North Decatur: Novo Cucina and Sewer Repairs

Hey, North Decatur! There's a lot worth paying attention to this week. A $71.5 million permit just dropped on the former North DeKalb Mall site, and commissioners are set to vote on roundabouts for Clairmont Road — all while the Amplify Decatur Music Festival kicks off Thursday and Drive-By Truckers roll in Saturday. Plenty to dig into below.

- News — A historic DeKalb primary reshapes county leadership, a three-month sewer project near Medlock Park brings lane closures, and Tucker's surveillance camera debate is worth watching from across the border.
- Business — Novo Cucina has (finally) opened for full service; head on over for a nice Italian dinner!
- Events — Amplify Decatur opens Thursday, the Baseball Opening Day Parade rolls through Oakhurst Saturday morning, and Drive-By Truckers close out the night on the Square — it's one of the bigger event weekends of the year.
- Government — Commissioners are weighing property tax millage rates, sanitation and stormwater fee hikes, a 214-unit D.R. Horton subdivision, and a roundabout at Clairmont and Rosecliff — and the school board kicks off its budget season Monday with a public input session.
- Construction — A $71.5 million mixed-use permit lands on the old North DeKalb Mall site, the Peachtree Creek Greenway's Briarcliff link is officially done, and a new restaurant is taking shape on North Druid Hills Road.

Let's dive in.

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NEWS

Sewer Project Near Medlock Park Will Last Three Months
If you live near Medlock Park, budget some extra time behind the wheel for the next few months. DeKalb County has kicked off a sewer rehabilitation project in the area that will bring lane closures and construction traffic to the neighborhood for approximately three months — a worthwhile tradeoff for upgraded wastewater infrastructure, but an inconvenience worth knowing about now.

Tucker City Council has reservations about camera program
Tucker's city council has hit the brakes on a proposed public safety camera monitoring program, citing unanswered questions about privacy, oversight, and community impact. The pause is worth watching for North Decatur residents who regularly cross into Tucker to shop or commute — how this debate resolves could set a precedent for similar programs closer to home.

Atlanta festivals, events and parties to check out during the FIFA World Cup
The World Cup is coming to Atlanta, and the city is not playing it cool. A fresh lineup of festivals, street parties, and neighborhood watch events is already taking shape across the metro area — expect packed sidewalks, spirited crowds, and an energy downtown that you'll want to either dive into or carefully route around, depending on your mood.

Japanese-American Candidate Makes History with Landslide Primary Win in DeKalb County
DeKalb voters didn't just pick a winner last week — they made history. A Japanese-American candidate secured a landslide primary victory, marking a genuine milestone in representation for a county that has grown steadily more diverse over the past couple decades.

BUSINESS

Novo Cucina - opening - slightly older news from May 12th, but reporting it here for the first time: the long-awaited Novo Cucina location on Briarcliff is finally fully open for business! Head on over for what could be the finest Italian food in our neck of the woods.

EVENTS

Monday, June 1
- Mah-Jongg Mondays - Session 2 | Chamblee, GA
- StoryWalk® at Mason Mill Park | Avis Williams Library - DeKalb County
- Paul Cauthen | Eddie's Attic

Tuesday, June 2
- June 2nd Stitch N Bitch Like Heck | Heck House
- 🎭🎤 Comedy Night 🎭 | Napoleon's Grill
- Tuesday Trivia @ Toco Hills | Wild Heaven Toco Hills
- Toco Hill-Avis G. Williams Library Book Discussion Group | Avis Williams Library - DeKalb County
- Summer Reading Kickoff-Journey to the Center of the Earth! | Avis Williams Library - DeKalb County
- AUTHOR EVENT | Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé | THE HEIRS |With Channelle Desamours | Brave and Kind Books

Wednesday, June 3
- Volunteer Project | Woodlands Garden
- Katherine Arden- The Unicorn Hunters | Eagle Eye Book Shop
- Preschool Storytime | Avis Williams Library - DeKalb County

Thursday, June 4
- Amplify Decatur Music Festival | Downtown Decatur Square
- Singing Workshop in the Pavilion – June | Woodlands Garden
- To Love a Country: Dominic Erdozain with Patrick Allitt | Decatur Library

Friday, June 5
- Questionable at Best | Wild Heaven Toco Hills
- Friday Movies | Avis Williams Library - DeKalb County

Saturday, June 6
- Run for Breast Cancer 5K/10K/13.1 ATLANTA | South Peachtree Creek Trail
- Atlanta Philharmonic Orchestra Presents: Games with Friends | North Decatur Presbyterian Church
- Baseball Opening Day Parade | Oakhurst Park
- Drive-By Truckers | Decatur Square
- Bishop & Mobley | Wild Heaven Toco Hills
- Brookhaven Farmers Market | Brookhaven Farmers Market
- Candlelight: Best of Bridgerton on Strings | The Chapel on Sycamore
- Candlelight: Queen vs. ABBA - Decatur | The Chapel on Sycamore
- The Cake | Merely Players Presents

Sunday, June 7
- Celebrate America DeKalb | Blackburn Park
- Thirsty Neighbors | Wild Heaven Toco Hills
- Family Nature Walk | Fernbank Museum of Natural History

Markets move. Headlines catastrophize. Inside the noise is the story that matters — the opportunity, not the fear. The Daily Upside: global business and finance, reported without the alarm.

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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

At its May 26 regular meeting, the Board is scheduled to take up several items with direct impact on residents' wallets, starting with the adoption of tentative 2026 millage rates — the first formal step in setting this year's property tax bills — alongside proposed increases to both residential sanitation fees and the county's stormwater utility fee, which funds drainage maintenance and flood prevention. Road safety is also on the agenda, with roundabouts proposed at two busy intersections, including Clairmont Road at Rosecliff Drive, and the county is also weighing a $1.86 million perimeter security upgrade at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport. A public hearing is scheduled on extending a moratorium on new adult entertainment businesses, and the county is pursuing a crackdown on illegal scrap tire dumping by adjusting legal disposal fees to $1 per tire. At its separate May 28 zoning meeting, commissioners are set to consider a D.R. Horton proposal for a 214-unit single-family subdivision, a QuikTrip development with a car wash, fuel pumps, and alcohol sales, a new drive-through permit, and county-wide rule changes for short-term rentals and nuisance properties — though as with all agenda items, any of these could be deferred, withdrawn, or tabled before a vote occurs.

DeKalb County School District Board of Education

The school board's Policy Committee met on May 28 and reviewed a significant new draft policy — Policy JBCF — that would designate school campuses as "Safe Zones" and establish protocols for how staff should respond to federal immigration enforcement; no final vote was taken, and the policy moves to the full Board for future action. The committee also reviewed proposed updates to policies governing how board committees are structured and how official board meetings are conducted, both of which remain under active consideration. Separately, the district's Audit Committee met the same day to discuss the framework for an upcoming forensic audit — including the auditing firm, scope, and timeline — and received a staff update on corrective actions stemming from a prior E-SPLOST audit of education sales tax revenues. No formal votes were taken at either session, but the forensic audit discussion is particularly notable for taxpayers, as it signals the district is responding to past financial oversight concerns with a deeper independent investigation.

Notable Neighborhood Mentions

DeKalb County Board of Commissioners
- Clairmont Road at Rosecliff Drive — A new traffic roundabout is proposed for this intersection and is scheduled to be heard at the May 27 commission meeting.

Meetings This Week
- DeKalb County School District — Board of Education — Monday, June 1, 2026. The board is scheduled to receive a presentation on the E-SPLOST VII Resolution, a proposed Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax that would fund school capital improvements, technology upgrades, and facility renovations across the district. No vote is expected at this session.
- DeKalb County School District — Board of Education — Monday, June 1, 2026. The board is scheduled to hold its first budget presentation and first millage rate hearing, both with dedicated community input sessions. No budget adoption or millage rate vote is expected at this session — residents will have an opportunity to weigh in before any decisions are finalized.
- DeKalb County Board of Commissioners — Committee of the Whole — Tuesday, June 2, 2026 at 9:00 AM, 178 Sam's Street, Decatur (Multipurpose Room A1201). A wide-ranging agenda is scheduled to include proposed stormwater and residential trash fee increases, a possible extension of the county's moratorium on new data center construction, a Water Customer Bill of Rights, civilian oversight of the county's "Digital Shield" surveillance infrastructure, and more than $345 million in water and sewer infrastructure contracts. A roundabout at SR 155/Clairmont Road and Rosecliff Drive is also on the agenda for consideration.

CONSTRUCTION

Permits

- 1051 Oak Tree Rd — A $71.5M mixed-use development permitted on the former North DeKalb Mall site. This is the "Block A2" portion of what's shaping up to be one of the bigger redevelopment stories in the county.
- Peachtree Creek Greenway (Briarcliff Rd to Knob Hill Dr) — An $800K permit closed for a 1,517-linear-foot greenway connection. The trail link between Briarcliff Road and Knob Hill Drive is done on paper — a notable win for walkability in the area.
- 2710 Lulah Ave — $329K commercial plumbing and gas line work. The size of the permit suggests something significant is being built out or overhauled here.
- 3011 N Druid Hills Rd — A new restaurant permitted with full kitchen buildout: equipment, floor drains, hand sinks, ADA bathrooms. A fresh dining option is taking shape.
- Oak Grove Rd — $150K permit for a pool house. Outdoor construction ahead for neighbors nearby.
- Berkeley Ln — $85K interior remodel converting a garage and storage area into living space.
- Willivee Dr — $95K addition covering a rear sunroom, deck, and guest bathroom renovation.
- Shallowford Presbyterian Church — $50K plumbing remodel underway. Fixtures are coming out and going back in as part of a broader finish renovation.

Elsewhere, 34 additional residential and minor permits were filed across the area — mostly routine single-family work — totaling roughly $264K.

Road Work

Under Construction
- SR-236 Left Turn Lane Extension @ SR-155 (DeKalb County) — GDOT is extending the eastbound left turn lane at the SR-236/SR-155 intersection, about 1.5 miles from the neighborhood. If you're cutting through that corridor, expect some lane disruption around the intersection.
- SR-10, SR-13 & SR-410 Bridge Preservation — 6 Locations (DeKalb County) — Active bridge work is underway at six spots across DeKalb along these routes, covering polymer overlay, repainting, deck repairs, joint replacements, and header work. If any of these roads are part of your regular commute, budget extra time and watch for lane restrictions near bridge structures.

Pre-Construction

- SR-236 Resurfacing (DeKalb County) — Pavement work along SR-236 from the Fulton County line to I-285, covering about 0.9 miles. The road's condition score has flagged it for attention, so this one's been prioritized by the District Maintenance Office. No construction yet, but it's coming.
- SR-8/US-29 Resurfacing (DeKalb County) — A corridor-wide resurfacing spanning the full stretch of SR-8/US-29 from the Fulton County line all the way to the Gwinnett County line. A long haul of pavement work that will eventually affect travel across multiple parts of the area.
- North Druid Hills Road Signal & Widening at US-78 (DeKalb County) — One of the more consequential projects in the queue. Plans call for a new traffic signal at the US-78/SR-410 westbound exit ramp at North Druid Hills Road, plus widening of North Druid Hills Road to add eastbound turn lanes. If you use this interchange regularly, this will change how it flows — for the better, eventually.
- North Druid Hills Road Bridge at CSX Rail Crossing (DeKalb County) — Bridge work along a 2,600-foot corridor on North Druid Hills Road between Spring Creek Drive and Willivee Drive. The CSX crossing is the focus, and when this one moves into construction, expect that stretch to get complicated.
- SR-410/US-78 Lane Extension at North Druid Hills Road (DeKalb County) — A companion project to the signal work above. The eastbound shared through/right-turn lane on North Druid Hills Road will be extended by roughly 245 feet, with drainage work on the south side of the road included. Small change, meaningful impact on that bottleneck.
- SR-155/US-23 at SR-236 Restriping (DeKalb County) — A straightforward restriping project at the intersection of Clairmont Road and LaVista Road. Low drama, but worth knowing it's planned.
- SR-155/US-23 Corridor Improvements, Rosecliff Drive to I-85 (DeKalb County) — A 1.5-mile stretch of Clairmont Road between the I-85 northbound exit ramp and LaVista Road is in line for operational improvements. Details on the full scope are still being refined, but this is a heavily traveled corridor and the work will be noticeable when it begins.
- SR-155 at North Druid Hills Road — Shared Use Path & Sidewalk (DeKalb County) — Plans include a shared-use path along the south side of North Druid Hills Road and a 6-foot sidewalk along the north side, connecting the SR-155/Clairmont Road intersection toward Azalea Circle. Good news for pedestrians and cyclists once it materializes.
- SR-10/SR-410/US-78 Sign Upgrades at 9 Locations (DeKalb & Gwinnett Counties) — Signage upgrades at nine spots along the Memorial Drive/Stone Mountain Freeway corridor. Spans two counties; the DeKalb locations are closest to this area.
- I-285 Bridge Preservation at 4 Locations (DeKalb County) — Maintenance work on four I-285 bridges in DeKalb, including polymer overlay, superstructure painting, joint replacement, header repair, and vegetation removal. Preservation work like this tends to mean lane restrictions when it eventually gets underway.