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Keisha Lance Bottoms makes history as Democrats sweep Georgia statewide races
Bottoms defeated Republican Rick Jackson, who spent $200 million of his own money, and will succeed Gov. Brian Kemp as Georgia's 84th governor. Democrats also won the U.S. Senate, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and secretary of state races, with Jon Ossoff reelected over Mike Collins.

DeKalb County voters approve ESPLOST VII by wide margin
The measure passed with 81.02% of the vote (233,691 votes in favor). Collections run from July 1, 2027, to 2032 and are expected to top $925 million, with about $825 million going to DeKalb County School District, an estimated $58.3 million to City Schools of Decatur, and an estimated $41.5 million to Atlanta Public Schools.

Mo Ivory outlines her vision for Fulton County in her first post-election interview
Ivory won the Nov. 3 chair race with 75 percent of the vote over Republican Eric Tatum, becoming the first Black woman and first Latina elected to lead the commission. Her first priority in January is passing a budget, followed by fixing the jail, funding the courts, and building a hospital in South Fulton. In a separate interview, she called for a forensic audit of the county budget.

Atlanta Financial Center to be rechristened APEX Atlanta, add apartments
Banyan Street Capital will rename the complex and convert one of its three office towers into residences. About 260 units are proposed to replace 284,000 square feet of office space in the south tower, and no completion date was provided.

Brookhaven voters approve property tax relief for seniors and disabled homeowners
The measure passed with 81% of the vote and takes effect January 1, 2027. It applies only to Brookhaven's city taxes, and city officials say qualifying seniors will see an average reduction of $154 annually.

DeKalb CEO proposes 120-day preparation period for camping ordinance
Commissioners approved the ordinance 5-2 on Oct. 27, and officers must issue a warning before making an arrest. CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson wrote that implementation should be supported by outreach, shelter, behavioral health services and pathways to stable housing.

Public meeting set for Nov. 10 on Peters Street bridge replacement
The GDOT open house runs 5 to 7 p.m. at Antioch Baptist Church, 540 Cameron M. Alexander Blvd NW. The proposed 703-foot bridge would have two travel lanes and two bike lanes, Ted Turner Drive SW would close for 36 months during construction, and comments are accepted until Dec. 4.

Atlanta board OKs plans to demolish home at center of national gay rights case
The Board of Zoning Adjustment approved the owner's request to build a new house and pool on the Ponce de Leon Place lot where a 1920s-era home stands. The home is tied to the 1982 arrest of Michael Hardwick, which led to the 1986 Bowers v. Hardwick Supreme Court ruling.

Train cuts through tractor trailer on tracks in DeKalb County
The collision happened just before 9 a.m. Thursday at the crossing at North McDonough Street and West Howard Street, less than 200 yards from a middle school and a high school. A CSX spokesperson said no one was in the truck, the crew was not injured, and no hazardous materials were involved.

MARTA says this is what Five Points Station will look like after transformation
Renderings show a new large canopy, green spaces, and a soccer field, replacing the canopy built in 1979. The station will stay open during construction, and no completion timeframe has been given.

Star Bar closing after 35 years in Little Five Points
The live music venue closes for good on Dec. 31. Red Light Café, now at Amsterdam Walk, will take over the space in January.

Three Taverns Brewery closing flagship Decatur location after 13 years
Founder Brian Purcell said the brewery will suspend production at its 121 New Street facility because operating there was no longer financially feasible. The Imaginarium location in Reynoldstown and Ponce Brew Terminal on the Atlanta BeltLine remain open.

LA Fitness at Tech Square closing in late December
The gym at 75 5th Street closes December 28 at 2 p.m. The company gave no reason.

Dentons signs lease at the Proscenium
The law firm is leaving Truist Plaza at 303 Peachtree St. for the 526,000-square-foot tower at 1170 Peachtree St. KPMG also signed a lease there for about 105,000 square feet after leaving Truist Plaza and One Atlantic Center.

Greystar closes on land for 340-unit apartment project in Chamblee City Center
The apartments are the residential component of the Chamblee City Center town center development.

Mastro's Ocean Club opens at The CTR
The steakhouse opened November 6 at 190 Marietta Street NW, Suite 200, in an 8,200-square-foot former McCormick & Schmick's space. It's the brand's first Georgia location.

Muchacho opening third location at 129 Church Street
The restaurant was scheduled to open Nov. 6 in the former Revival space, a renovated 1940 Craftsman bungalow with nearly 7,000 square feet of outdoor space.

Saint Nobody's listening lounge and café opens at Atlanta Dairies
The vinyl listening café from Black Coffee ATL owner Carl North serves coffee and pastries in the mornings. Food, cocktails and evening hours are planned in stages.

Minhwa Spirits relocating to Westside Provisions District
The Doraville-based soju distillery's restaurant and bar will move early next year into the former Aziza space. The roughly 4,000-square-foot venue has an open kitchen, lounge, patio and DJ corner.

Hero Boy Sandwich Co. opening second location in Chastain Square
The company leased 1,500 square feet at 4285 Roswell Road, the former Doughnuts+Fries space. It plans to open in early 2027, pending permitting and construction.

StillFire Brewing opens third location in downtown Tucker
Grand opening festivities ran Nov. 6 to 8 at 2316 Main Street, next to Tucker Town Green.

Buena Vida converting to Amasa Mexican Kitchen
The Eastside Beltline restaurant is being rebranded as a gluten-free Mexican concept, matching the owner's recently opened Alpharetta restaurant.

Top Shelf Diamonds opening on Trinity Avenue
Jamia Gibson's grillz shop will open at 253 Trinity Ave. in a former beauty salon space, according to a permit filing.

Great Big Game Show opens at The Interlock
Teams of up to 14 players compete in hour-long, TV game show-style trivia and skill competitions. It's the concept's second location.

Atlantic Station office tower hits market
The owner is working to resolve outstanding debt, according to Atlanta Business Chronicle.

JLL arranges financing for Upper West Market
The five-year, fixed-rate loan covers the 87,616-square-foot adaptive reuse project at 1385 Collier Road, delivered in July 2026. It includes more than 30 vendor stalls.

Other permit-watch items: A Take 5 Oil Change is planned at 1916 Piedmont Rd NE, where a demolition permit is under review. A gym build-out is closed at 2175 American Way, a $234K retail build-out at 3983 Buford Hwy, and a restaurant type change at 5150 Buford Hwy. A new cafe, At Arbeta, is awaiting a Certificate of Occupancy at 579 N Highland Ave NE. A Grady urgent care is proposed at 724 Memorial Dr SE.

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Garden Lights, Holiday Nights (Nov. 14, 2026–Jan. 10, 2027)
Opens Saturday at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, alongside Holiday Model Trains (Nov. 14, 2026–Jan. 10, 2027) running the same dates.

Veterans Day 2026
Wednesday, Nov. 11, at the Atlanta History Center.

Olivia Rodrigo – The Unraveled Tour (Nov. 11–12)
Two nights at State Farm Arena.

The R&B Tour, Usher and Chris Brown
Tuesday, Nov. 10, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Atlanta Falcons v Kansas City Chiefs
Sunday, Nov. 15, with a watch party at Founders Green.

Fauré’s Requiem (Nov. 12–15)
Runs four days at Atlanta Symphony Hall.

A Christmas Carol (Nov. 14–Dec. 27)
Plays at Decatur Legacy Park starting Saturday.

Monday Night Brewing 15th Anniversary Affaire
Saturday, Nov. 14, at The Grove.

Fernbank After Dark: Amazing Animals
Friday, Nov. 13, at Fernbank Museum of Natural History.

Skate the Station Returns to Atlantic Station
Opens Friday, Nov. 13.

Atlanta Mushroom Festival
Sunday, Nov. 15, at Wild Heaven West End.

Lostintheletters Letters Festival
Runs Nov. 9 to 14 across Little Five Points and Candler Park. Tickets are $16.34 for individual events and $81.88 for an all-access pass.

Other notable events: Atlanta Hawks vs. Los Angeles Lakers (Nov. 9), Latin GRAMMY Watch Party at Block & Drum (Nov. 12), The Revivalists (Nov. 13), Mannheim Steamroller Christmas (Nov. 14), Atlanta Fish Market: Oyster Fest (Nov. 14), Decatur Makers Holiday Market (Nov. 14), Decatur First UMC Christmas Market (Nov. 14–15), 2026 Holiday Pop-Up Sale (Nov. 13–15), College Football Hall of Fame: Salute to Service (Nov. 11–15), Tayari Jones reading at Emory (Nov. 10), Skanksgiving: ATL Ska Night (Nov. 13), Noah Gundersen at Eddie's Attic (Nov. 11), Boots on the Beltline Dance (Nov. 13), and the 50th Annual Hanukkah Bazaar (Nov. 15).

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Fulton commissioners approve $45.5M jail design contract
The five-year contract with JusticeWorks JV covers a new 1,800-bed jail. The board also renewed the jail medical contract with NaphCare at about $47 million and adopted the 2026 school millage rate.

Fulton abolishes its Board of Ethics
The 5-1 vote means independent hearing officers will screen and decide ethics complaints. Commissioner Dana Barrett's proposals to end 5% departmental budget caps and to urge limits on private equity ownership of medical practices were both filed.

Atlanta City Council sets FY2027 property tax rates
The rates include levies for the BeltLine and Stitch special service districts. Council also extended the self-storage moratorium in Office-Institutional zones by 60 days and approved more than $63 million in water system work, including $25 million for water line replacements.

Atlanta Council zoning and land votes
Members denied a housing site plan amendment, rejected a 21-acre commercial parking proposal, and approved a $200,000 agreement with the Buckhead CID to design a roundabout at Habersham and Valley roads. Two White St SW parcels go to the Metro Atlanta Land Bank for $1 each.

DeKalb Committee of the Whole advances spending items
Items include a $9.91 million Luscious Sanders Recreation Center contract and more than $1.4 million in Frontline Response contracts for a 400-bed shelter and warming and cooling centers. A $1.3 million vehicular homelessness request was withdrawn. The full board meets Nov. 10 at 9 a.m.

DeKalb Planning Commission
The agenda included residential rezonings, a gas station with alcohol sales, two daycare proposals, a chronic nuisance property ordinance, and the Comprehensive Housing Plan. Outcomes aren't confirmed, and recommendations head to the full board Nov. 19.

Brookhaven Planning Commission workforce housing proposal
The ordinance would require developments of 10 or more units to set aside 10% of homes as workforce housing at 60% of area median income. Votes aren't confirmed.

Atlanta Public Schools attendance zone changes
The board gave first readings to four sets of changes for Fall 2027 covering schools in the west, northwest and south. No final votes were taken.

Atlanta NPUs take up a zoning definition of "family"
NPU-A, B, C and E had the citywide proposal on their agendas, with a Zoning Review Board hearing set for January. Minutes aren't published.

Atlanta Council committees meet Nov. 9 and 10
Topics include a comprehensive zoning code overhaul, data center water use restrictions, and a $204 million affordable housing bond program and Fire Station 31 contract.

Decatur City Commission agenda
Items included a $2.6 million electric fire pumper truck lease with seven annual payments of about $444,000, and a $98,040 energy audit of 12 city buildings. Minutes aren't published, so outcomes are unconfirmed.

Chamblee City Council
A public hearing and work session is set for Nov. 12 at 6 p.m. Topics include data center regulations and rezonings on North Shallowford Road and Peachtree Road.

Downtown and Decatur: A permit for shade canopy structures #3 through #11 is under review at 85 Centennial Olympic Park Dr NW. Five alteration permits are under review for a guestroom refresh at 210 Peachtree St NW. In Decatur, a $2.2M assembly-use permit closed for the ground floor of 120 W Ponce de Leon Ave. I-75 tunnel lighting work continues at Ralph McGill and Baker Street.

Buckhead and Midtown: EV charger permits are under review at 3232 Peachtree Rd NE and 2890 N Fulton Dr NE. A retail alteration is under review at 3209 Paces Ferry Pl NW. Modular classrooms are planned at 929 Charles Allen Dr NE. Peachtree Road resurfacing runs from Northside Drive to just north of Paces Ferry Road, and Ponce de Leon Avenue (SR 8) resurfacing runs from Northside Drive to Moreland Avenue. Overnight closures are planned on 8th Street NE and Juniper Street NE.

Memorial Drive, Moreland and east side: A land development permit is accepted for 30 townhouse buildings at 1526 Hardee St NE, and an 8-unit condo building on Kirkwood Ave SE is ready to issue. Moreland Avenue at Arkwright Place is getting a median limiting turns to right-in/right-out, and I-20 lighting upgrades run from Capitol Avenue to Flat Shoals Road.

Southwest and West Midtown: A demolition permit for eight buildings at 1050 Murphy Ave SW is under review. EdgeConneX is converting shell space into a data hall at 1101 Donnelly Ave SW. SR 14 bridge refurbishment over the Beltline continues. A storm damage repair permit covers a duplex on Curran St NW, and a temporary lane closure is set near 1644 Techwood Drive NW.

Brookhaven, Chamblee and Druid Hills: Buford Highway resurfacing runs from the Fulton County line to Chamblee Tucker Road. LaVista Road resurfacing runs from the Fulton County line to I-285. Crews are lengthening the eastbound lane on North Druid Hills Road at Stone Mountain Freeway by about 245 feet. A concierge practice is being built out at 1525 Clifton Rd NE.

Virginia-Highland and I-85 corridor: Seven permits for lead-based paint removal and balcony replacement were filed at 1659 Monroe Dr NE. LED lighting upgrades continue on I-85 from I-75 to north of Lenox Road.

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