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Hey, VaHi / Morningside! This week: a new Beltline coffeehouse, Milk & Maple, is set to open Sunday, Nov. 1 along the Eastside Trail, and So. Fox just picked up a Michelin star. Porchfest has also announced it will take a break in 2027, so you'll want the details, and a Halloween-week lineup of Candy Crawl, Halloween in the Highlands and more is ready for your calendar.

- News — So. Fox earns a Michelin star, Porchfest plans a 2027 hiatus with a 2028 return, and the City Council votes 8-7 to sell the city detention center to Fulton County.
- Business — Milk & Maple Coffeehouse is set to open at 7 a.m. Nov. 1 at 730 Ponce de Leon Place NE, with a patio steps from the Eastside Trail and a kosher-certified menu.
- Events — Halloween takes over with the Candy Crawl on North Highland, Halloween in the Highlands, two nights of DESCENT at The Supermarket, plus jazz, concerts and garden programs.
- Government — Fulton approves a three-month bridge deal to keep senior ride-sharing running, APS discusses draft AI classroom policy, and rezoning proposals for 992 North Highland and 573 Amsterdam Avenue appear on agendas.
- Construction — Demolition and site-prep permits point to a new six-story project on Piedmont Road, three Botanical Garden expansion permits await materials, and potholes are reported along N Highland and Piedmont Rd.

Let's dive in.

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Virginia-Highland Porchfest taking hiatus in 2027, plans 2028 return
Organizers said Porchfest has grown since it started in 2021 and now needs more structure and support to run smoothly and safely. They made the decision after talking with event partners, neighbors, attendees, and participants.

Virginia-Highland's So. Fox awarded Michelin star
So. Fox, a new Virginia-Highland restaurant from the owners of Kinship Butcher & Sundry, earned one Michelin star at the ceremony in Nashville for the 2026 Guide to the American South. Chef Ryan Smith's Uberto at Quercus in Gay, GA, also earned one star.

Atlanta house with LGBTQ historical significance faces demolition threat
The house on Ponce de Leon Place NE is where Michael Hardwick was arrested in 1982, which led to the 1986 Supreme Court ruling in Bowers v. Hardwick that was overturned in 2003. The owner is seeking zoning variances to replace it with a new two-story home and a pool. NPU-F deferred the request on Oct. 21, and the Board of Zoning Adjustment holds a public hearing Nov. 5.

Atlanta City Council votes to sell detention center to Fulton County for $68 million
The council authorized the sale of the Atlanta City Detention Center in an 8-7 vote on October 19, after an hours-long debate and a procedural dispute over a motion to delay. The target closing date is December 2, and if negotiations run past that date the city will pay $150 per detainee daily.

BUSINESS

Milk & Maple Coffeehouse scheduled to open along Beltline's Eastside Trail in Virginia-Highland — Milk & Maple Coffeehouse is set to open at 7 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, in a converted space at 730 Ponce de Leon Place NE inside Chabad Intown, with a large patio a few steps from the Eastside Trail just north of Ponce City Market and a menu certified kosher by the Atlanta Kashruth Commission.

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Monday, October 26
- Atlanta Running Meetup | 7pm - 9pm/Park Tavern

Tuesday, October 27
- Halloween Pumpkin Carving | 6pm - 8pm/The Nook on Piedmont Park
- Weekly Walking Club | Piedmont Park
- Garden Playtime | Atlanta Botanical Garden
- Hand Embroidery Workshop: Halloween Edition | Museum of Design Atlanta - Back Gallery

Wednesday, October 28
- Storybook Time | Atlanta Botanical Garden
- Block Printing: Seasonal Cards | Museum of Design Atlanta - Back Gallery
- Mudcat & the Redeemers Album Release | Blind Willie's Blues Club
- 🎃🍬Candy Crawl | Virginia Highland District Association
- Wednesday Jazz Jam - Gordon Vernick Quartet (Oct. 28–29) | Red Light Cafe

Thursday, October 29
- Amy Again: Celebrating 20 Years of Back To Black | Smith’s Olde Bar
- Covered in Blood Night 1 | MJQ Concourse
- Fest-of-Ale | Atlanta Botanical Garden

Friday, October 30
- Haunted Fest | Piedmont Park Magnolia Hall
- Sammy Brasher | Fat Matt's Rib Shack
- Tarot Sessions: A Mystical Show of Cards and Cocktails | The Carlyle Venue
- Branden & James with Effie Passero appearing as CelloVoci | Virginia-Highland Church UCC
- DESCENT Night One [8pm-2am] | The Supermarket ATL

Saturday, October 31
- Green Market | Green Market
- Garden Chef Demo: Megan McCarthy | Atlanta Botanical Garden
- Halloween in the Highlands | Virginia Highland
- Boo-tanical Seed Exchange | Atlanta Botanical Garden
- DESCENT Night Two [6pm-10pm] | The Supermarket ATL

Sunday, November 1
- Out of the Darkness Community Walks | Piedmont Park
- Jontavious Willis Presents The Blues Crusaders | Blind Willie's Blues Club
- ALL GET OUT w/ Motherfolk, Saint Blonde | MJQ Concourse

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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 voted 6-0 on October 21 to include county taxes in Alpharetta's North Point Mall tax allocation district, but only after cutting real estate purchases from the list of costs the money can cover. Two resolutions from Commissioner Dana Barrett failed. One would have lifted the 5% cap on department budget requests for 2027, and the other urged action against corporate takeovers of medical practices. The board held a proposed $9.59 million, 12-month senior transportation contract extension with Transdev. Instead, it approved a three-month, $1.06 million bridge deal with Common Courtesy so seniors 60 and older keep their ride-sharing service through March 31, 2027. Commissioners also approved $3 million in standby water system construction contracts, split between two companies. If you rely on county senior transportation, the bridge deal keeps rides running while the larger contract stays unsettled.

Atlanta Public Schools
APS held two meetings on October 21, and neither produced formal votes. The Policy Review Committee discussed a proposed policy on how students and teachers can use artificial intelligence in classrooms. Members also reviewed draft 2027 legislative priorities, which set the issues the district will push at the state level. Both items are still drafts, and the full board has to act before anything changes in your child's school. A separate Board of Education meeting the same day shows only a standard agenda outline, with no recorded actions or decisions.

Atlanta City Council
The full council met October 19, and as covered in today's news section, it approved the sale of the city detention center to Fulton County. Minutes aren't yet published for either council meeting, so this recap reflects what was on the agendas. The council's agenda also included a plan to buy land for the Memorial Drive Greenway, a $2 million federal grant for streetscape design at Centennial Yards, and legislation to ban septic tanks in new commercial projects. Other items on the agenda would require data centers to use closed-loop cooling instead of city drinking water and set up protections for ratepayers hit by sudden water bill spikes. The Committee on Council took up a request for certified police officers at recreation centers that serve as polling sites. It also considered two competing changes to public comment sign-up rules, an independent legal review of city dealings with Foris Webb, III, and a charter amendment requiring every piece of legislation to name a councilmember sponsor. Because only agendas are available, you can't yet tell which of these items passed, were held, or were sent back for more work.

Notable Neighborhood Mentions

Atlanta NPU-F
- 992 North Highland Avenue NE — A proposal is on the agenda to rezone the site to neighborhood commercial status and reduce mandatory parking from 31 spaces to seven to open a new restaurant.

Atlanta City Council
- 573 Amsterdam Avenue NE — A rezoning is being proposed to convert the parcel from single-family residential to two-family duplex residential with a BeltLine overlay.
- 992 North Highland Avenue NE — The council took up a rezoning application to convert the parcel from residential limited commercial to the Virginia Highland Neighborhood Commercial District.

Meetings This Week
- Atlanta City Council — Zoning Committee | Oct-26, 11:00 AM | key topics: self-storage moratorium extension, BeltLine industrial rezonings, Amsterdam Avenue duplex rezoning, zoning code overhaul
- Atlanta City Council — Public Safety & Legal Administration Committee | Oct-26, 1:00 PM | key topics: anonymous housing code complaint protections, E911 network contract upgrade, federal public safety grant funding
- Atlanta City Council — City Utilities Committee | Oct-27, 10:00 AM | key topics: commercial septic tank ban, drinking water distribution system rehabilitation, storm sewer repair contracts
- Atlanta City Council — Community Development/Human Services Committee | Oct-27, 1:30 PM | key topics: BeltLine TAD funding allocations, federal HUD entitlement grants, community benefits agreements, Amsterdam Avenue land use redesignation
- Atlanta City Council — Transportation Committee | Oct-28, 10:00 AM | key topics: Habersham and Valley roads roundabout, airport runway and terminal grant agreements, citywide street repaving contract
- Atlanta City Council — Finance/Executive Committee | Oct-28, 1:30 PM | key topics: Glynn Drive annexation public hearing, urban tree canopy contract, single-use plastics purchasing restrictions

CONSTRUCTION | Presented by

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Permits
- 1907 Piedmont Rd NE — Commercial demolition permit is routed for review. The project clears existing buildings, stairs, gravel, a parking lot and power lines. Expect heavy equipment and noise once it starts.
- 1917 Piedmont Rd NE — Land development permit is routed for review. Site prep and utility installation are planned for a new six-story mixed-use building. It sits next to the demolition site above, so this stretch of Piedmont Road is about to change.
- 1425 Piedmont Ave NE — Three commercial permits are awaiting additional materials for the Atlanta Botanical Garden expansion. One covers a new one-story building with a basement. Another covers a one-story maintenance and horticulture support building. The third covers a one-story events building. Together they signal a major expansion at the corner of Piedmont and the garden's edge.
- 400 Park Dr NE — Electrical permit issued for the 2026 Breakaway Haunted Fest in Piedmont Park. The event runs Friday, 10/30 and Saturday, 10/31. Plan for crowds and noise near the park.
- 1769 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE — Commercial permit for a temporary security fence to keep people away from the property. It's waiting on additional materials.
- N Morningside Dr NE — Addition permit is pending review. The project was first filed as an alteration, with fees paid, and covers an interior renovation. It's now being reworked under a new permit.
- 780 N Highland Ave NE — Commercial plumbing permit issued to install hot and cold water piping and gas connections. That usually means a build-out is underway for a food or retail tenant.
- 1579 Monroe Dr NE — Commercial electrical permit issued. The existing main panel, subpanels, lighting fixtures and receptacles stay in place.

Road Work

Under Construction
- SR 9 Resurfacing from SR 3 to North of Paces Ferry Road (Fulton County) — Crews are repaving SR 9 (Peachtree Street/Road) from SR 3 north to just past Paces Ferry Road.
- Bridge Preservation at 7 Locations in Cobb, DeKalb & Fulton Counties — Crews are resurfacing decks, painting steel beams and replacing joints on several metro bridges. The nearest are Moreland Avenue over the Norfolk Southern tracks and Deering Road over the I-75/I-85 ramp.
- SR 237 @ Lindbergh Dr & Way Install Signal & Ped Facilities — A new traffic signal and pedestrian crossings are going in on SR 237 (Piedmont Road) at Lindbergh Drive and Lindbergh Way.
- SR 237 @ Main St Install Mid-block Crossing & Phb — A mid-block crosswalk with a pedestrian hybrid beacon, a signal drivers must stop for when someone is crossing, is going in on SR 237 at Main Street.
- I-85 from I-75 to N of Lenox Road - Lighting — LED fixtures are replacing the old sodium lights along I-85 from I-75 to just north of Lenox Road.
- Buford Spring Connector @ I-85 - Tunnel Lighting — LED fixtures are replacing the old sodium lights in the Buford Spring Connector tunnel at I-85.

Service Requests
- Potholes: You'll find them on Lenox Rd NE, Hudson Dr NE, Piedmont Rd NE, N Highland Ave NE, and at Monroe Dr and Monroe Pl. Crews have already closed out one of the five.
- Litter Removal: Reported on Maiden Ln NE and Ponce de Leon Pl NE.
- Traffic Signal Repair: An emergency repair on E Rock Springs Rd NE is done. A separate non-emergency request is open at Highland Ave and Amsterdam Ave.
- Overgrowth and Visibility: Plants are blocking sightlines on N Highland Ave NE.
- Downed Tree: A report on E Rock Springs Rd NE was cancelled or flagged as a duplicate.

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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.