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Hey, VaHi / Morningside! This week: the High Museum is turning the 725 Ponce building into a 100-foot canvas over the Beltline's Eastside Trail, and thousands turned out Sunday for an Atlanta Pride Parade and Festival that Isaias squeezed into one day at Piedmont Park. We've also got storm outages, a record-setting Morningside home sale and early voting kicking off Oct. 13, so settle in.

- News — A record $4.75 million Morningside home sale, Atlanta Pride's one-day parade and festival at Piedmont Park, the High Museum's "Just Breathe" projection, Isaias outages, early voting details, and a delayed vote on the city jail sale.
- Business — Monks Meadery plans a second location in Stone Mountain next year while adding D&D nights and makers markets at its Poncey-Highland tasting room.
- Events — From a goth-garden lecture and the Greek Film Expo to the Little 5 Points Halloween Festival and a blues night at Blind Willie's, the week is packed.
- Government — Fulton set its millage rate and moved to abolish its ethics board, while Atlanta weighs self-storage limits and Ponce de Leon rezonings.
- Construction — A six-story storage facility is in the permit pipeline at 1907 Piedmont, a new restaurant is planned on Greenwood Ave, and Monroe Drive traffic signals are getting repairs.

Let's dive in.

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Engel & Völkers' Ken Covers sets Morningside home sale record
The $4.75 million sale of 1770 Merton Road is the highest recorded sale in Morningside's history. The one-owner home was designed by Frank Neely, built by Neil Johnson of Canonbury Homes, and has a limestone, granite and slate exterior, a pool and a putting green.

'Everyone feels loved': Thousands flood streets for Atlanta Pride Festival and Parade
The parade stepped off at noon Sunday near the Civic Center MARTA station, heading north on Peachtree Street and east on 10th Street to Piedmont Park, where rapper JT headlined an afternoon of performances. Organizers scrubbed Saturday's events because of Hurricane Isaias and compressed the festival into one day, and Rep. Everton Blair Jr. served as honorary grand marshal.

Isaias knocks out power to tens of thousands across metro Atlanta
As of 2 p.m. Saturday, about 50,000 Georgia households were without power, including 4,300 in DeKalb County and 2,000 in Fulton County. Isaias made landfall Friday as a Category 2 hurricane and had weakened to a post-tropical cyclone, and a high wind warning and flood watch remain in effect for North and Central Georgia until Sunday morning.

High Museum Installs Multi-Story Public Art Project at 725 Ponce
"Just Breathe" is a 100-foot, multi-story project at the 725 Ponce building overlooking the Beltline's Eastside Trail, featuring four works from the High Museum's permanent collection, including pieces by Andy Warhol and El Anatsui. It will be on view from 7:30 to 10 p.m. on Oct. 9, 10, 22, 23, 24 and 30, and was designed by Dash Studio in collaboration with Off the Wall.

Early voting begins next week: Fulton provides 32 advance polling venues
Advance voting for the Nov. 3 general election, which includes the governor's race, runs from Tuesday, Oct. 13 through Friday, Oct. 30. Seven of the 32 locations will also accept absentee by-mail ballots through an on-site drop box during early voting dates and hours.

Atlanta City Council delays decision on jail sale to Fulton County
The council put the item on hold for two weeks; Fulton County has agreed to pay $68 million for the Atlanta City Detention Center, and the county says about $75 million in upgrades are needed. Atlanta's CFO recommended placing the proceeds in the fund balance or using them for one-time, related projects, and estimated the detention center's roughly $30 million operating budget would fall to $10 to $12 million per year for staff the city retains.

BUSINESS

Monks Meadery plans second location in Stone Mountain next year, adds events in Poncey-Highland — The Poncey-Highland meadery on North Highland Avenue plans to open a second location in Stone Mountain next year, while expanding community-focused events and pop-ups, including weekly D&D nights and makers markets, at its original tasting room.

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Monday, October 12
- Film Screening: The Chaplain & The Doctor | Tara Theater
- Atlanta Running Meetup | Park Tavern
- Camp Miasma: the VHS tour | The Supermarket ATL

Tuesday, October 13
- Weekly Walking Club | Green Market
- Community Craft Night | Piedmont Park
- Alston Lecture: Felicia Feaster – The Frightful Botanical | Atlanta Botanical Garden
- Tease Tuesday Burlesque (18+ Event) | Red Light Cafe

Wednesday, October 14
- guardin w/ kennedyxoxo, Fijimar | Music Room at Smith’s Olde Bar
- Storybook Time | Atlanta Botanical Garden
- Cider Making Workshop | Piedmont Park
- Plant. Eat. Repeat. Workshop: Container Gardening for Edible Plants | Atlanta Botanical Garden
- Terrarium Workshop | Atlanta Botanical Garden

Thursday, October 15
- Atlanta Greek Film Expo 2026 | Tara Theater
- Another Look at Midtown Bowl: Beyond the Lanes | Midtown Bowl
- SECOND SKIN Film Photography Exhibit by Sakkuraka | The Supermarket ATL
- Joon | Smith's Olde Bar
- Fest-of-Ale | Atlanta Botanical Garden
- Candlelight: Bach to Beatles | Magnolia Hall
- Figure Drawing | Green Market
- Candlelight: A Tribute to Whitney Houston | Magnolia Hall

Friday, October 16
- Pride Art Night | San Francisco Coffee Roasting Company
- Secret Aisle: A Magic and Comedy Show | The Supermarket ATL
- IGTSY Presents: Fright Night 2026 | The Supermarket ATL

Saturday, October 17
- Brews & Boos: A Halloween Candle Making Event | San Francisco Coffee Roasting Company
- 2026 Little 5 Points Halloween Festival & Parade | Little 5 Points Community Center
- The Rock and Roll Playhouse | Smith's Olde Bar
- Green Market | Piedmont Park
- Gardening for Birds | Atlanta Botanical Garden
- Fall Flower Arrangements | Atlanta Botanical Garden
- Eco Printing Workshop | Atlanta Botanical Garden
- In the Pantry with Chef Anïsa | Atlanta Botanical Garden
- Mark Hummel & Anson Funderburgh at Blind Willie's | Blind Willie's

Sunday, October 18
- Goblins in the Garden | Atlanta Botanical Garden, Inc.
- Miche 5K Atlanta | Piedmont Park
- Afterlife | Smith’s Olde Bar
- The Atlanta Graduates 2026 Concert | The Supermarket ATL

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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
Commissioners set the 2026 millage rates, including 8.87 mills for the General Fund, after Commissioner Bridget Thorne's push for a lower 8.22 mill rollback died for lack of a second. That rate shapes the county portion of your property tax bill. The board also voted 4-1 to start abolishing the Fulton County Board of Ethics and replace it with independent hearing officers, and it directed the County Attorney to draft the ordinance. Spending approvals included about $14 million in standby wastewater construction contracts and $3.76 million more for maintenance and upgrades at the Camp Creek facility. Commissioners put a $9.58 million senior and behavioral health transportation contract on hold, and they directed the county manager to write policies on how Fulton uses artificial intelligence.

Atlanta City Council
Minutes aren't yet published for the council's meetings, so what follows reflects what was on the agendas. At the full council meeting, members took up a citywide rule requiring a special use permit for any new self-storage facility, which would give neighborhoods and council members a say before one goes up. They also had a final vote on ending admission fees at city pools during free open swim hours. And the agenda included $2.34 million to buy about 12.6 acres for a new park, plus several rezonings of industrial sites into mixed-use apartments and retail. As covered in today's news section, the detention center sale to Fulton County was held for two weeks. The Committee on Council had on its agenda a request for certified police officers at recreation centers used as polling sites, plus a proposal to make sure public commenters speak in the order they signed up.

Atlanta Public Schools
The Board of Education took up final adoption of the tax levy resolution that sets the school property tax request for the FY2027 General Fund budget. That request will show up on your property tax bill. The board approved construction management contracts for upgrades at Booker T. Washington High School, Mary Lin Elementary, and a bundle covering Parkside, Heritage, and Hollis schools. It also approved leasing the former Towns Elementary property to the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyer Foundation and Compudopt. Other approvals included updates to the student screen time policy and an E-SPLOST VI sales tax reconciliation with DeKalb County schools. The record doesn't list individual vote counts.

Notable Neighborhood Mentions

Atlanta City Council
- 774-794 Ponce de Leon Ave NE — A rezoning from planned development mixed-use and commercial to mixed residential commercial is being proposed by SEI Ponce to allow high-density residential and retail redevelopment.
- 790 Bonaventure Ave NE — A rezoning to mixed residential commercial is proposed alongside adjacent Ponce de Leon Avenue parcels to facilitate a new mixed-use development.
- Intersections of Yorkshire Rd NE / McCoy St NE and Cumberland Rd NE / McCoy St NE — The installation of three-way stop signs to calm neighborhood traffic at both intersections is on the agenda.

Meetings This Week
- Atlanta City Council — Zoning Committee | Oct-12, 11:00 AM | key topics: citywide zoning code overhaul, redefining family in city zoning, BeltLine industrial-to-mixed-use rezonings, and outdoor dining permits
- Atlanta City Council — Public Safety & Legal Administration Committee | Oct-12, 1:00 PM | key topics: restrictions on weapon-equipped robotics, alcohol licensing procedures, federal justice assistance grant funding, and litigation settlements
- Atlanta City Council — City Utilities Committee | Oct-13, 10:00 AM | key topics: data center water cooling restrictions, commercial septic tank prohibition, water bill spike relief measures, and water system rehabilitation funding
- Atlanta City Council — Community Development/Human Services Committee | Oct-13, 1:30 PM | key topics: Memorial Drive Greenway land acquisition, park task order funding, federal HUD grant appropriations, and public housing expansion study
- Atlanta City Council — Transportation Committee | Oct-14, 10:00 AM | key topics: Centennial Yards Complete Streets grant, public street abandonment requests, and traffic-calming studies
- Atlanta City Council — Finance/Executive Committee | Oct-14, 1:30 PM | key topics: proposed Atlanta City Detention Center sale to Fulton County, FY 2027 property tax rates, and tax incentive restrictions for data centers

CONSTRUCTION

Permits
- 1907 Piedmont Rd NE: A new six-story mixed-use storage facility with a basement is in the permit pipeline, and it's still pending review. Site work is part of the package, so you'll see heavy activity on this stretch if it moves forward.
- 1907 Piedmont Rd NE: A demolition permit is pending for the same site. It covers the existing buildings and stairs, plus the gravel, parking lot and power lines. Expect noise and dust once it's approved.
- 1043 Greenwood Ave NE: An interior remodel of a free-standing, one-story building for a new restaurant is on file. The city has asked for additional materials, so the opening date is still unclear.
- 1510 Piedmont Ave NE: The city accepted a permit tied to its work under the Second Amended Consent Decree, the federal agreement that drives Atlanta's sewer and water upgrades. Watch for crews nearby.
- 400 Plaster Ave NE: Plumbing permit issued to install exam and procedure-room sinks and a breakroom sink. That points to a medical or clinical space taking shape.
- 2321 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE: A fire alarm system installation is permitted and issued. It's a sign that a commercial space on the corridor is getting built out or updated.
- 2452 Elizabeth Ann Ln NE: A home office addition with a room and a bathroom is routed for review. It's a small project, but it shows how many homeowners are building work space into their houses.

Road Work

Under Construction
- I-85 from I-75 to N of Lenox 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.
- Buford Spring Connector @ I-85 - Tunnel Lighting — The tunnel's old high-pressure sodium lights are being replaced with energy-efficient LEDs, with conduit and wiring replaced where needed.
- SR 236 / LaVista Rd & Shepherds Ln Signal Upgrade — A traffic signal upgrade at LaVista Road and Shepherds Lane.
- SR 9 fm SR 3 to N of Paces Ferry Rd & SR 9 SO fm SR 9 to SR 9 — Resurfacing of SR 9 to improve the road's low pavement condition score.
- Bridge Preservation @ 7 Locs in Cobb, DeKalb & Fulton — Bridge preservation work at several bridges in Cobb, DeKalb and Fulton counties, including Deering Road over the I-75/I-85 ramp, with new overlays, repainted steel beams and replaced bridge joints.

Service Requests
- Traffic Signal Repair: Eight reports came in. Two cover Monroe Dr and Montgomery Ferry Rd, and two cover Virginia Ave and Arcadia St. The rest are at Montgomery Ferry Dr and Monroe Dr, 13th St and Piedmont Ave, and Piedmont Ave and 15th St, plus one more spot. Crews are working on seven of them, and one is fixed. If you drive Monroe, treat those intersections with extra caution.
- Downed Trees: Pelham Rd and Piedmont Ave, Melante Dr NE, and Bonaventure and Maiden all had reports. One is resolved, and the other two were canceled or duplicates.
- Overgrowth Blocking Visibility: Saint Charles Ave and Frederica St, and Rock Springs Rd. Both are cleared.
- Potholes: Berkshire Rd NE and Lake Shore Crossing. Both are in progress.
- Litter Removal: Pelham Rd and Piedmont Ave. It's in progress.

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Until next week,
VaHi / Morningside 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.