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Mayor Dickens issues citywide moratorium on new self-storage development
The executive order halts new self-storage construction across Atlanta in a direct response to neighbors in fast-growing corridors who've watched vacant lots become dead-end storage facilities instead of housing or retail.

Atlanta Zoning Committee votes 7-0 to block major Buckhead housing project
The committee recommended denial of a rezoning that would have converted 11.185 acres at West Paces Ferry and West Wesley Roads from large-lot single-family to a Planned Development Housing designation. It’s a win for the Buckhead neighbors who turned out hard against the proposal and a signal that the committee is not in a mood to rubber-stamp density shifts in established neighborhoods.

Edgewood Avenue liquor license moratorium proposed after string of shootings
The Public Safety Committee is weighing a 180-day freeze on new alcohol licenses along the Edgewood Avenue nightlife corridor, with community leaders pressing for action after a pattern of violence. The moratorium was held in committee without a vote, but the pressure is building and this one isn't going away.

Brookhaven City Council approves 40% property tax increase, its first in over a decade
The hike is worse than it sounds, but will mean $400 extra on an $800k house in Brookhaven. Meanwhile, DeKalb County is separately weighing millage rate and fee increases for sanitation and stormwater services, with a decision deferred to July 7, meaning property owners across DeKalb don't know their full bill yet.

DeKalb County Commission rejects data center zoning standards
Commissioners voted down a county-wide text amendment that would have established zoning and environmental guardrails for data centers in industrial and office districts in a significant blow to advocates who raised alarms about noise and long-term environmental strain. The door is now wide open for more facilities, with fewer protections than neighbors wanted.

Blandtown's $75M Beltline-adjacent redevelopment clears critical financing hurdle
Alta West Midtown, a nearly 250-unit mixed-use project on a former tire recycling plant near the BeltLine, secured a Fulton County Development Authority tax break to get off the ground. The full $75M transformation is targeted for completion by 2028 and is one of the more consequential infill plays West Midtown has seen.

East Lake loses the Tour Championship as permanent host after 2027
The PGA Tour is moving to a rotating host model, ending the long-standing tradition that made East Lake Golf Club synonymous with the season finale. It's a quiet but significant closing of a chapter that felt permanent, and will have real implications for the neighborhood's identity and annual economic boost.

Grady Memorial Hospital's parking-heavy Cabbagetown redevelopment plan draws community pushback
Grady has revealed plans to redevelop a long-vacant corner lot in Cabbagetown, and neighbors and urban planners are not pleased as the design prioritizes cars in a neighborhood that has spent years building a walkable character.

Finance/Executive Committee takes up $200M Southside hospital push and FY2027 property tax rates
A resolution asking Fulton County to commit $200 million toward a healthcare expansion with Morehouse School of Medicine, targeting medically underserved Southside and Westside communities, was on the committee's agenda alongside the ordinance that will set what homeowners owe in property taxes next year. Neither has been finally decided at the full council level yet.

Joystick Game Bar closes after 14 years; end of an era for Atlanta arcade culture
One of Atlanta's most beloved spots for cheap beer and vintage cabinets is powering down for good. Fourteen years is a remarkable run for any bar, let alone one built around quarters and nostalgia.

Guac y Margys closes both Atlanta locations, including The Interlock and SPX Alley on the Beltline
After nine years of margaritas and tacos, the neighborhood staple is done and it’s a loss for anyone who made the Eastside Beltline walk a ritual that ended here.

So. Fox. is opening in Virginia-Highland next week, and the menu is already drawing attention
A new restaurant debut in VaHi is worth watching; the AJC got an early look at the menu and it's generating real buzz before the doors have opened.

Pour Taproom has poured its last pint

Pour is closing its doors at 1180 Peachtree after five plus years. It’s a loss for the office happy hour crowd in the building and right by the building.

Rayonier, a $7B timber giant and Georgia's largest landowner, is relocating its corporate headquarters to Buckhead
A significant corporate relocation that adds another major name to Buckhead's office address list.

Two new Mexican concepts land in Midtown: Botanico Cocina takes over the old Lure space, Habaneros debuts at Spring Quarter
Botanico is reimagining one of Midtown's more prominent dining addresses as a Latin restaurant and social club; Habaneros brings an Aztec-inspired Pan-Mexican kitchen to the Spring Quarter development.

La Cueva opens at Ponce City Market as a mezcal cocktail bar with live music and Mexican botanas
Exactly the kind of place that turns a quick drink into a whole evening. Alo Yoga is also coming to PCM this fall, adding another retail anchor to an already gravitational building.

Dan's Snack Bar is moving into the former Mother's Best Fried Chicken space in Downtown Decatur
Big shoes to fill in a high-visibility location on the Square and we're curious to see what Dan's brings.

Rockefeller Group reveals pricing and fresh images for Alina Tower, Atlanta's soon-to-be tallest residential building at 1072 W. Peachtree
The numbers are finally out. If you've been trying to picture what Midtown's skyline looks like in a few years, this is your answer, and the tower is clearing final occupancy permits floor by floor right now.

Buckhead Heritage secures lease on the 115-year-old "Little White House" from Atlanta Public Schools for its new headquarters
A fitting home for a preservation organization and a meaningful signal that not every historic building in Buckhead is getting paved over.

Other permit-watch items: A mystery retail tenant is prepping on Huff Road in West Midtown (gas line roughed in for "future retail" at 1121 Huff Rd NW); electrical work at 1048–1050 N. Highland Ave NE in VaHi suggests a tenant buildout in progress; a $9.3M Phase II retail buildout (53,690 sq ft) is permitted for Lulah Hills; and two restaurant tenant build-outs are moving through permits in Chamblee (3127 Chamblee Dunwoody Rd and Chamblee Plaza on Peachtree Blvd). The Atlanta Financial Center North Tower lobby is also slated for a major remodel, and a boutique build near Georgia Tech at 740 Techwood is approaching pre-leasing.

The 57th Peachtree Road Race runs July 4th from Lenox Road to Piedmont Park
America's largest 10K draws tens of thousands of runners and dominates the morning. If you're anywhere near Buckhead or Midtown on Saturday, plan your routes accordingly.

DMC performs at Lenox Square on July 3rd, ahead of the race
Free pre-race concert at the start line; a proper send-off for the holiday weekend.

Sarah McLachlan plays Chastain Park Amphitheater on July 3rd
The Better Broken Tour stops at one of Atlanta's most beloved outdoor venues the night before the race; it’s a proper holiday weekend doubleheader for Buckhead.

Chamblee Rocks 4th of July Concert headlines with Robin Thicke
Chamblee's summer concert series is pulling out all the stops with five-time Grammy nominee Robin Thicke headlining the neighborhood's Fourth of July celebration in downtown Chamblee.

Druid Hills Fourth of July Parade and Block Party, July 4th
One of the most charming neighborhood Fourth celebrations in the city that runs the same morning as the Peachtree Road Race, so the whole stretch of northeast Atlanta will be in full holiday mode.

Fourth of July in Downtown Decatur, July 4th
The Square does the holiday right: family-friendly, walkable, and reliably well-attended.

Rooftop Rodeo at Ponce City Market, July 4th
PCM's rooftop does July 4th with its signature spectacle and is one of the better spots in the city to watch fireworks from above the crowd.

Other notable events: The Great American Whiskey Throwdown runs July 3rd at the Kimpton Shane Hotel; the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library hosts Fourth of July Family Day and author Denise Kiernan on July 4th; Oakland Cemetery has daily tours and programming all week plus a We Shall Overcome historical tour July 5th; Fernbank Museum has live animal encounters and dino talks all week; Dad's Garage runs shows including a Christmas in July edition; the Candler Park Soccer Watch Party is at Candler Park July 5th; and the 9th Annual Atlanta House Heads Picnic hits Grant Park on July 4th.

Atlanta City Council has a busy week

Atlanta's City Council held six separate sessions covering everything from bond financing to zoning to public safety. In a brief Special Called Meeting on June 24, the full Council voted unanimously 9-0 to approve $8 million in General Obligation bonds split evenly between FY2026 and FY2027, with both tranches placed directly with Huntington National Bank — a fast-tracked financing move sent immediately to the Mayor for signature. The Finance/Executive Committee took up a sweeping agenda that included a proposed resolution asking Fulton County to commit $200 million toward healthcare expansion on the Southside and Westside, a proposal to set FY2027 property tax rates across all city levies, and an ordinance that would allow the city to add surcharges on electronic payments — all of which were on the agenda but have not yet resulted in confirmed final outcomes at the full council level. The Transportation Committee reviewed a proposal to permanently close a segment of Jesse Hill Jr. Drive SE near Grady Hospital to create a pedestrian plaza, considered a resolution requesting renegotiation of the "More MARTA" transit agreement, and took up a $3.6 million state grant for Peachtree Street improvements and a $2.63 million safe streets design contract — all with minutes posted confirming the committee processed these items. The Community Development/Human Services Committee considered ordinances to codify free admission at all city pools, establish an Office of Short-Term Rentals, and fund a $250,000 transit-oriented study near the Ashby MARTA Station, while the City Utilities Committee reviewed a $2 million Chastain Park stream restoration transfer, a nearly $1.9 million wetlands land acquisition, and over $36 million in emergency water and sewer repair contract renewals. The Public Safety & Legal Administration Committee approved a $3.39 million land purchase from MARTA for a new Lindbergh-area EMS/Fire Station, passed a controversial 3-2 vote granting the CFO authority to require forensic audits of alcohol-licensed businesses under APD investigation, and ratified a retroactive lease keeping the APD Zone 6 precinct on Hosea Williams Drive — while holding in committee both the proposed Edgewood Corridor alcohol moratorium and a surveillance technology transparency ordinance. At the Zoning Committee, members voted 7-0 to recommend denial of an 11-acre Buckhead planned development rezoning at West Paces Ferry, unanimously backed a citywide 180-day moratorium on new storage facility permits, and deferred a wave of duplex, mixed-use, and industrial rezoning cases back to committee for further review.

DeKalb County Board of Commissioners: data center rules rejected, Airbnb excise tax approved, millage and $4M+ in trail contracts deferred
The June 23 meeting also rejected a 12-home subdivision rezoning on Kelly Lake Road and approved a $1.2M contract with Trusted Hands Senior Care and an implementation plan for a North DeKalb homeless day center. Millage rate decisions and $4M in trail design contracts — including $3.12M for South River Trail Phase VI and nearly $1M for North Fork Peachtree Creek Trail — are both deferred to July committee meetings.

Brookhaven City Council: millage rates adopted, Peachtree Creek Greenway easements approved, bar safety overhaul unanimously deferred
The June 23 session officially set the city's tax and assessment rates following two public hearings, advanced Phase II of the Peachtree Creek Greenway, and awarded a $155,250 citywide pavement assessment contract. A sweeping overhaul of public safety rules for late-night alcohol establishments, which would have introduced a data-driven, risk-based framework, was deferred unanimously. A Mid-Year Advance planning session is also exploring whether the city should take direct control over master planning the Brookhaven/Oglethorpe MARTA station transit-oriented development site.

Avondale Estates millage rate: three public hearings held, final vote June 30th
The city's tentative millage rate of 9.55 for 2026 would constitute a property tax increase and Georgia law requires three public hearings, which have now been held, with a final adoption vote scheduled June 30th alongside resolutions setting sanitation and stormwater utility fees.

City Schools of Decatur holding final millage hearing and vote June 29th
The board is scheduled to hold a final vote on the FY2027 school millage rate: the number that determines the school tax portion of Decatur property owners' bills.

Decatur's strategic plan revision is shaping up as a serious fight over land use and zoning
The 10-year plan update puts density, zoning, and what gets built where front and center, with neighborhoods like Oakhurst, Downtown, and Glenwood Estates all in the mix. Now is the time to engage.

Memorial Drive / Southeast Atlanta: A coordinated 43-unit, 3-story townhome development is moving through permits at 2015 Memorial Dr SE — seven separate applications, all sharing the same land disturbance approval, representing a significant infill push for the corridor. Emergency watershed repairs at 339 Edgewood Avenue SE happened last week. A sewer lateral repair on Moreland Avenue SE is also causing lane closures.

Midtown / Peachtree Corridor: Alina Tower at 1072 W. Peachtree is clearing phased occupancy permits floor by floor (levels 40–60 permitted for gas, electrical). The Atlanta Botanical Garden has two new construction permits. SR 13 is being repaved from SR 9 to North Fork Peachtree Creek — the first resurfacing since 2012. ]

Buckhead: Peachtree Road is being resurfaced from SR 3 northward past Paces Ferry. SR 400 tunnel bridge rehab is underway near the Justin C. Martin Building. A two-floor office buildout (floors 21–22) is underway at 3333 Piedmont Rd NE — a tenant build-out of some scale.

VaHi / Morningside / Druid Hills: A Level 3 full gut renovation is underway at 1784 N. Decatur Rd NE. Back-to-back electrical permits at 1048–1050 N. Highland Ave NE signal a tenant buildout in progress. A new 3-story single-family home is under permit at 1208 N. Decatur Rd NE. Pothole complaints are clustering heavily around E. Morningside Drive and its intersection with Piedmont Avenue. I-85 between I-75 and north of Lenox Road is getting an LED lighting overhaul.

West Midtown / Collier Hills: First-generation office buildout underway at 1055 Howell Mill Rd NW; gas line roughed in for future retail at 1121 Huff Rd NW; interior tenant renovation at 1750 Chattahoochee Ave NW. The Northside Drive / 14th Street / Hemphill Avenue intersection cluster is getting signal and operational upgrades.

Brookhaven / Chamblee: SR-13 (Buford Highway) is being resurfaced from the Fulton County line to Chamblee Tucker Road. Signal timing upgrades are underway on Peachtree Industrial Boulevard between Peachtree Road and New Peachtree Road. Brookhaven approved funding to underground utilities along Dresden Drive between Ellijay Drive and Caldwell Road. Two restaurant tenant build-outs are moving through permits: a new restaurant at 3127 Chamblee Dunwoody Rd and an expanded Asian cuisine concept at Chamblee Plaza.

Decatur / Emory area: Emory Decatur Hospital has multiple active permits totaling roughly $9.3M across two clusters — a $1.47M conversion to MRI suites and ~$7.8M of interior reconstruction on Levels 2 and 4 adding inpatient rooms. A separate $9.3M Phase II retail buildout (53,690 sq ft) is permitted at the Lulah Hills site. Kensington MARTA Station is seeing transit access and mobility improvements (Phase I-LCI).

I-20 / Regional: LED lighting upgrades are underway along I-20 from Capitol Avenue to Flat Shoals Road (both Fulton and DeKalb counties), replacing aging high-pressure sodium fixtures. Concrete rehab is active on I-20 between Hill Street and Columbia Drive. I-75 tunnel lighting upgrades are underway at the Ralph McGill Blvd/Baker St tunnels, and LED replacement is also active along I-75 from Musket Ridge Drive to I-85.

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Until next week,
West Midtown / Collier Hills 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.