Morning, West Midtown and Collier Hills! This week: the city is dropping $36 million on water fixes and Fulton County is drawing a hard line on data center tax breaks. Also on deck: the Beltline's demolition crews are finally moving on that vacant Bennett Street strip nearby in south Buckhead, and &pizza is staking its first Georgia claim at The Interlock.

- News — A $36M water infrastructure vote, Fulton's pushback on data center tax breaks, and the first swings of demolition at Bennett Street on the Beltline.
- Business — &pizza is bringing its D.C. roots to The Interlock this fall, while longtime favorite Gusto! closes its doors after seven and a half years.
- Events — The Piedmont Park Arts Festival takes over Saturday across the highway, plus a luau, a wine tasting, and Chattahoochee Food Works' packed weekly lineup.
- Government — Fulton commissioners voted to oppose data center incentives and put a road tax referendum on the ballot, while NPUs weigh new self-storage rules and a proposed historic district near Peachtree Circle.
- Construction —Tree crews are out in force this week, and potholes are piling up on Ellsworth Drive and Norfleet Road.

Let's dive in.

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NEWS

Atlanta City Council approves $36M for water system upgrades
The Atlanta City Council approved $36 million in funding for critical water infrastructure upgrades and repairs across the city, including a leak at Westside Market that has gone unaddressed for weeks.

Fulton County officials oppose data center tax breaks
Fulton County leaders are urging local development authorities to halt tax incentives for data centers, citing concerns over power grid strain, heavy water consumption, and lost tax revenue across the county.

Lightning strike damages gas line in Northwest Atlanta, repairs underway
Atlanta Gas Light crews began emergency repairs after a severe lightning strike damaged a gas line in Northwest Atlanta, requiring temporary gas shutoffs to safely resolve the leak affecting nearby residents.

Underwood Hills: Share your experience of excessively loud vehicles
The Buckhead Council of Neighborhoods is asking Underwood Hills residents to share their experiences with excessively loud vehicles and modified exhaust systems, with the input intended to support advocacy for stronger state legislation in the upcoming legislative session.

Beltline: Days numbered for former Buckhead commercial strip
Atlanta BeltLine officials are beginning demolition on the vacant Bennett Street commercial district near Piedmont Hospital in Buckhead, clearing the way for bridge repairs, future affordable housing, and expansion of the BeltLine's Northwest Trail.

BUSINESS

&pizza - opening - Washington, D.C.-based chain &pizza is opening its first Georgia location at The Interlock this September.

Gusto! - closing - Local bowl, wrap, and salad spot Gusto! has closed its West Midtown location on 17th Street near IKEA after seven and a half years in business.

EVENTS | Presented by

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Monday, August 10
- Industry Night | Chattahoochee Food Works

Tuesday, August 11
- clipping. | Terminal West
- Trap Yoga Tuesday | The Interlock
- Georgia's Largest Happy Hour TUESDAYS | Chattahoochee Food Works

Wednesday, August 12
- Indie Market at Chattahoochee Food Works | Chattahoochee Food Works
- Wellness Wednesdays: HIIT Like a Pro | The Interlock
- Wellness Wednesday | Atlantic Station

Thursday, August 13
- Momo Boyd | Terminal West
- Atlanta F.A.M. – Fashion, Art & Music | Chattahoochee Food Works
- SETTLE + Sound: The Shift with Jess Pfeffer + Ruby Velle | Interlock Tower

Saturday, August 15
- CHRIStal Ball 2026 | Curate Event Space
- Luau Party | Chattahoochee Food Works
- Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Womens Volleyball vs. Kennesaw State Owls Womens Volleyball | O'Keefe Gymnasium
- Saturday Night Sets | Chattahoochee Food Works
- Copia Wine Tasting | Bold Monk Brewing Co.
- Piedmont Park Arts Festival | Piedmont Park

Sunday, August 16
- Sunday Famers Market | Chattahoochee Food Works
- Paint and Sip: Paint Night Done Right - Atlanta | Taste Wine Bar and Market
- Uncle Sugar  The Northside - Sunday Night | Northside Tavern
- Sunday Sweat Series | The Interlock

GOVERNMENT

Note: our information comes from posted meetings documents (agendas and minutes when available) — latest source document hyperlinked to each meeting.

Past Week Roundup

Fulton County Board of Commissioners
As covered in today's news section, commissioners voted 5-0 to oppose tax breaks for data center projects countywide, naming potential deals with OpenAI and Anthropic directly. Beyond that, the board re-established a county Budget Commission to help shape Fulton's annual budget going forward, and it approved a $771,900 contract for suicide prevention upgrades at the county jail along with $581,114 to outfit 11 new inmate transport vans. Commissioners also signed off on adjusted environmental health fees and locked in election agreements with Atlanta and Sandy Springs ahead of the November general election. At a separate special session, the board voted 4-0 to put a Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST) referendum on the ballot, along with an agreement spelling out how the money would get split among Fulton's cities if voters approve it. That referendum, if passed, would mean a new sales tax dedicated to funding local road and transit projects across the county.

Atlanta NPU (NPU-C and NPU-E)
Both NPUs have self-storage restrictions on their agendas this week, part of a citywide push backed by several councilmembers to require a Special Use Permit for any new self-storage facility instead of letting them get built by-right. That change would give neighbors a formal public hearing and a say before a new storage facility breaks ground anywhere in the city. NPU-C is also reviewing a citywide ordinance adjusting solid waste taxes and fees, which could shift what you see on your municipal utility bill, and that same solid waste measure is on NPU-E's agenda too. NPU-E has its own big item: a proposal to create a Peachtree Circle Historic District, which would shift properties there into a protected historic classification with stricter design rules for homeowners. NPU-E is also weighing an amended layout for the Piedmont Park Arts Festival after organizers got sent back to the drawing board earlier this year.

Atlanta City Council
As covered in today's news section, the council approved $36 million in watershed repair contracts along with a $15.5 million transfer to upgrade the Flint River Pump Station. The council's regular meeting agenda also includes agreements tied to Atlanta's bid to host the 2028 Democratic National Convention, a plan to close a stretch of street near Grady Hospital for a new pedestrian plaza, and a strict new consumer protection ordinance for private parking garages and lots covering rate disclosure and payment access. A $5.6 million expansion of the city's solar energy contract and a 20-year lease for a new youth community center near Center Hill Park are also up for consideration, alongside a slate of rezoning cases stretching from Buckhead to South Atlanta, including a proposed 60-acre truck terminal on Jonesboro Road. Separately, the Committee on Council unanimously confirmed Stephanie Jackson as the city's next Auditor for a five-year term and approved two appointments to the Community Access Media Board. The committee held several policy proposals for further review, including a council civility pledge, a requirement that legislation carry a named primary sponsor, and a request to station certified law enforcement officers at recreation centers used as polling places.

Notable Neighborhood Mentions

Atlanta NPU-C
- 2020 Howell Mill Road NW (Publix #1119) — The store has an application on the agenda to change the registered agent on its retail grocery alcohol license, a routine administrative update with no impact on daily operations.

Atlanta NPU-E
- 903 Marietta Street NW — Jaide Atlanta is applying for a new restaurant alcohol license, and the item is on the agenda for review.
- 935 Marietta Street NW — Cafe in the City is applying for a new restaurant alcohol license, and the item is on the agenda for review.

Atlanta City Council
- 1425 & 1475 Ellsworth Industrial Blvd NW — The council is scheduled to consider rezoning 8.54 acres from heavy industrial and multifamily zoning to Mixed Residential Commercial to allow the Lumberyard Lofts project to move forward.

Meetings This Week
- Atlanta Public Schools — Board of Education | Aug-10 | key topics: new A.D. Williams Elementary construction contract, multi-site demolition bundle, Tax Anticipation Note resolution, facility repurposing policy
- Atlanta City Council — Committees | Various | key topics: Ponce de Leon/Decatur Street mixed-use rezonings, data center task force proposal, fire inspection fee increases, Mercedes-Benz Stadium debt refinancing

CONSTRUCTION

Permits

- 1235 Chattahoochee Ave NW — Interior build-out permitted for The Body Creamery, a new tenant moving into an unfinished mercantile suite. Another sign of retail filling in along the Chattahoochee corridor.
- 1251 Marietta Blvd NW — Full office renovation for HVH Mechanical, including new ceiling, flooring, and finishes. Expect some interior work noise if you're nearby.
- 907 Marietta St NW — Permit filed for a 50kW diesel generator install. Standard backup power work, but worth noting if you're right next to it.
- 679 11th St NW — Antenna and mount modifications at an existing commercial site, swapping out equipment for updated wireless infrastructure. Routine cell tower maintenance.
- 1385 Collier Rd NW — Fire sprinkler modifications in suite 113, adding and relocating heads. Interior work only.
- 1656 Gilstrap Ln NW — In-kind replacement windows going into a multifamily building. No structural changes.
- 665 Marietta St NW — Paperwork permit to convert a certificate of completion into a certificate of occupancy for a prior project. Administrative, not new construction.
- 1531 Carroll Dr NW — Dry pipe fire sprinkler repair to fix a leak. Maintenance work.
- 1480 Chattahoochee Ave NW — Misc. sewer disconnects tied to a filler system. Utility work, likely minor disruption.

Beyond these, 25 more commercial permits are moving through the pipeline, mostly routine HVAC, electrical, and plumbing work. On the residential side, 46 permits are in process, dominated by HVAC swaps (14) and arborist removals of dead or hazardous trees (11), so don't be surprised if you see tree crews out this week.

Road Work

Under Construction

- SR 3/US 41 Intersection Improvements (Northside Drive at 14th Street/Hemphill Avenue) — Crews are reworking this intersection cluster to simplify signals and add flexibility for traffic flow. If you drive through Home Park or Georgia Tech, expect ongoing lane shifts near this stretch.
- I-75 Lighting Upgrade (Musket Ridge Drive to I-85) — GDOT is swapping out old HPS lighting for LED fixtures along this corridor, with possible pole and conduit replacement.
- Bridge Preservation at 7 Locations (Cobb, DeKalb, and Fulton Counties) — This multi-county project covers overlay work, steel beam painting, and joint replacement at several bridges, including one on Moreland Avenue. It's a broader regional effort, so watch for lane closures if your route crosses any of these bridges.
- SR 9 Resurfacing (SR 3 to north of Paces Ferry Road) — GDOT is repaving this stretch of SR 9 to fix a low pavement condition score. If your commute runs along SR 9 toward Buckhead, plan for possible slowdowns during the work.
- Buford Spring Connector Tunnel Lighting (I-85) — Crews are upgrading tunnel lighting to LED and checking wiring and conduit. This one sits about 2.6 miles out, so it's more likely to affect your drive if you're heading toward I-85 north of the area.

Service Requests

Potholes top the list this week, with 12 reports clustered on Ellsworth Drive and Norfleet Road, Channing Drive, Bellemeade Avenue, Forrest Trail, Wesley Drive, and a handful of other streets. Most are already in progress, though a couple got flagged as duplicates and two got kicked over to the sewer division.

Two Emergency Traffic Signal Repair calls came in for 10th Street and Hemphill Avenue, and both are already closed out. A Non-Emergency signal repair at Moores Mill Road and Bolton Road is also closed.

Visibility and overgrowth issues drew two reports, one at Boyd Avenue and Huff Road (marked problem solved) and another on Echota Drive NW that's still in progress.

And someone flagged graffiti in the right of way at Collier Road and Redland Road, which the city's working on now.

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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.