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Hey, O4W / L5P / Candler Park! This week: Junkman's Daughter is getting a bold new look courtesy of local artist BlackCatTips, and city council just made waves by killing the Peachtree Circle historic district while pushing to revive Beltline light rail talk. Plus, Hamilton rolls into the Fox, Shaky Knees hits Piedmont Park, Yan Karaoke inches closer to its Reynoldstown debut, and Candler Park's Fall Ball is back with more games than ever.

- News — Junkman's Daughter gets a street-art makeover, council members push to revive Beltline rail, and the Lantern Parade prepares its comeback after last year's washout.
- Business — Yan Karaoke is tuning up its 15,000-square-foot Reynoldstown venue for a holiday-season grand opening.
- Events — Hamilton lands at the Fox, DOMi & JD Beck groove into Variety Playhouse, and Candler Park's Fall Ball brings back casino night with neighbors.
- Government — Council killed the Peachtree Circle historic district in a close vote, approved a massive Logan Circle rezoning, and moved to sell the city jail to Fulton County for $68 million.
- Construction — A fire-damaged Winton Terrace building gets repaired, and a new tenant is prepping to move into 547 Ponce de Leon.

Let's dive in.

NEWS

Junkman's Daughter is getting a colorful new face in Little Five Points
Little Five Points landmark Junkman's Daughter is undergoing an exterior transformation led by popular Atlanta folk artist Kyle Brooks, known as BlackCatTips. The facade update brings fresh street art to Moreland Avenue.

Council members urge Dickens administration to revisit Beltline rail
District 2 Councilmember Kelsea Bond, whose district includes Inman Park and Candler Park, has introduced a City Council resolution urging Mayor Andre Dickens to reconsider light rail on the Atlanta Beltline. Co-sponsored by nine colleagues, the measure requests that the city, MARTA, and Atlanta Beltline Inc. present an actionable construction timeline and plan by January 2027.

Atlanta's Lantern Parades are more than 'illuminated, animated giant puppets' that appear to have come to life
A deep dive into creator Chantelle Rytter's Atlanta BeltLine Lantern Parade highlights the artistry behind the signature Eastside tradition. Following severe weather cancellations in 2025, the community is preparing for the return of the illuminated procession that draws thousands along the Beltline corridor.

Atlanta Beltline Launches Resident Resource Guide to Connect Residents with Financial and Homebuying Resources
The Atlanta Beltline Partnership has relaunched its free online Resident Resources Guide, providing a directory of local programs that support homeownership, financial stability, and legacy resident retention. The updated tool covers Beltline neighborhoods navigating affordability challenges and housing assistance access.

City of Atlanta accepts Fulton County's offer to purchase Atlanta City Detention Center
Mayor Andre Dickens has formally informed the Fulton County Board of Commissioners that the City of Atlanta will accept the county's offer to purchase the Atlanta City Detention Center for $68 million. The Mayor states the agreement “is expected to deliver over $600 million in net present value to Fulton County taxpayers by leveraging existing detention capacity and avoiding substantially greater future capital costs.”

BUSINESS

Yan Karaoke prepares to open at Atlanta Dairies in Reynoldstown — Yan Karaoke is on track to open its 15,000-square-foot entertainment hub at Atlanta Dairies in Reynoldstown this holiday season after addressing neighborhood design and preservation concerns.

EVENTS | Presented by

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Monday, September 14
- The Holdup - The BUYING TIME Tour | Aisle 5
- Atlanta Run Club: Monday Night Runs | Ponce City Market
- CPNO Board Meeting September | Candler Park

Tuesday, September 15
- Jeremy Redmon - “Tell the Kids I Love Them” | Carter Presidential Library
- DOMi & JD Beck | Variety Playhouse
- Hamilton (Touring) | Fox Theatre - Atlanta
- DeKalb Symphony Orchestra Season 62 Opening Night | Schwartz Center for Performing Arts

Wednesday, September 16
- Story Time | Fernbank Museum of Natural History
- Nathan Mitchell | City Winery Atlanta
- Bite Club: A Taste of México | Recuerdos Cafe

Thursday, September 17
- The Milk Carton Kids Fall Tour | Variety Playhouse
- Documentaries with a Conscience: A Conversation with Oscar®-winning producer-director Joshua Seftel | Emory University
- Opening event for “From Tablet to Tablet: Exploring Emory's Jewish Studies Collections” | Emory University
- Blends & Blues Jazz Night Hotbox | 54 Hilliard St NE
- Tio Lucho's Hosts Nikkei Night With Chefs Arnaldo Castillo and Jorom Paler | 675 N Highland Ave NE, Atlanta, GA, 30306

Friday, September 18
- Shaky Knees Music Festival | Piedmont Park Magnolia Hall

- Catch23 | Dad's Garage
- LUKR Beer Dinner | New Realm Brewing
- Shaky Knees Presents: Jimmy Eat World | 18+ | The Masquerade
- Fall Ball | Candler Park
- Shaky Knees Presents: The Rapture | 18+ | The Masquerade

Saturday, September 19
- Forestry Day | Fernbank Museum of Natural History
- Oktoberfest | 550 Somerset Ter NE, Atlanta, GA
- King of Pops Yoga | Historic Fourth Ward Park - Greenspace D
- Walk Druid Hills 10 year anniversary walk | Druid Hills Civic Association Events
- Tree Tour: Inman Park Neighborhood Arboretum | Inman Park Neighborhood Arboretum
- Food & Street Art Tour on the Atlanta Beltline | 99 Krog St NE
- Fall Equinox: Balance & Release | Madame C.J. Walker Boutique Museum
- Shaky Knees Presents: Knocked Loose | 18+ | The Masquerade
- Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Football vs. Mercer Bears Football | Bobby Dodd Stadium

Sunday, September 20
- Barks & Bites: Beltline Doggie Crawl | Krog Street Market
- Family Nature Walk | Fernbank Museum of Natural History
- Lacey Sturm | City Winery Atlanta
- Songbird Showcase | The Supermarket

GOVERNMENT | Presented by

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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

DeKalb County Board of Commissioners
The Committee of the Whole sent a stack of big-ticket items to the full board, including a $17.88 million loan to fix up the Shoal Creek sewer trunk line and nearly $8 million combined in design contracts for the Michelle Obama Trail extension, Flat Shoals Parkway sidewalks, and a North Druid Hills Road bridge replacement. Commissioners also advanced $2.9 million in new contracts to expand in-home and mobile healthcare access for uninsured and underinsured residents countywide. A 40-week compost pilot program got the green light for 500 unincorporated households, and a $1.85 million increase for facilities painting and pressure washing moved forward too. On the community side, $130,000 in District 5 funding for youth safety programs and area marching bands advanced on consent. You'll also want to know a resolution to rename the DeKalb Police East Precinct after former Chief Eddie Moody got referred to committee for further review.

Atlanta City Council
The full council approved a massive rezoning of nearly 37 acres along Logan Circle and Chattahoochee Avenue, swapping old industrial land for apartments and ground-floor retail, and it unanimously passed new consumer protections cracking down on predatory tactics at private “park-for-hire” parking lots, requiring clear rate disclosure and easier dispute resolution. In a close 11-4 vote, the council killed the proposed Peachtree Circle Historic District, denying the added protections four members had pushed for. As covered in today's news section, the council also introduced legislation to sell the Atlanta City Detention Center to Fulton County for up to $68 million, sending it to the Public Safety Committee for review. Council members separately approved $17.8 million to lease new police vehicles and equipment, and okayed $4.5 million for Buckhead street resurfacing done in partnership with that area's Community Improvement District. At the Committee on Council meeting, members unanimously advanced a new “Civility Pledge” for councilmembers meant to encourage more professional public deliberation, while holding back a proposal that would let residents speak at meetings in strict sign-up order and a request for an independent investigation into city contracts tied to former staffer Foris Webb, III.

Notable Neighborhood Mentions

Atlanta City Council
- 686 Highland Ave NE — The Atlanta City Council filed an ordinance to rezone the property from two-family residential to commercial service, effectively rejecting the proposed rezoning.

DeKalb County Board of Commissioners
- 1080 Clifton Rd — An appeal of a DeKalb County Historic Preservation Commission decision regarding the property was scheduled for consideration before the full Board of Commissioners.

Meetings This Week
- DeKalb County School District — Board of Education | Sep-14 | key topics: superintendent sole finalist announcement, portable air conditioning contract renewal, school capital modernization projects
- Atlanta City Council — Zoning Committee | Sep-14, 11:00 AM | key topics: proposed citywide zoning code rewrite, District 8 subdivision moratorium, Ellsworth Industrial mixed-use rezoning
- Atlanta City Council — Public Safety & Legal Administration Committee | Sep-14, 1:00 PM | key topics: proposed city detention center sale, police camera expansion, abandoned-property cleanup contract
- DeKalb County Board of Commissioners — Board of Commissioners | Sep-15, 9:00 AM
- Atlanta City Council — City Utilities Committee | Sep-15, 10:00 AM | key topics: proposed restrictions on data center drinking-water use, data center task force, street resurfacing funding
- Atlanta City Council — Community Development/Human Services Committee | Sep-15, 1:30 PM | key topics: BeltLine light rail transit support, tree recompense fee waivers for affordable housing, short-term rental regulation updates, Comprehensive Development Plan land use amendments
- DeKalb County School District — Board of Education | Sep-16 | key topics: E-SPLOST VII sales tax program updates, executive session action items
- Atlanta City Council — Transportation Committee | Sep-16, 10:00 AM | key topics: BeltLine Southside Trail funding, full-loop BeltLine light rail support, airport Plane Train expansion
- Fulton County Board of Commissioners — Board of Commissioners | Sep-16, 10:00 AM | key topics: proposed property tax millage rates, English Avenue affordable housing funding, public comment rules
- Atlanta City Council — Finance/Executive Committee | Sep-16, 1:30 PM | key topics: proposed detention center sale and leaseback, property tax millage rates, BeltLine refinancing bonds

CONSTRUCTION

Permits
- 868 Artwood Rd NE — $150K outdoor renovation closed out. Crews removed trees and put in a pool, retaining walls, patio, and landscaping. Expect the noise and dust to already be behind this one.
- 547 Ponce de Leon Ave NE — Full interior renovation filed to convert this space into a new business occupancy, with new paint, finishes, and lighting. Watch for a new tenant moving into this spot soon.
- 555 Winton Ter NE — Interior repairs underway on this multi-family building after fire damage. No structural changes planned, so residents should see a straightforward fix-up rather than a major overhaul.
- 1784 N Decatur Rd NE — Fire sprinkler upgrades issued for floors 4 and 5 of Emory's North Decatur building. Routine but worth knowing if you work or study in that building.
- 1585 S Ponce de Leon Ave NE — New 5' black steel fence and 6' gate issued. A security upgrade for the property, nothing that should disrupt the block.
- 309 N Highland Ave NE — Sitework permitted for a new 6" fire service line. Expect some digging and possible lane or sidewalk impacts near this stretch of N Highland.
- 665 N Ave NE — Electrical permit pending for a large 2400-amp generator install. Commercial backup power upgrade, likely tied to a bigger operation on site.
- 378 Clifton Rd NE — No construction here, just a use change from a hair salon to a graphic design business. Low-impact, but it signals more office-style tenants moving into the corridor.

Road Work

Under Construction
- SR 42/US 23 @ SR 154 & @ Arkwright Place — Crews are converting the intersection of SR 42 / Moreland Avenue and Arkwright Place into a right-in/right-out setup. The work adds a median that blocks left turns at that intersection.
- SR 154 @ 7 Locations in DeKalb & 1 Location in Fulton, VRU Improvements — This project adds a mid-block pedestrian crossing, a right-in/right-out, and a restricted crossing U-turn along SR 154 / Memorial Drive between Hill Street and Pearl Street. It spans DeKalb and Fulton counties.
- SR 8 & SR 8 WE from SR 3 to SR 42 — GDOT crews are resurfacing this stretch of SR 8 in Fulton County to fix its low pavement condition score.
- I-75 @ Ralph McGill Blvd & Baker Street, Tunnel Lighting — Crews are swapping the old HPS tunnel lights for energy-efficient LED fixtures at these two I-75 tunnels. The work may also include new conduit and wiring.
- I-20 from Capitol Ave to Flat Shoals Road, Lighting — This project replaces old HPS lighting along I-20 with LED fixtures, with possible pole and conduit upgrades. It runs through both DeKalb and Fulton counties.

Service Requests
- Downed Trees — Crews responded to five reports on Edgewood Ave NE, Hardendorf Ave NE, and Felton Dr NE. Most are already closed out or canceled.
- Overgrowth and Visibility Issues — Reported at Gordon Ave and DeKalb Ave, Ralph McGill Blvd NE, John Wesley Dobbs Ave NE, and Howell St NE. Two are marked solved, one's closed, and one's still in progress.
- Litter Removal — Crews are working through three requests at Cain St and Jackson St, Sterling St NE, and William Holmes Borders Dr SE at Pittman Pl SE.
- Potholes — A report on Bernina Ave NE is in progress.

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Until next week,
O4W / L5P / Candler Park Busybody

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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.