North Fork Peachtree Creek Trail segment toward Chamblee Tucker Road — which would advance two of the county's most anticipated greenway extensions. Public hearings on the 2026 property tax millage rates were also scheduled, giving residents a formal opportunity to weigh in before the county sets how much homeowners will owe. Rounding out the agenda are proposals to establish strict new zoning standards for data centers, add $1.48 million to the county's ambulance services contract with AMR to improve emergency response times, and allocate $500,000 in SPLOST II funding for a new bicycle and multi-use trail facility along Laredo Drive.

DeKalb County School District – Board of Education

The DeKalb County School Board had a busy June 15, holding two separate sessions — a community input hearing on the budget and millage rate (for which no formal votes were recorded), followed by a full regular meeting where major decisions were made. In that second session, the Board officially adopted the FY2027 operating budget and approved the accompanying property tax levy, locking in school funding levels and the school portion of residents' upcoming tax bills. The Board also greenlit the continuation of E-SPLOST, the one-cent sales tax dedicated to school construction and capital improvements, by approving the joint resolution and intergovernmental agreement needed to keep it moving forward. On the spending side, the Board authorized a $15 million districtwide purchase of updated K-12 science materials, a $3.14 million order for new school buses, and renovation and infrastructure contracts totaling several million more across multiple campuses. In a forward-looking move, the district introduced its first-ever board policy on Artificial Intelligence — "Policy IFBI: Artificial Intelligence" — for a first reading, signaling that formal rules around AI use in schools are on the way.

Meetings This Week
- DeKalb County Board of Commissioners — Board of Commissioners — June 23, 2026 at 9:00 AM | 178 Sam's Street, Decatur (Multipurpose Room A1201)
The board is scheduled to vote on the 2026 property tax millage rates, proposed increases to stormwater utility and sanitation fees, and a potential moratorium on land disturbance permits for new data centers pending a health and environmental assessment. Also on the agenda: a $295,533 playground replacement at Frazier Rowe Park, trail design contracts totaling over $4 million, and major water system investments. A new traffic signal installation at Stephenson Road and Valley Brook Road is scheduled for a vote.

- DeKalb County Board of Commissioners — Committee of the Whole — June 23, 2026 at 9:00 AM | 178 Sam's Street, Decatur (Multipurpose Room A1201)
No agenda is currently available for this meeting.

CONSTRUCTION | Presented by

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Permits

The biggest story this week is 1051 Oak Tree Rd (Lulah Hills site), where three massive multifamily buildings are permitted across Phases III–V. Together they add up to over $52 million in construction value and 447 new residential units averaging around 825 square feet each. That's a significant wave of construction continuing in that area.

- 1051 Oak Tree Rd — $19.75M permit for Building 1000 (Phase III): 274 residential units in a mixed-use multifamily structure.
- 1051 Oak Tree Rd — $20.6M permit for Building 2000 (Phase IV): 105 residential units.
- 1051 Oak Tree Rd — $12.07M permit for Building 3000 (Phase V): 68 residential units. Three buildings, one massive buildout.
- 2675 N Decatur Rd — $164K commercial renovation filed for a 550 sq. ft. ground-floor imaging suite (Class 1 CT). Medical office upgrade on the North Decatur corridor.
- 1137 & 1139 Kingstown Ct — $158K each for fire, smoke, and water damage repairs to two adjoining townhomes. No footprint changes — restoration work only.
- Sagamore Hills Dr — $70K permit to demolish an existing deck and replace it with a larger covered porch. Outdoor/noisy work; neighbors may notice.
- Auguste Ave — $245K permit for a new 3-story single-family home (Lot 70). New construction in progress.

Elsewhere, 34 additional residential permits were filed across the area — mostly routine repairs, HVAC, and smaller renovation work totaling roughly $285K combined.

Road Work

Under Construction
- SR-236 EB Left Turn Lane Extension @ SR-155 (DeKalb County) — GDOT is extending the eastbound left turn lane at the SR-236 and SR-155 intersection, about 1.5 miles from the neighborhood. Expect lane disruptions near that interchange, especially during peak hours.
- SR-10, SR-13 & SR-410 Bridge Preservation — 6 Locations (DeKalb County) — Crews are working across six bridge sites along these corridors, about 2.7 miles out. Work includes polymer overlay, repainting structural steel, deck repairs, joint replacements, and vegetation clearing. With six separate locations in play simultaneously, slowdowns could pop up across multiple points on these routes — worth factoring in if any of these are part of your regular commute.

Pre-Construction

- North Druid Hills Road Corridor Improvements (DeKalb County) — Three separate projects are converging on the North Druid Hills Road area. A new traffic signal is planned at the US 78/SR 410 westbound exit ramp at North Druid Hills Road, a lane extension of roughly 245 feet is coming to the eastbound approach at SR 410/US 78, and a bridge preservation project covers the 2,600-foot stretch of North Druid Hills Road between Spring Creek Drive and Willivee Drive. If you cut through this corridor regularly, expect a different intersection experience once these land.
- SR 155/Clairmont Road Corridor Work (DeKalb County) — Two projects target this stretch. A 1.5-mile operational improvement runs between I-85 northbound and SR 236/LaVista Road, and a separate intersection project at North Druid Hills Road and Azalea Circle adds a shared-use path along the south side of North Druid Hills Road plus a 6-foot sidewalk on the north side. Pedestrian and cyclist access gets a meaningful upgrade here.
- SR 155 @ SR 236 Restriping (DeKalb County) — A straightforward restriping project at the LaVista/Clairmont intersection. Small change, but lane markings at this busy crossing are overdue for a refresh.
- SR 236 Resurfacing (DeKalb County) — Pavement on SR 236 from the Fulton County line to I-285 is flagged for resurfacing after scoring low on the state's pavement condition index. About 0.9 miles of relief for a road that's felt every pothole.
- SR 8/US 29 Resurfacing (DeKalb County) — Paving work planned along US 29/Ponce de Leon from the Fulton County line to the Gwinnett County line. A long corridor getting attention before conditions deteriorate further.
- I-285 Bridge Preservation — 4 Locations (DeKalb County) — Maintenance work on four bridge structures along I-285 in DeKalb, including polymer overlay, repainting, joint replacement, and header repairs. Not glamorous, but the kind of work that keeps the perimeter from surprising you.
- SR 10/US 78 Sign Upgrades — 9 Locations (DeKalb & Gwinnett Counties) — Signing upgrades at nine spots along the Stone Mountain Freeway corridor. Spans two counties; expect cleaner, more legible overhead signage once complete.