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Hey VaHi and Morningside! Big traffic news this week: The city officially broke ground on the Monroe Drive Safe Streets lane reduction project that's been years in the making. And if you haven't seen the AJC's investigation into a city contractor paid $420K a year with almost no paper trail, it's worth a read.

- News — The Monroe Drive Safe Streets overhaul is officially underway, the Dogwood Festival locks in a 2027 Piedmont Park date, and an AJC investigation reveals a city contractor who was paid more than the mayor while leaving almost no record of his work.
- Business — Thyme Restaurant has opened its doors in the area.
- Events — The Magnolia Run 5K takes over Piedmont Park on Sunday morning, and the Gordon Vernick Quartet brings the jazz Wednesday night at Red Light Cafe — plus a full week of options from the Botanical Garden to Blind Willie's.
- Government — No meetings this week, as City Council is on summer recess.
- Construction — A new restaurant permit is in review at 1397 N Highland, a 400-amp power upgrade at 1467 Monroe hints at an incoming tenant with serious needs, and 8 pothole reports across the neighborhood have crews on the move.

Let's dive in.

NEWS

Atlanta Breaks Ground on Monroe Drive Safe Streets Lane Reduction
City officials, including District 6 Councilmember Alex Wan, broke ground on the Monroe Drive Safe Streets project on July 22, a corridor overhaul that will reduce lanes to slow speeding vehicles along the traffic-heavy stretch.

Atlanta Dogwood Festival to Return to Piedmont Park in 2027
Organizers have confirmed the Atlanta Dogwood Festival will take place at Piedmont Park from April 9 to April 11, 2027, ending uncertainty about the future of the long-running spring event.

Back-to-school events set for Decatur, DeKalb, Atlanta
A series of back-to-school events and school supply giveaways have been scheduled across Decatur, DeKalb, and Atlanta public school districts ahead of the new school year.

Atlanta paid him more than the mayor. It has little record of his work.
An AJC investigation found that Foris Webb III received $420,000 annually from the City of Atlanta — more than the mayor's salary — while the city retained little documentation of the work he performed for that compensation.

BUSINESS

Thyme Restaurant - opening - Thyme Restaurant is now open on Piedmont Circle in Piedmont Heights for dinner, cocktails, and Sunday brunch.

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EVENTS | Presented by

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Monday, July 27
- Atlanta Running Meetup | 7pm - 9pm/Park Tavern
- National Scotch Day | Neighbor's
- Member Summer Evening | Atlanta Botanical Garden

Tuesday, July 28
- Atlanta's Social Chess Club 5 Year Anniversary | Hotel Clermont
- Yoga in the Park | Piedmont Park
- Weekly Walking Club | Piedmont Park
- Garden Playtime | Atlanta Botanical Garden
- Buckhead Shaman | The Drunken Unicorn

Wednesday, July 29
- Larry Griffith Band: Solo@Fat Matt's Rib Shack,7-9-30! | Fat Matt's Rib Shack
- Wednesday Jazz Jam - Gordon Vernick Quartet | Red Light Cafe
- Storybook & Sensory Bin Time | Atlanta Botanical Garden
- Drop-In Kids Gardening Activity | Atlanta Botanical Garden
- Cavalier: Student 1 and Ghais Guevara - The Kayfabe Reveal Tour | The Drunken Unicorn

Thursday, July 30
- Cocktails in the Garden | Atlanta Botanical Garden
- Kid & Family Fishing | Piedmont Park
- Garden Grooves | Atlanta Botanical Garden

Friday, July 31
- Mason Fine Art: Hot Fun a July 31st Opening | Mason Fine Art
- Secret Aisle: A Magic and Comedy Show | The Supermarket ATL
- HEATHER LUTTRELL & THE POSSUMDEN | Blind Willie's
- Shows for Seedlings: Mary Flannery's Ghost, a Musical Trio | Atlanta Botanical Garden
- The Falling Class - Free Workshop | 2213 Faulkner Rd NE
- Rossi (21+ Event) | District Atlanta

Saturday, August 1
- Tree Tour: Virginia Highland Neighborhood Arboretum | Murphy's Restaurant
- Green Market | Piedmont Park
- Johnny Manchild and The Poor Bastards: The Side Effects Tour | Smith's Olde Bar
- Riff Wood | Smith's Olde Bar
- Garden Chef Demos: Megan McCarthy | Atlanta Botanical Garden
- Frog Feeding | Atlanta Botanical Garden
- Curious Saturdays | Atlanta Botanical Garden

Sunday, August 2
- Magnolia Run 5k & 2k | Piedmont Park
- Heightened! Improv - August | The Supermarket ATL

CONSTRUCTION

Permits

- 778-784 N Highland Ave — Commercial renovation filed across three connected buildings. The scope covers all three addresses, and the project is still working through city review. Worth watching as details emerge.
- 1397 N Highland Ave — A new restaurant is coming. The permit covers a full suite build-out, and it's currently waiting on additional materials before the city moves forward.
- 832 N Highland Ave — New patio cover getting the electrical treatment. Ceiling fans, recessed lights, and receptacles are going in, which suggests an outdoor seating upgrade.
- 1320 Monroe Dr — Temporary electrical permitted for the Showcase Atlanta Watch Party at Piedmont Park on July 19. Expect some extra foot traffic and parking pressure that Sunday.
- 2173 Piedmont Rd — Electrical interior build-out permitted for a commercial space. No business name attached yet.
- 1467 Monroe Dr — A commercial electrical permit here covers new outlets and a 400-amp breaker box upgrade. That's a significant power increase, suggesting a tenant with serious electrical needs.

Beyond those, the area logged 39 routine residential permits this week. The bulk of those break down into tree work, plumbing, HVAC, and smaller home alterations. Nothing out of the ordinary there.

Road Work

Under Construction
- I-85 Lighting Upgrade (Fulton County) Crews are replacing the old high-pressure sodium lights with LED fixtures along I-85 between I-75 and north of Lenox Road, about a mile from the neighborhood. Work may also include pole and conduit replacements.
- SR 13 Resurfacing (Fulton County) SR 13 is getting a long-overdue repave between SR 9 and North Fork Peachtree Creek. The road hasn't been resurfaced since 2012, and crews are out there now fixing that.
- Buford Spring Connector Tunnel Lighting (Fulton County) The tunnel at the Buford Spring Connector and I-85 is getting its lighting swapped out for LEDs. Conduit and wiring work may be part of the job too.
- SR 9 Resurfacing (Fulton County) Resurfacing is underway on SR 9 from SR 3 to north of Paces Ferry Road. It's about two miles out, but if SR 9 is in your regular rotation, expect some slowdowns while crews work through the corridor.

Service Requests

Potholes are the big story this week, with 8 reports filed across the area. N Highland Ave has two separate reports, and others came in at 10th St and Argonne, Piedmont Ave, Beech Valley Rd, and Johnson Rd. Five are in progress and three are already closed.

Traffic signals near the Piedmont Ave corridor also got attention, with 3 repair requests filed at 15th St, the pedestrian hybrid beacon at 15th, and 14th St. Two are resolved and one is still in progress.

A couple of downed tree reports came in from Lenox Rd and Cumberland Rd, though one was cancelled as a duplicate. Rounding things out, residents flagged an overgrowth issue on Armour Dr and litter in the right of way on Saint Charles Ave. Both are in progress.

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Until next week,
VaHi / Morningside Busybody

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.