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Week in Review
Big stories
Atlanta City Council voted unanimously to freeze all new self-storage development citywide for 180 days.
The moratorium pauses all permits and rezonings while the city reviews its zoning guidelines for self-storage facilities. The timing is interesting for a seven-story building heavy with climate-controlled storage that’s in permit review on Highland Avenue.
DeKalb County approved its largest-ever affordable housing investment.
The county is stepping in explicitly because federal housing assistance is shrinking, with $15M per-year commitment funded by higher property taxes, stormwater utility fees and residential sanitation rates.
Mosquitoes in Grant Park have tested positive for West Nile Virus.
Fulton County is responding with expanded larvicide spraying and increased trapping. Dump any standing water around your property now, whether it's a flower pot, bird bath, or clogged gutter, and stock up on insect repellent.
The City of Atlanta finalized a $7.8 million purchase of the 30-acre Lucinda Bunnen estate in North Buckhead, preserving it as a park.
Thirty acres of contiguous forest saved from redevelopment in North Buckhead.
A developer on an aggressive Atlanta buying spree has announced plans to significantly overhaul Morningside Village.
26th Street Partners is planning a whole bunch of improvements, including fresh paint, awnings, artwork and more.
Mercedes-Benz opened a $34 million technology center at Northyards.
The facility focuses on software and digital engineering for future vehicles, and it puts a serious corporate anchor in a part of West Midtown that's been building momentum.
The Atlanta Beltline installed new mile markers along its trails to help emergency responders locate people faster.
If you've ever wondered how 911 dispatchers locate someone who collapses mid-run on a trail with no street address, this is the fix. A straightforward upgrade that could matter on a bad day.
Delivery Robots Can Move Faster on Atlanta Sidewalks After New July 1 Law
A new state law that took effect July 1 allows autonomous delivery robots to move up to 7 mph on Atlanta sidewalks, up from the previous 4 mph cap. You'll want to keep an eye out, because these little guys are now moving at a brisk jogging pace alongside pedestrians.
DeKalb development agency approves $3M grant for Belvedere Plaza redevelopment
DeKalb granted $3M as part of a $24M redevelopment project to convert 90k square feet of vacant retail space to attract tenants. Big news for an area starved for this kind of development.
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Business openings, closings, and "watch this space" items
The Vela Park food hall is officially open in East Lake.
The centerpiece of the $200 million mixed-use development on the former Bag Factory site, this is the part of Vela Park you'll want to visit first.
Barnes & Noble is returning to Edgewood.
A brick-and-mortar bookstore is coming back to the area, giving the neighborhood a place to browse again.
Botánico Cocina & Social Club is opening in the former Lure space on Crescent Avenue in Midtown this August.
Brothers Felipe and Eduardo Rivera, who previously ran Palo Santo in West Midtown, are behind the high-energy Mexican concept.
A new development called Gemini is breaking ground on a former church site in Reynoldstown.
First-look renderings are available at the link. Another corner of the neighborhood changes.
Lucy's Market is relocating within Buckhead.
The beloved local market is moving from Andrews Square to a larger building on Piedmont.
The Atlanta History Center is opening "More Perfect Union: The American Civil War Era" in its fully renovated DuBose Gallery as part of the institution's centennial.
A significant new permanent exhibition at one of the city's anchor cultural institutions.
Fetch Park in Buckhead Village is staying open for now Developer Jamestown has stated that they don’t plan to remove Fetch as it builds out its 20-story mixed-use timber tower (after receiving complaints about its potential closure), which means the outdoor dog park and bar that's become a go-to community gathering spot in Buckhead Village stays open for the foreseeable future.
Other permit-watch items: A fire alarm permit at 1015 Blvd SE suggests an imminent tenant opening in the Memorial Drive corridor. A new restaurant and bar is building out at 100 6th St NE in Midtown. At 675 W Peachtree St NE, a wave of simultaneous electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and fire sprinkler permits signals a major tenant buildout with no name yet attached. A fire marshal review for a new restaurant has been filed at 3509 Broad St in Chamblee, and a new $800K white-box restaurant gut renovation is filed at AMLI Brookhaven, with neither permit naming the incoming tenant.
Upcoming events
FIFA World Cup Final Watch Party at Piedmont Park, Sunday July 19, with Ludacris performing.
Free, outdoors, and will draw an enormous crowd. Get there early.
Paul Simon at Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park, Monday July 13.
A rare and intimate show from a legend in one of Atlanta's best outdoor venues.
Wax'N'Facts 50th Anniversary Concert at Variety Playhouse, Sunday July 19.
One of Atlanta's great independent record stores hits 50. Worth celebrating in person.
Indigo Girls close out WatchFest at Downtown Decatur Square, Sunday July 19.
A fitting send-off for a festival that has drawn140,000 visitors to Decatur so far.
Other notable events: Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefer Band at Chastain, Saturday July 18. Sensory-Friendly Evening at the High Museum, Wednesday July 15. Bastille Day Wine Flights at Brasserie Lundi, Tuesday July 14. Stars & Stripes Preservation Gala at The Goat Farm, Saturday July 18. Folklore & Magic Literary Open Mic at Wild Aster Books, Wednesday July 15. Decatur Architecture Walking Tour, Thursday July 16. DIY Zine-Making Workshop at The Bakery, Wednesday July 15. Sunset Tree Tour on the Beltline Arboretum Eastside Trail, Tuesday July 14. Bastille Day at Bar Blanc in West Midtown, Tuesday July 14.
Other government updates
The council voted 13-0 to deny a rezoning request near West Paces Ferry Road that would have converted 11.1 acres from large-lot single-family to a planned development housing designation. Councilmember Mary Norwood led the denial, blocking a denser residential subdivision on two parcels at 1950 West Paces Ferry Road NW and 2518 West Wesley Road NW.
DeKalb County Board of Commissioners approved a $20.5 million contract for expansion of the Snapfinger Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility and extended its moratorium on new data center applications in Districts 1 and 5. Not glamorous, but very important if you like drinking water, functioning sewers, and avoiding infrastructure meltdowns.
The DeKalb County Planning Commission recommended 7-1 to approve a new townhome community on Chamblee-Tucker Road, with a 25% rental cap and a rear buffer fence required. The commission also unanimously recommended denying a proposed package store on Covington Highway and rejected two single-family subdivision proposals on Henrico Road. All recommendations go to the Board of Commissioners for a final vote on August 13.
E-SPLOST, Fulton County's 1% educational sales tax, is heading to a November 3 special election. The Atlanta City Council's Committee on Council unanimously cleared the way for voters to decide whether to renew the tax.
Avondale Estates addresses manager, commissioner dispute
After a June verbal confrontation between City Manager Patrick Bryant and Commissioner Lyda Steadman in the Avondale Estates City Hall parking lot, where Bryant thought Steadman might be a participant in gossip site “Avondale FYI”, the City Commission spent air time discussing the incident. This feels straight out of reality TV if we’re being honest.
The DeKalb County School District Board of Education meets July 13 with a $15 million K-12 social studies curriculum purchase on the agenda, along with $3 million in district-wide roofing repairs and a new AI classroom use policy. The AI policy is worth watching closely if you have kids in DeKalb schools.
The Atlanta City Council's Zoning Committee meets Monday July 13 on several significant items, including Upper Westside industrial-to-mixed-use rezonings on Ellsworth Industrial Boulevard, a proposed 60-acre truck terminal special use permit on Jonesboro Road, and a Peachtree Circle Historic District designation. The Highland Avenue seven-story storage-heavy project is also on the agenda via the self-storage special use permit text amendment.
The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners' July 14 meeting includes a vote on a $233 million overhaul of the Scott Candler Water Treatment Plant. Also on the July 14 agenda: design contracts for the Michelle Obama Trail and South River Trail extensions, a rezoning at 1942 Columbia Drive, a pedestrian safety crosswalk at North Decatur Road and Ridgewood Drive that was deferred last week, and new rules governing data center environmental reviews.
The Atlanta City Council Finance/Executive Committee meets July 15 to set FY 2027 property tax rates, including levies for the BeltLine and Atlanta Stitch special districts, and to take up 2028 Democratic National Convention coordination agreements.
NPU-F meets July 15 with a high-density BeltLine rezoning at 774 Ponce de Leon Ave NE on the agenda, along with Midtown High School renovation plans and a duplex rezoning at 573 Amsterdam Ave NE.
Permits, construction, and road work
Memorial Drive: New construction is moving on the corridor. A 7-unit, 3-story townhome building is permitted at 2015 Memorial Dr SE, and a 4-story mixed-use building with a concrete podium is filed at 1976 Hosea L Williams Dr NE. About 0.2 miles of new 14-foot shared-use path is being added to the Beltline Southside Trail at 920 Glenwood Ave SE.
Old Fourth Ward / Little Five Points / Ponce corridor: The big permit to watch is 315 Highland Ave NE, where a seven-story, 110,000-plus square-foot mixed-use building is in review with nearly 94,000 square feet of climate-controlled storage, filed before the moratorium. Multiple simultaneous trade permits at PCM point to a substantial commercial tenant build-out moving forward.
Midtown: The mystery buildout at 675 W Peachtree St NE has electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and fire sprinkler permits all moving simultaneously, a strong signal a major tenant is getting close to opening. A new restaurant and bar is building out at 100 6th St NE, and a full rear-of-house residential expansion is permitted at 218 15th St NE.
Buckhead: Gold's Gym is coming to Suite 110 at 3495 Buckhead Loop NE per a new fire alarm permit. Office renovation work is active on the 21st floor at 3333 Piedmont Rd NE and at 3350 Peachtree Rd NE. An AT&T retail conversion is filed at 3431 Lenox Rd NE. SR 9 resurfacing is active from SR 3 north to Paces Ferry Road, and SR 400 tunnel rehabilitation is underway near the Justin C. Martin Building.
West Midtown / Collier Hills: A restaurant is getting its gas systems dialed in at 690 11th St NW, covering a kitchen cook line, rooftop HVAC, patio heaters, and water heaters. A new tenant is building out roughly 2,000 square feet at 1385 Collier Rd NW inside the Market Building. GDOT is actively reconfiguring the Northside Drive, 14th Street, and Hemphill Avenue intersection cluster.
Virginia-Highland / Morningside: Anthem Automotive is building out the lower level at 2173 Piedmont Rd NE, with upper-level white-box space being prepped for a future tenant. A 1-story building at 780 N Highland Ave NE is converting to mixed-use. A salon at 736 Ponce de Leon Ave NE is becoming a retail clothing store. SR 13 is getting its first resurfacing since 2012 from SR 9 north to North Fork Peachtree Creek.
Druid Hills / North Decatur: The week's biggest permit is at 1260 Briarcliff Rd, a $30 million, 56-unit assisted living complex across five floors with additional daylight basement levels and a memory support component. Emory Decatur Hospital filed three permits at 2701 N Decatur Rd totaling $1.445 million for a bed expansion, an electrical overhaul including 222 new light fixtures and three panels, and a new electrical room. SR-236 left-turn lane extension work is active at SR-155, and a signal upgrade is underway at SR-236 and Shepherds Lane.
Brookhaven / Chamblee: A Kia dealership at 5647 Peachtree Blvd is expanding its service operation. A fire marshal review is filed at 3509 Broad St for a new restaurant. SR-13 resurfacing is active from the Fulton County line to Chamblee Tucker Road, and signal timing improvements are underway on Peachtree Industrial Boulevard between Peachtree Road and New Peachtree Road.
Decatur: Kensington MARTA Station transit access improvements are actively under construction around the station entrance areas. I-285 concrete rehabilitation is underway from Snapfinger Road to SR-8.
Regionwide road work: I-20 LED lighting replacement is active from Capitol Ave to Flat Shoals Road across Fulton and DeKalb counties. SR 154 pedestrian improvements including a new mid-block crossing and a restricted crossing U-turn are active between Hill Street and Pearl Street. Rectangular Rapid Flash Beacon installations are underway at four crossings along SR 260 in DeKalb County at Haas Ave, Eastside Ave, Brownwood Ave, and Joseph Ave. I-75 LED lighting upgrades are active from Musket Ridge Drive to I-85 and through the I-75/I-85 tunnel sections near Ralph McGill and Baker Street.
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Busybody ATL
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