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Hey, Southwest Beltline! This week: leaders from Spelman and Morehouse broke ground on The Den at 850 West, a $147 million student housing complex in the West End, and the city has cleared 20 blighted buildings beside the Westside Trail. Read on for the Atlanta City Council's Monday vote on selling the city detention center to Fulton County, plus a packed Saturday of Beltline fitness, books and Halloween fun.

- News — The West End's new student housing complex leads the way, followed by the cleared Azalea Gardens site along the Westside Trail, West End's tripled home values, and the lifted boil water advisory.
- Events — Saturday is stacked, with a free Beltline arboretum tree tour, Core + More at Pittsburgh Yards, a poetry reading at Offbeat Books and a jazz jam at Lee + White, while Oakland Cemetery's Halloween tours run Oct. 22–25 and the West End's Halloween drag bingo brunch lands Sunday.
- Government — City Council takes up the $68 million detention center sale, data center water limits and a BeltLine safety study, while several Beltline-corridor rezonings, including Murphy Triangle and 1200 White Street SW, are on the docket.
- Construction — A 31-unit apartment building on Lee Street is getting wired, a coffee roastery buildout is moving forward at 795 Lee St SW, and the EdgeConnex data center is planning to add a new server room.

Let's dive in.

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Atlanta leaders break ground on affordable student housing
Leaders from Spelman College and Morehouse College broke ground on The Den at 850 West in the West End neighborhood. The new residential development is designed to provide dedicated, affordable housing options for students attending the Atlanta University Center. Project organizers expect the complex to help alleviate broader student housing cost pressures in the surrounding area.

Photos: Blighted complexes neighboring Beltline fully cleared away
The City of Atlanta has completed the demolition of 20 vacant buildings at the former Azalea Gardens Apartments along Joseph E. Boone Boulevard. The cleared property sits directly adjacent to Segment 4 of the Atlanta Beltline's Westside Trail. The site now provides open acreage along the newly paved multi-use trail corridor.

Analysis: Where metro ATL home prices have exploded since 2015
A new decade-long real estate analysis by the Justin Landis Group identified the West End as one of metro Atlanta's leading areas for home price appreciation since 2015. Researchers analyzed Multiple Listing Service sales data across neighborhoods and municipalities to track long-term valuation trends. The study highlighted the West End alongside select suburban pockets as having anomalous property value gains over the past ten years.

Boil water advisory impacting metro Atlanta communities lifted
A multi-day boil water advisory affecting the City of Atlanta and parts of Fulton County has been fully lifted. Municipal watershed officials confirmed that consecutive rounds of water testing verified the system meets all safety standards for drinking and food preparation.

Atlanta’s Zoning 2.0 plan faces criticism over complexity and housing goals
Atlanta city officials and zoning expert Sara C. Bronin scrutinized the city's proposed ATL Zoning 2.0 draft during an October 15 work session. The analysis warned that the nearly 1,000-page overhaul remains too complex to effectively expand housing supply and meet affordability goals.

Atlanta City Council to Vote on Selling City Detention Center to Fulton County
The Atlanta City Council is scheduled to take a final vote on an agreement to sell the Atlanta City Detention Center to the Fulton County government. The proposed transfer follows negotiations between Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and the Fulton County Board of Commissioners to address detention capacity and regional facilities.

Fulton Commission Races Heat Up as Early Voting Launches Across Metro
Early voting is underway across Fulton County for elections that will determine five of the seven seats on the Board of Commissioners, including the commission chair. The results will reshape county governance and policy ahead of new terms beginning in January.

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Monday, October 19
- JOURNEY – Final Frontier Tour (An Evening With) | State Farm Arena
- Walk with Ease | Lee + White - Great Lawn
- Monday Night Spookies - Beetlejuice | Monday Night Brewing - The Garage
- Black Men Run Atlanta | Lee + White
- Weird Girl LitFic Book Club: My Sister, the Serial Killer | Offbeat Books

Tuesday, October 20
- Teddy Swims – The Ugly Tour | State Farm Arena
- The Raging Nathans, Canadian Rifle, Spray Tan, Bronson Arm, & Burnt Out | Boggs Social & Supply

Wednesday, October 21
- Atlanta Dream: WNBA Finals | Game 3 | State Farm Arena

Thursday, October 22
- Trees Atlanta Author Talk: Feed Us with Trees | Trees Atlanta Kendeda Tree House
- Capturing the Spirit of Oakland (Oct. 22–25) | Oakland Cemetery
- Sweet Gloom | eyedrum art & music gallery

Friday, October 23
- EQUE PRESENTS: THE FIRST GATHERING (Oct. 23–24) | Wild Heaven Beer

Saturday, October 24
- H. D. Hunter with Terry J. Benton-Walker | 44th & 3rd Bookseller
- Atlanta United FC vs. Chicago Fire FC | Atlanta’s Stadium
- e-Bike Lesson with Lime | Lee + White Parking Garage
- Core + More | Pittsburgh Yards -- James Bridges Field
- Tree Tour: Atlanta Beltline Arboretum Southwest Trail | Rose Circle Park
- ArtBeat Saturday (Youth) | Lee + White - Great Lawn
- Pittsburgh Community Market - March 7th to Oct 2026! | Pittsburgh Yards
- Poetry Signing & Reading: Ansley Moon | Offbeat Books
- JAZZ JAM SESSION | Lee + White
- Vic Bondi And His Issues | The Crosses | Gardens of... | Los Ojos Muertos | eyedrum art & music gallery
- MVTANT and Pink Stiletto, TWINS, and DJ Sxft Chains (Oct. 24–25) | Boggs Social & Supply

Sunday, October 25
- BREWHAHA Drag Bingo Brunch: The Halloween Show | Wild Heaven West End Brewery & Garden

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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

Atlanta NPU NPU-T's agenda for October 14 covered a rezoning request that would allow two-family homes on a single-family lot, a request to allow a 60-square-foot flashing electronic sign, and a plan to split one residential lot into two. The group also had an informational presentation on transit and pedestrian improvements around the Ashby MARTA Station on its agenda. The NPU-V agenda for October 12 took up two variance requests. One would pull a building within 10 feet of the street instead of the required 40 and limit parking to one off-street space per unit. The other would allow construction within 3 feet of a rear property line. NPU votes are advice only, and both variance cases head to the Board of Zoning Adjustment in November. Minutes aren't published yet for any of these meetings, so outcomes aren't confirmed.

Atlanta City Council The Finance/Executive Committee had the proposed $68 million sale of the city detention center to Fulton County on its agenda, which is covered in today's news section. It also took up the 2027 property tax rates and a resolution urging that developers behind on taxes, data centers in particular, be barred from receiving tax incentives. The City Utilities Committee had more than $60 million in water and sewer upgrades in front of it, along with a ban on using drinking water to cool data centers, a ban on septic tanks for new commercial buildings, and a proposal to ease sudden water bill spikes. The Zoning Committee had a full rewrite of the city's zoning code and map on its docket, plus a new legal definition of "family" that could change household occupancy rules. It also considered several rezonings of industrial land along the Beltline into mixed-use areas with apartments over shops. The Public Safety & Legal Administration Committee looked at a ban on the city buying weapon-equipped robots and a $350,000 lawsuit settlement tied to a police incident, along with five smaller settlements and a $582,102 federal policing grant. The Transportation Committee considered a $2 million federal grant for the Centennial Yards street project and several street abandonments that could hand public roads to private developers. The Community Development/Human Services Committee weighed $21.85 million in added park construction and maintenance funding and $24 million in federal housing grants.

Notable Neighborhood Mentions

Atlanta NPU
- 672 Cascade Avenue SW — A rezoning from R-4 single-family to R-5 two-family residential is being proposed to allow construction of a duplex.

Atlanta City Council
- Murphy Triangle (1089 Allene Ave SW, 1078 Biglin St SW, 1050 Murphy Ave SW, 0 & 1100 Sylvan Rd SW) — A rezoning from light industrial to industrial mixed-use is being proposed to implement the BeltLine Subarea 2 Masterplan.
- 1200 White Street SW — A rezoning from industrial mixed-use to mixed residential and commercial is being proposed along the BeltLine corridor.
- 672 Cascade Avenue SW — A rezoning from single-family residential to residential general is being proposed to permit multi-unit residential development.
- 947 Sims Street SW — A special use permit application is being proposed to operate a personal care home within the neighborhood.

Meetings This Week
- Atlanta City Council — Committee on Council | Oct-19, 11:30 AM | key topics: law enforcement officers at recreation center voting precincts, public comment procedure updates, independent inquiry into contracting practices
- Atlanta City Council | Oct-19, 1:00 PM | key topics: $68 million sale of the city detention center, data center drinking water restrictions, Memorial Drive Greenway park expansion, BeltLine safety study
- Fulton County Board of Commissioners | Oct-21, 10:00 AM | key topics: North Point Mall tax allocation district funding, senior transportation contract extensions, 2027 departmental budget caps, AI governance policy

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Permits
- 1101 Donnelly Ave SW — Commercial alteration filed (pending review) to convert former shell space at the EdgeConnex ATL02 site into a data center server room, called Data Hall 4. It's a sign the facility is growing.
- 889 Lee St SW — Electrical and low voltage permits issued for a new 3-story, 31-unit apartment building. Ground level includes dwelling units and parking.
- 795 Lee St SW — Electrical permit issued for a coffee roastery buildout.
- 609 Whitehall St SW — Two commercial permits filed (pending review) for a conversion and alteration. The work includes new kitchen equipment, refaced and painted countertops, shiplap accents, fresh paint, new flooring and replaced deck boards. Looks like a restaurant or bar refresh.
- 1128 Cordova St SW — Multifamily addition permit filed. The plan removes and adds some interior walls and builds a new two-story addition with a kitchen and laundry. The city has asked for additional materials, so it's not moving yet.
- 929 Lee St SW — Low voltage permit issued for a new fire alarm notification device in Suite B240.
- 840 Woodrow St SW — Low voltage permit issued to replace an expired original permit, and an underground fire line passed its final flush inspection and closed as approved. Both point to a project in its final stretch.

Road Work

Under Construction
- SR 14 bridge over the Beltline Westside Trail — Crews are refurbishing the SR 14 bridge over the Westside Trail, adding a concrete lining to the structure that also spans MARTA, the CSX tracks and Murphy Avenue. GDOT lists it as about 65% complete.
- SR 14 resurfacing from Norman Berry Drive — SR 14 is being repaved from Norman Berry Drive to the CSX crossing. GDOT lists it as about 56% complete.
- I-20 bridge repairs at two Fulton sites — Two I-20 bridges in Fulton County are getting concrete repairs, new joints and bearings, and fresh paint on their steel beams. Work has only just started.
- I-20 lighting, Linkwood Road to I-85 — Streetlights along I-20 from Linkwood Road to I-85 are being replaced with energy-efficient LEDs. GDOT lists it as about halfway done.

Service Requests
- Traffic Signal Repairs: You'll find non-emergency requests at Ralph David Abernathy and Murphy Ave SW, Metropolitan Pkwy and Deckner Ave, and Oakland Dr and Avon Ave. An emergency Level 1 repair was also filed at Lucile Ave and Holderness St.
- Potholes: Drivers have reported them on Ira St SW, at Allene Ave and Erin Ave, and on Metropolitan Pkwy SW.
- Downed Trees: Reports came in for Stokes Ave SW, Donnelly Ave SW, and Alvarado Ter SW.
- Litter Removal (Right of Way): You'll see requests for Belmont Ave SW, Fortress Ave and Delevan St, and Ralph D Abernathy Blvd and Hopkins St.
- Overgrowth and Visibility: Someone flagged overgrown vegetation at Atwood St and Sells Ave.

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Until next week,
Southwest Beltline 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.