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VaHi / Morningside
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Hey, VaHi / Morningside! This week: So. Fox just earned a spot on the New York Times' national best restaurants list, putting our neighborhood on the map in a big way, while a few blocks over the Talat Market team is prepping to open Some Luck, a Thai street food and cocktail bar, this October. Also worth your attention: a controversial $14.8 million tax break for the Amsterdam Walk Beltline development just cleared Invest Atlanta, and it's got neighbors talking.
- News — So. Fox's national recognition headlines a week that also brought a contentious tax break for Amsterdam Walk, a Beltline light rail vote, and a $236M water bill audit.
- Business — The chefs behind Talat Market are bringing casual Thai street food and cocktails to Poncey-Highland with their new spot, Some Luck.
- Events — From the AIDS Walk Atlanta Music Festival & 5K to Cocktails in the Garden and a North Highland community clean-up, there's a packed calendar to plan your week around.
- Government — Council committees advanced Beltline funding and body camera expansions while holding the Detention Center sale, and a District 8 subdivision freeze just went into effect.
- Construction — A 211-unit multifamily project is rising on La Vista Rd, and LED lighting upgrades are underway along I-85 near Lenox Road.
Let's dive in.
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NEWS
$14.8M tax break for Beltline development, a Best Restaurant nod, and $236M in unpaid water bills
Developer gets $14.8 million in tax savings for Beltline development at Amsterdam Walk
Invest Atlanta approved an estimated $14.8 million in 10-year tax savings for Portman Holdings to build 539 multifamily units and infrastructure at Amsterdam Walk, passing on a 6-2 vote despite opposition from surrounding neighborhood residents over density and public subsidies for the site bordering Piedmont Park.
Atlanta spot earns spot on New York Times' 2026 America's Best Restaurants list
The New York Times named So. Fox in Virginia Highland to its annual list of the 50 best restaurants across the country for 2026.
Atlanta Botanical Garden conservation center receives national award
The Atlanta Botanical Garden's Southeastern Center for Conservation, based at the Midtown and Piedmont Park campus, received a national award recognizing its biodiversity research and habitat restoration work protecting native flora.
Atlanta water audit reveals $236M in unpaid customer balances
A city audit found that Atlanta Department of Watershed Management customers owe more than $236 million in past-due water bills, prompting City Council members to question watershed officials about how the debt accumulated and its potential impact on rates and infrastructure funding.
Atlanta City Council to vote on 22-mile Beltline light rail plan
The Atlanta City Council will vote on a resolution backing light rail around the full 22-mile Beltline loop, directing officials to clarify funding and construction plans and to protect reserved transit corridors, including along the Eastside Beltline.
BUSINESS
Talat Market team debuts Thai street food bar Some Luck in Poncey-Highland
Talat Market team to open Thai street food bar Some Luck in Poncey-Highland — The duo behind Michelin-recommended Talat Market is opening Some Luck, a casual Thai street food and cocktail bar located beneath Otto's in Poncey-Highland, this October.
EVENTS | Presented by
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Queer film screenings, garden cocktails, and live music fill Smith's Olde Bar all week
Monday, September 21
- Atlanta Running Meetup | 7pm - 9pm/Park Tavern
- Monster Show For Monsters - A Variety Show | Red Light Cafe
Tuesday, September 22
- Weekly Walking Club | Green Market
- Cinevision Vol. 3 | The Supermarket
- Yoga in the Park | Green Market
- Visit Neptune at Smith's | Smith's Olde Bar
Wednesday, September 23
- Dead Eyes LIVE at Smith's Olde Bar (Atlanta, GA) | Music Room at Smith's Olde Bar
- Light Bites & Garden Insights | Atlanta Botanical Garden
- Lavender Lens: Queer Film Screening | The Supermarket
- Larry Griffith Band: Larry Griffith solo at World Famous Fat Matt's Rib Shack, 7-9:30! | Fat Matt's Rib Shack
- Collage Night - September | The Supermarket ATL
- 65 North Pickers | Smith's Olde Bar
Thursday, September 24
- Calder Allen | Smith's Olde Bar
- Cocktails in the Garden | Atlanta Botanical Garden
- Art Cafe | The Supermarket ATL
- Figure Drawing | Piedmont Park
Friday, September 25
- Gabrielle Cavassa: Jazz on the Lawn | Callanwolde Fine Arts Center
- Shows for Seedlings: Opera Storytime with The Atlanta Opera | Atlanta Botanical Garden
- Pterocat, Nina Garbus, Girl Saint, Ben Again | MJQ Concourse
- Owen Riegling In The Feeling Tour at Smith's Olde Bar | Smith's Olde Bar
Saturday, September 26
- AIDS Walk Atlanta Music Festival & 5K Run | Piedmont Park
- Green Market | Piedmont Park
- ✨🧣 Community Clean-Up | Virginia Highland District Association
- Healthy Soil: Reimagining Compost | Atlanta Botanical Garden
- The Vegetarian Spice Table | Atlanta Botanical Garden
- Chinese Watercolor: Peonies | Atlanta Botanical Garden
- Resin Art with Dried Flowers | Atlanta Botanical Garden
- Frog Feeding | Atlanta Botanical Garden
- Garden of Eden Ball | Atlanta Botanical Garden
Sunday, September 27
- 1k Pson – Proof of Life: The Hope Revival | Music Room at Smith's Olde Bar
- Scott Low | Blind Willie's Blues Club
- 4th Annual Taste of PiHi + PHCA Annual Meeting | Piedmont Heights Civic Association
- Deadly Prey Gallery and Art Market | The Supermarket ATL
- Nocturnal Creatures Troupe presents: The Unsolved Mystery of Ms. Patsy Climb | The Supermarket ATL
GOVERNMENT | Presented by
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Beltline light rail advances, body cameras get $40M boost, and detention center sale on hold
Note: our information comes from posted meetings documents (agendas and minutes when available) — latest source document hyperlinked to each meeting.
Past Week Roundup
Council committees covered a lot of ground this week. At the Finance/Executive Committee, members advanced refunding bonds for the BeltLine, signed off on hosting the 2028 Olympic Torch Relay at no cost to the city, and approved millions more for HVAC maintenance, electrical contracts and architecture and engineering services, while holding a $68 million proposed sale of the Atlanta City Detention Center to Fulton County for further review. The Zoning Committee approved a 180-day freeze on new subdivisions of three or more lots in Council District 8, advanced a substitute version of the city's comprehensive zoning rewrite while holding the underlying ordinance for more work, and backed landmark status for southwest Atlanta's historic "Just Us" neighborhood. The Public Safety & Legal Administration Committee approved a $40 million expansion of police body and fleet cameras, phased fee hikes for fire inspections and permits, and a $600,000 legal settlement, while holding the detention center sale for more review. The City Utilities Committee took up a proposal (agenda only, so no vote outcome yet) to ban data centers from using drinking water for cooling and to create a task force studying data center regulation, alongside more than $37 million in water and sewer infrastructure spending. The Transportation Committee took up (also agenda only) a $71.3 million Plane Train car purchase, a $1.28 billion cap increase for the airport's Concourse D expansion, and $7.5 million for street resurfacing, and as covered in today's news section, a resolution backing the full 22-mile BeltLine light rail loop was also on the table. The Community Development/Human Services Committee met September 15, but its minutes document was corrupted, so no outcomes are available yet from that session.
Commissioners set the proposed 2026 General Fund millage rate at 8.87 mills, a move that kicks off required public hearings before your property tax rate gets finalized. The board approved grant funding for a 54-unit affordable housing project in English Avenue and passed a resolution urging state lawmakers to ban over-the-counter sales of synthetic kratom and require natural kratom be kept behind pharmacy counters. Commissioners tabled several contentious governance proposals, including a plan to abolish the county's citizen-led Board of Ethics and a measure that would have limited public comment strictly to agenda items. A resolution encouraging community gardens and food resilience efforts failed after two commissioners declined to vote. The board also approved renewed employee health benefits, notably excluding Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, and signed off on a $660,878.55 maintenance contract for the South Annex Jail.
Notable Neighborhood Mentions
Neighborhood Planning Unit F
- 573 Amsterdam Ave NE — A rezoning from single-family to two-family residential zoning along with a Comprehensive Development Plan amendment is being proposed to allow duplex construction.
- 1199 N Highland Ave NE — A variance application is being proposed to increase building height to 45.8 feet and reduce transitional buffer yards adjacent to single-family homes.
Atlanta City Council
- 774–794 Ponce de Leon Ave NE — A proposed rezoning of 1.76 acres for high-density mixed-use residential and commercial redevelopment was held in committee for further review.
Meetings This Week
- Atlanta City Council — Committee on Council | Sep-21, 11:30 AM | key topics: police presence at recreation center polling sites, City Council public comment rules, Felicia Moore Ethics Board appointment, Piedmont Park event security oversight
- Atlanta City Council — Regular Meeting | Sep-21, 1:00 PM | key topics: BeltLine light rail support, BeltLine Southside Trail grant funding, District 8 subdivision moratorium, short-term rental regulation updates
CONSTRUCTION
211-unit multifamily project on La Vista, plus LED lighting upgrades hit I-85
Permits
- 1786 Johnson Rd NW — New 5-unit townhome building permitted for Parc Terrace. Another small multifamily project adding density to the area.
- 2121 Faulkner Rd NE — Full roof replacement filed, tearing off the existing system down to the deck and installing new insulation and cover board. Expect noise and crews on site for a while.
- 1155 La Vista Rd NE — Major activity here. Crews are installing a new 1600 amp electrical service for Building A, and two separate HVAC permits cover multifamily new construction totaling 211 units (92 in one building, 119 in another). This is a large residential project moving forward.
- 1402 N Highland Ave NE — Fire sprinkler work to bring the system up to code, relocating heads off the existing wet system.
- 736 Ponce de Leon Ave NE — A former salon is converting to a retail clothing store. Interior work is underway for the change in use.
- 740 Lambert Dr NE — Repairs filed for fire damage to the building. This follows up on two earlier permits tied to the same incident.
- 195 Ottley Dr NE — New 1600 amp electrical service going into an existing building, signaling a bigger power draw ahead, possibly for an expansion or new tenant.
- 1579 Monroe Dr NE — Interior demolition and rebuild of non-load-bearing walls and trim. Classic tenant improvement work, likely prepping the space for a new occupant.
Road Work
Under Construction
- I-85 from I-75 to N of Lenox Road Lighting Upgrade (Fulton County) — Crews are swapping old HPS lighting for energy-efficient LED fixtures along this stretch of I-85, with possible pole, conduit, and wiring replacement.
- Buford Spring Connector @ I-85 Tunnel Lighting Upgrade (Fulton County) — This project replaces the tunnel's HPS lighting with LED fixtures and covers related conduit and wiring work.
- SR 236 / LaVista Rd & Shepherds Ln Signal Upgrade (DeKalb County) — Crews are upgrading the traffic signal at SR 236 / LaVista Rd and Shepherds Ln.
Service Requests
- Potholes — Reported on Lenox Rd NE (two spots), Woodland Ave NE, Drewry St NE, and Monroe Dr NE. Crews are working four of these, and the Monroe Dr report got kicked over to the Sewer Division.
- Downed Trees — Crews responded to reports at Glen Arden Way and Brookridge Dr (two separate calls), Johnson Rd NE, and Brookridge Dr NE. Two are already resolved, one's still in progress, and one got flagged as a duplicate.
- Sign Repair, Replacement, or Installation — Requests came in for Virginia Ave and Highland Ave, plus Briarcliff Pl NE. Both are in progress.
- Visibility and Overgrowth Issues — Reports on Chantilly Dr NE and at Zimmer Dr and Highland Ave both got resolved.
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Until next week,
VaHi / Morningside Busybody
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