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Atlanta City Council to vote on selling the city detention center to Fulton County
Mayor Andre Dickens offered to sell the jail for $68 million and Fulton County Chair Robb Pitts accepted. The sale is meant to ease overcrowding at the county jail on Rice Street, and the full council meets Monday at 1 p.m.

Brookhaven approves a Blackburn Park fire station 3-1
Council Member Madeline Simmons dissented on a 50-year lease of about 1.35 acres at 3493 Ashford Dunwoody Road to DeKalb County for $1 per year. The revised agreement adds signal preemption, landscape screening, tree replacement and about 50 public parking spaces.

Brookhaven buys 1.3 acres to expand Lynwood Park
The $750,000 purchase at 1020 Mendell Circle comes from the Stormwater Fund and Tree Fund. The parcel holds 30 to 40 specimen trees and, with the 2024 Devine Circle purchase, grows the 10.8-acre park by roughly 17%.

New renderings revealed for The Stitch, with construction set to begin in 2027
The project is estimated at $713 million, with phase one near $200 million, of which $50 million is secured. The nonprofit is applying for a new $60 million federal grant after more than $150 million in federal funding was pulled last year.

Invest Atlanta approves a $330 million lease-purchase bond for Amsterdam Walk
Portman Holdings will lease the 11-acre Monroe Drive site while the authority holds title until the debt is paid. The project includes 1,100 rental units, 1,435 parking spaces and 150,000 square feet of commercial space.

Midtown residents urge city to inspect crumbling building
Neighbors of the stalled Campanile building redevelopment at Peachtree and 14th streets say high winds from a Saturday storm damaged exterior panels, leaving loose materials hanging from fences, while crumbling sidewalks and bubbling tiles have caused people to trip and fall. They want the city to inspect the site, hold the developer accountable and fix the sidewalks, but it's unclear when inspectors or crews will come, and the owner didn't respond to FOX 5.

Atlanta City Council approves Selig's Ponce redevelopment rezoning
The project is planned on a 1.75-acre parcel on Ponce de Leon Avenue and will include apartments and retail. No firm construction timeline has been set.

Builder chosen for I-285 Express Lanes, paying a record $23.6 billion to collect tolls
GDOT selected Top End Mobility Group for the lanes between Tucker and Sandy Springs. Construction is scheduled to finish by 2034.

Fulton County holds its tax rate flat as the school board weighs an increase
Commissioners kept the general fund rate at 8.87 mills, flat with last year but legally a 0.54% increase over the 8.82 rollback rate. The school board tentatively adopted 18.08 mills, up from 17.08 and the first proposed increase in seven years.

Georgia State sets an enrollment record
Fall enrollment hit 54,320 students, up 1.24% and about 600 above the 2020 record. Perimeter College enrolled more than 19,000, and graduate enrollment reached 8,426 degree-seeking students.

Fulton Commission races heat up as early voting runs through Oct. 30
Five of seven seats, including the chair, are on the Nov. 3 ballot. In District 1, Republican Bridget Thorne faces Democrat Maggie Goldman, whom she beat by 394 votes out of 72,410 four years ago.

Fanatics plans a flagship Hawks store at Centennial Yards
The store is planned for 2027 next to State Farm Arena. Fanatics also takes over the Hawks' e-commerce (HawksShop.com launches Oct. 19) and State Farm Arena retail starting with the Oct. 24 home opener.

Nordstrom Rack opens at Atlantic Station
The new store is scheduled to open Oct. 29.

Minhwa Spirits relocates its tasting room to West Midtown
The Doraville-based Korean American soju distillery plans to move into the former Aziza space on Howell Mill Road.

Tomo Japanese Restaurant plans a second location in Alpharetta
Tomo Sushi will open next year in 2,797 square feet at 100 N. Main Street, Suite 120, with a premium sushi bar and a Japanese-garden-style patio.

Rina closes on the Eastside Beltline
The Middle Eastern street food restaurant closed after six years at Ford Factory Lofts. Oliva Restaurant Group says it will reopen elsewhere, with no site or timing given, and catering continues.

Moondog Pub & Grub closing in Chamblee
The restaurant at 5077 Peachtree Road opened in November 2024 and is expected to close Friday, Oct. 30.

Bad Daddy's Burger Bar won't reopen in Chamblee
The restaurant at 5070 Peachtree Boulevard opened in 2018 and had been closed since a May 11 roof fire at the Windsor Parkview apartments.

Dragon Denim opens its first store at Ponce City Market
The shop is on the second floor of the Central Food Hall under a short-term lease and sells ready-to-wear and custom denim jackets.

Chamblee office tower to be demolished
The former Georgia Department of Revenue tower on Century Boulevard will come down instead of becoming residential.

Other permit-watch items: A six-story mixed-use storage facility at 1907 Piedmont Rd NE awaits city sign-off, with a demolition permit accepted for the site. A new restaurant interior remodel is under review at 1043 Greenwood Ave NE. A coffee roastery electrical permit was issued at 795 Lee St SW. A grease review at 1571 NE Expy suggests a food business. An 8-unit condo building is up for review at 930 Kirkwood Ave SE, and EdgeConnex filed to add Data Hall 4 at 1101 Donnelly Ave SW.

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Haints & Saints Day of the Dead Halloween Parade
The parade runs Sunday, Oct. 25, from Decatur Cemetery to Downtown Decatur Square.

Atlanta Dream: WNBA Finals Game 3
The game is Wednesday, Oct. 21, at State Farm Arena. An Atlanta Dream Playoff Watch Party at Jolene Jolene (Oct. 22–31) runs Oct. 22–31.

Journey and Teddy Swims
Journey plays State Farm Arena Monday, Oct. 19, and Teddy Swims follows Tuesday.

Fall Festival in Emory Village
The festival is Saturday, Oct. 24.

Madison Avenue Derby
Racing takes place Saturday, Oct. 24, on Madison Ave in Decatur.

Capturing the Spirit of Oakland (Oct. 22–25)
Tours run four days at Oakland Cemetery.

Crawl-O-Ween
Cabbagetown hosts it Saturday, Oct. 24, the same day as Boo at the Zoo.

Great Pumpkin-Carving Festival
The festival is Thursday, Oct. 22, at the Atlanta Botanical Garden.

Rhapsody in Blue ft. Jazz Pianist Sullivan Fortner (Oct. 22–24)
The jazz pianist performs at Atlanta Symphony Hall across three nights.

Doraville Art and Culture Festival
The festival is Saturday, Oct. 24, at Assembly Park.

Mastodon w/ Deafheaven
The show is Thursday, Oct. 22, at The Eastern.

Celebration of the 14th St Bike Lanes
Meet Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 14th Street NW and State Street NW.

Other notable events: Partner’s Card (Oct. 22–Nov. 1) runs Oct. 22–Nov. 1 in Buckhead Village. Atlanta United vs. Chicago Fire and Atlanta Hawks vs. Houston Rockets are Saturday, Oct. 24, and Falcons vs. 49ers is Sunday. Brand New plays the Fox Theatre Thursday. Dinosaur Trick-or-Treat is at Fernbank Saturday. Out On Film's Fright Night at Founders Green is free Friday. Buford Highway Pop-Up Business Incubator is Wednesday, Oct. 21. Murder Mystery @ Petit Violette (Oct. 23–24) runs two nights.

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Atlanta City Council committees take up the jail sale, zoning rewrite and data center limits
Minutes aren't posted yet. Agendas included a full rewrite of the zoning ordinance, a new legal definition of "family," FY 2027 property tax rates (held in committee), and a ban on drinking water for data center cooling. Others covered a $2 million Centennial Yards grant, a $350,000 police settlement and $24 million in federal housing grants.

ATL Zoning 2.0 draws criticism at an Oct. 15 work session
Law professor Sara Bronin called the 981-page draft too long and complex. She recommended accessory dwelling units, multifamily housing near the Beltline and MARTA stations, and no parking mandates.

DeKalb commissioners' Oct. 13 agenda
Outcomes aren't posted. Items included two data center ordinances, an $11.12 million Scott Candler water plant contract, a $3.33 million road striping contract and more than $4.6 million in federal park grants. The Committee of the Whole meets Oct. 20 at 9 a.m.

Brookhaven bans unauthorized commercial activity in parks
The vote was unanimous and targets paid coaches, trainers and instructors using public space. The council also approved easements for the North Druid Hills Road path and a $150,000 storm sewer repair contract.

Brookhaven Development Authority tables an Ashford Dunwoody Road deal
Members questioned the tax abatement math and asked for safeguards. The authority did approve financing for the MSK Facility at Executive Park.

Chamblee council weighs waivers for a TV studio and a Latin bakery
Paramount CBS Atlanta seeks six streetscape waivers, and a Buford Highway bakery seeks variances and waivers. The regular meeting is Oct. 20 at 6 p.m.

Fulton County Board of Commissioners meets Oct. 21
The 10 a.m. agenda includes North Point Mall tax allocation district funding and removal of the 5% departmental budget cap.

Avondale Estates reviews City Hall renovation and draft budget
The board considered an architectural services proposal and held a work session on the FY 2027 budget. No final budget vote was scheduled.

Decatur City Commission meets Monday
The 7:30 p.m. agenda covers adoption of the 2026 Comprehensive Plan and a Unified Development Ordinance review.

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Chamblee and Brookhaven: Chamblee City Center at 5520 Peachtree Rd has a closed permit for 340 market-rate apartments, retail and a park. Town Brookhaven at 1105 Town Blvd has a $1.68 million amenity renovation. GDOT's Ashford-Dunwoody Road ramp project is adding a third eastbound lane onto I-285 northbound and is nearly done.

Buckhead and Midtown: Office buildouts and fire alarm work are under way along Peachtree and Piedmont roads, and Midtown has sprinkler permits at 1349 W Peachtree St NW and 1589 Peachtree St NE. SR 400 tunnel rehab includes concrete and fire system repairs, and SR 9 resurfacing is under way. Traffic signal repair reports cluster around Northside Drive and Wesley Road.

Downtown: Emory University Hospital at 550 Peachtree St NE has permits for its 17th-floor pharmacy and Cath Lab 1. A 331-sprinkler permit was issued at 97 Peachtree St SW. Several I-75 projects replace lighting with LEDs, including tunnel lighting at Ralph McGill and Baker Street. Downtown logged 16 non-emergency and 9 emergency signal repair reports.

West Midtown and Southwest Beltline: Howell Mill Road has a run of small permits including a fire sprinkler permit at 1055 Howell Mill Rd NW. A 3-story, 31-unit apartment building at 889 Lee St SW has electrical permits issued. SR 14 over the Beltline Westside Trail is getting a bridge refurbishment, and I-20 lighting work is under way from Linkwood Road to I-85.

Memorial Drive, Old Fourth Ward and Candler Park: SR 42 at Arkwright Place is being converted to right-in/right-out with a signalized pedestrian crossing. SR 154 safety work adds mid-block crossings along Memorial Drive. Permits include a new animal habitat and care facility at Zoo Atlanta (800 Cherokee Ave SE) and four Level 2 EV chargers at 477 Wilmer St NE.

Virginia-Highland and Morningside: 1907 Piedmont Rd NE has storage facility, demolition and site prep permits in the pipeline. A fire sprinkler permit was issued at 181 Armour Dr NE and an 800 amp electrical service replacement at 340 Armour Dr NE. I-85 lighting is under way from I-75 to north of Lenox Road.

Decatur, Avondale Estates and Druid Hills: Two residential parcels were combined into one lot, and a $200,000 single-family home permit closed on Proctor Ave. The area has plumbing and HVAC permits at 1784 N Decatur Rd NE and a medical office renovation at 1525 Clifton Rd NE. I-285 resurfacing runs from Snapfinger Road to SR 8.

Utility notice: The Atlanta Department of Watershed Management lifted the boil water advisory for all impacted areas, including South Fulton, Fairburn, Union City and Chattahoochee Hills.

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