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Hey, O4W / L5P / Candler Park! This week: the Atlanta Beltline has locked down the last piece of land it needed for the full 22-mile loop, and Southern Dairies just hit the market across from Ponce City Market. Then there's a weekend stacked with Pride, Oakhurst Porchfest, and a few too many reasons to leave the house.

- News — The Beltline's final Blandtown parcel closes more than two decades of land assembly, while two Old Fourth Ward properties, including Southern Dairies, go up for sale and the Atlanta Horror Film Festival turns 20 in Little Five Points.
- Business — Florida's Pilar Coffee Bar is bringing a new café to Ansley Mall along the Beltline as part of a push toward more than 20 locations by the end of 2027.
- Events — Finn Wolfhard, Paris Paloma, and Public Image Ltd. take over Variety Playhouse, and the weekend adds Oakhurst Porchfest, the St. Elias Mid-East Festival, Fall Festival on Ponce, and the Atlanta Pride Parade.
- Government — Fulton ran a quick millage hearing, Atlanta paused a $68M detention center sale, and NPU-M weighed a big rezoning of light industrial land along the Beltline.
- Construction — A restaurant buildout is filed on Elizabeth Street, four new EV chargers are planned on Wilmer Street, and Ralph McGill potholes keep topping the service request list.

Let's dive in.

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Jamestown may sell Southern Dairies office complex
Real estate investment firm Jamestown has placed the Southern Dairies office complex on the market. The historic multi-building property sits across North Avenue from Ponce City Market in the Old Fourth Ward.

Atlanta Beltline secures final property to complete 22-mile trail
The $550,000 purchase of a 0.2-acre private parcel on English Street in Blandtown was the final piece needed for the 22-mile loop, capping nearly 200 closings totaling more than $200 million across more than 270 acres. Nearly 17 miles of the trail are complete, with total completion on track for 2030.

Images: Old Fourth Ward landmark up for grabs as 5-story 'blank slate'
Hilco Real Estate is accepting offers for 442 Cain St. NE, an aluminum-clad modern building above John Lewis Freedom Parkway that was expanded from a former bakery in 1998. It sits in a partially completed shell condition and is zoned C-2, and it last sold in April for $2 million; no base asking price is listed.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens says he's focused on implementing transit plans
In an interview after the Sept. 18 Atlanta Committee for Progress meeting, Dickens said it is time to move beyond planning and toward implementing transit. The Atlanta City Council voted unanimously to implement light rail on the 22-mile Beltline corridor, and Dickens described a closer relationship between the city and MARTA, whose general manager Jonathan Hunt was named in August.

Atlanta Horror Film Festival Marks 20 Years With 96 Films in Little Five Points
The four-day festival, running Thursday through Sunday at 7 Stages Theatre and other venues, includes six feature films, nine themed shorts programs, filmmaker meet-and-greets and a Saturday Horror Crawl. A full-day pass is $25, and an online selection of films streams on FestFlix.tv from Oct. 5 through Oct. 19.

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
- Robert Lester Folsom | Variety Playhouse
- Atlanta Run Club: Monday Night Runs | Ponce City Market

Tuesday, October 6
- Finn Wolfhard – The Common Side Effects Tour | Variety Playhouse
- Daley | City Winery Atlanta

Wednesday, October 7
- Paris Paloma | Variety Playhouse
- Carter Library October Book Club | Carter Presidential Library
- Story Time | Fernbank Museum of Natural History
- Zoning Committee Meeting October | Candler Park
- Squirrel Flower, Dari Bay, Hill View 73 at The EARL | The EARL

Thursday, October 8
- Sunset Tree Tour:The Living Legacy of Freedom Park | Jimmy Carter Presidential Library & Museum
- Public Image Ltd. | Variety Playhouse
- BlackGround | Dad's Garage
- Wild Fling '26 ~ A Tribute to South River Wildlife | Patagonia Atlanta Beltline
- Elle Varner | City Winery Atlanta

Friday, October 9
- Other Paths To God | Horizon Theatre
- Pattie Gonia: SAVE HER! – Ages 21+ | Variety Playhouse
- The Bottle Tree | Dad's Garage
- BALTHVS | Soul Village
- PRIDE FRIDAY: HARDRIVE W/ DJ MINX + SHAUN J WRIGHT | The Masquerade
- Fernbank After Dark: Nature's Nightmares | Fernbank Museum of Natural History

Saturday, October 10
- Tree Tour: History and Change on the Beltline | Inman Park Coffee
- Russian Circles w/ Pelican | Variety Playhouse
- Fall Festival on Ponce | 1451 Ponce de Leon
- Elephant Extravaganza | Fernbank Museum of Natural History
- 48th Annual St. Elias Mid-East Festival | St. Elias Orthodox Church
- King of Pops Yoga | Historic Fourth Ward Park - Greenspace D
- Little Love's Sensory Play Experience (Youth) | Thomas Taylor Memorial Skatepark
- Food & Street Art Tour on the Atlanta Beltline | 99 Krog St NE
- Oakhurst Porchfest | Oakhurst Neighborhood / Harmony Park
- The Jury Experience - Frankenstein on Trial: The Man Who Defied God | 7 Stages Theatre
- 2026 HUMP! Film Festival: FALL SEASON - Atlanta, GA | Plaza Theatre

Sunday, October 11
- Bright Eyes | Variety Playhouse
- Soul Brunch: A Tribute to Teena Marie & Rick James | City Winery Atlanta
- 2026 Atlanta Pride Parade | Piedmont Park

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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
Fulton commissioners held an eight-minute special meeting on Sept. 30 to run the required public hearing on the 2026 General Fund millage rate, which sets your county property tax rate. Two residents spoke by Zoom, and the board took no vote on the rate. Commissioners voted 4-0 to pull two employee health insurance items from the agenda. Those items were a contract renewal with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield and the 2027 premium rates for active and retired employees. The board still has to adopt a final millage rate, and that decision shapes what you'll pay on your next tax bill.

Atlanta City Council
The Finance/Executive Committee voted unanimously to hold the proposed $68 million sale of the Atlanta City Detention Center to Fulton County, with a 50-year leaseback, until Oct. 5. It also advanced a $325,000 donation to Gateway Center for homelessness services and a $438,005 weapons detection contract. The Transportation Committee approved a string of 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 and kept the BeltLine bike and vehicle lane proposal in committee. The Zoning Committee agenda included a citywide Special Use Permit requirement for new self-storage facilities and Councilmember Mary Norwood's sweeping rewrite of the zoning code, and the city hasn't posted outcomes yet. The City Utilities Committee took up protections against sudden water bill spikes, a $17.5 million transfer for a storage tank and pump station, and held proposals to ban drinking water for data center cooling. The Public Safety & Legal Administration Committee had citywide surveillance technology oversight, higher fire inspection fees, and a competing resolution to close the detention center on its agenda. The Community Development/Human Services Committee had park land purchases, tougher tree protections, and a $7.75 million federal lead hazard grant on its agenda.

DeKalb County Board of Commissioners
DeKalb commissioners met Sept. 29 with an agenda that included new zoning definitions and oversight for data centers, which would shape where power- and water-hungry facilities can locate. The board also took up an ordinance targeting street drifting and unauthorized camping, plus a $3.2 million design contract for 2.1 miles of sidewalks along Flat Shoals Parkway. Other items included a 10-year water and sewer capital plan and $640,000 in early design money for police and fire facilities. The county hasn't posted minutes for this meeting or for the board's Sept. 30 session, so outcomes aren't confirmed. The agenda also listed a resolution seeking civilian oversight of the county's surveillance camera network.

Atlanta Public Schools Board of Education
The Student Advisory Council met Sept. 30 at the Center for Learning and Leadership. The record shows no formal minutes or votes. Students talked through the district's "Forward 2040" long-term plan, efforts to strengthen the core curriculum, and updates from the council's standing committees. The session made no decisions on rezoning, budgets, or contracts, so nothing from it changes your schools or your taxes right now.

Atlanta NPU-M
NPU-M met virtually on Sept. 28 with a major proposal to rezone light industrial land along the BeltLine for a high-density apartment and retail project. The agenda also covered two residential setback variances and a downtown nightclub's new alcohol license application. Neighbors reviewed a long list of fall and winter festival permits for Historic Fourth Ward Park and Central Park, along with street closures for an Atlanta United event. The group also heard a Pedestrian Bill of Rights presentation and was set to vote on its 2027 bylaws. NPU votes are recommendations that go to the city, so they can steer the outcome, and the agenda doesn't show how members voted.

Notable Neighborhood Mentions

Atlanta City Council
- 687 Angier Ave NE — A proposed rezoning to Mixed Residential Commercial within the BeltLine overlay was considered by the committee.
- 707 Angier Ave NE — A rezoning proposal to Mixed Residential Commercial within the BeltLine overlay was taken up for review.
- 918 Austin Ave NE — A Special Use Permit application to permit outdoor dining within 1,000 feet of residential zoning was discussed by the committee.

Atlanta NPU
- 460 Decatur St SE — A rezoning from light industrial to mixed residential commercial alongside a comprehensive development plan amendment is being proposed to allow a multi-story mixed-use development.
- 478 Decatur St SE — A comprehensive development plan amendment is being proposed to redesignate the site from low-density mixed-use to high-density mixed-use for future redevelopment.

Meetings This Week
- Atlanta Public Schools — Board of Education | Oct-05 | key topics: FY2027 property tax levy request, Towns Elementary lease, capital improvement contracts for Mary Lin Elementary and Booker T. Washington High School
- Atlanta City Council — Committee on Council | Oct-05, 11:30 AM | key topics: police presence at recreation center polling sites, public comment sign-up procedures, board appointments to Invest Atlanta and Water and Sewer Appeals Board
- Atlanta City Council | Oct-05, 1:00 PM | key topics: special use permit requirements for self-storage facilities, funding for a new 12.6-acre park on Hamilton E. Holmes Drive, eliminating public pool admission fees, major mixed-use rezonings
- DeKalb County Board of Commissioners — Committee of the Whole | Oct-06, 5:30 PM | key topics: townhome and commercial salon rezonings on Briarcliff Road, federal HUD grants for neighborhood park renovations, regulations on street drifting and pet store animal sales
- Fulton County Board of Commissioners | Oct-07, 10:00 AM | key topics: public hearing and adoption of 2026 property tax millage rates, wastewater facility upgrades, discussion on combating property deed theft

CONSTRUCTION

Permits

- 337 Elizabeth St NE: Two filings are in for this two-story brick building. One covers a new common lobby and support spaces on the first floor (routed for review, 9/23). The other covers a restaurant buildout on the same floor (pending, 10/01). The restaurant plan has no kitchen, so expect a bar, café, or light-bite concept rather than a full-service spot.
- 1125 Ponce de Leon Ave NE: An alteration permit is in review for an apartment building finished in 1987 and renovated in 2014. The filing is a big one, so you may see more construction activity at the complex.
- 619 Edgewood Ave SE: A second-generation office space is getting a new layout. It's under review (9/23). Someone's moving in or reshuffling.
- 477 Wilmer St NE: A filing for two new breakers in an outdoor panel will power four Level 2 EV chargers (pending, 10/02). If you drive electric, that's four more places to plug in.
- 632 Kennesaw Ave NE: A full interior renovation is pending. It includes two bedrooms, two bathrooms, an office, and living, dining, and kitchen spaces, plus exterior improvements (10/02).
- 725 Ponce de Leon Ave NE: An electrical permit for a new feeder and branch circuits was issued on 9/02. It's quiet infrastructure work near the Ponce City Market stretch.
- 520 Edgewood Ave NE: An HVAC replacement was issued on 10/02. It's routine, but it's a commercial building, so you may see a crane or a delivery truck.
- 309 N Highland Ave NE: Four mini-split systems were issued on 10/02. Expect some rooftop or exterior equipment work.
- 1784 N Decatur Rd NE: A cooling system over 5 tons was issued on 9/16.

Road Work

Under Construction
- SR 42/Us 23 @ SR 154 & @ Arkwright Place — Crews are building a median to turn Moreland Avenue at Arkwright Place into a right-in/right-out intersection and adding a signalized pedestrian crossing.
- SR 8 & SR 8 We from SR 3 to SR 42 — Resurfacing of SR 8 to improve the road's low pavement condition score.
- SR 154 @ 7 Locs in Dekalb & 1 Loc in Fulton - Vru — The project adds mid-block pedestrian crossings, right-in/right-out restrictions and restricted crossing U-turns at several spots along Memorial Drive between Moreland Avenue and Candler Road, plus between Hill Street and Pearl Street.
- 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.
- I-20 from Capitol Ave to Flat Shoals Road - Lighting — Crews are swapping the old high-pressure sodium lights along this stretch for energy-efficient LEDs, and may also replace poles, conduit and wiring.

Service Requests
- Litter Removal: You'll see 20 reports clustered along Central Park Pl and Angier Ave, John Lewis Freedom Pkwy (including the Jackson St NE corner), and Pkwy Dr and Ralph McGill Blvd. Nine more spots round out the list.
- Potholes: Central Park Pl and Ralph McGill Blvd leads with five reports. Pkwy Dr and Ralph McGill Blvd has three, and Pkwy Dr NE between Ralph McGill and N Ave NE has two. Jackson St and Irwin St, Mell Ave NE, and three other spots also made the list. If you drive Ralph McGill, you already know.
- Traffic Signal Repair: Signals need attention at John Lewis Freedom Pkwy and Ralph McGill Blvd NE, DeKalb Ave and Krog St, Moreland Ave and DeKalb Ave, Fairview Rd and Oakdale Rd, and William H Borders Dr and Decatur St. Two other intersections were reported as well.
- Overgrowth and Visibility: Willoughby Way NE, Moreland Ave and DeKalb Ave, Blvd NE, DeKalb Ave and Delta Pl, and Angier Ave NE all have vegetation blocking sight lines.
- Sign Repair or Installation: Moreland Ave NE and Glen Iris Dr at N Ave need sign work.
- Downed Tree: A tree is down on Alta Ave NE.
- Graffiti: Someone tagged the right of way on Jackson St NE.

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Until next week,
O4W / L5P / Candler Park Busybody

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