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Hey, West Midtown / Collier Hills! This week: the Beltline finally set a groundbreaking date for the Northwest Trail segment linking Collier Hills to the existing network, while Blaze Pizza quietly closed its 17th Street location after nearly eight years. Also on our radar: a new apartment building filed for Collier Road, a big data-infrastructure buildout at Atlantic Station, and a full slate of council committee meetings touching everything from Howell Mill zoning to data center water use.

- News — The Beltline announces a September 10 groundbreaking under I-75, Georgia Tech lands a $10.5M NASA workforce grant, and a new agave-focused bottle shop in a converted paper mill is featured.
- Business — Blaze Pizza's West Midtown outpost has closed for good, ending a nearly eight-year run on 17th Street.
- Events — Lighter week around here, but Yacht Rock Revue takes over Chastain Saturday, plus farmers markets, an indie market, and a Georgia Tech book signing round out the week.
- Government — Fulton commissioners eye handing senior transit to MARTA and Atlanta Council greenlights a $1.3B airport bond, while this week's committee meetings tackle Upper Westside rezonings and a Howell Mill QuikTrip fight.
- Construction — A new multifamily building is permitted for Collier Road, Atlantic Station gets a 132-outlet data buildout, and five GDOT projects keep crews busy on I-75, SR 9, and SR 3.

Let's dive in.

NEWS

Beltline sets official groundbreaking for trail section under freeway
Atlanta Beltline leaders have scheduled a formal groundbreaking on September 10 for Northwest Trail Segment 3B. The planned stretch will bridge underneath Interstate 75 to link upcoming trail networks with existing pathways around the Bobby Jones Golf Course and Collier Hills.

NASA taps Georgia Tech for $10.5 million push to build the space workforce
NASA has selected Georgia Tech to lead a $10.5 million statewide initiative aimed at addressing critical technical workforce shortages across the aerospace industry. Tech will establish the Southeast Space Technology & Aerospace Readiness Skills (SE-STARS) Hub, expanding research and training programs anchored on its Midtown campus.

Assemblage of 10 Lots Near Georgia Tech's Science Square Hits the Market
A development site spanning nearly an acre across 10 assembled lots on Northside Drive NW is currently seeking buyers. The site sits directly opposite the newly expanded Science Square district adjacent to Georgia Tech and the Westside.

Shaq's Dunkman World Championship Coming to Atlantic Station Arena
Professional dunkers from across the globe, including Georgia native Jordan Southerland, will compete in Shaquille O'Neal's Dunkman World Championship. The high-flying athletic competition will take place at Atlantic Station's Overtime Elite Arena.

West Midtown Bottle Shop Focuses on Single-Village Agave Spirits
A former elementary school teacher has launched Ancestral Bottle Shop & Market inside a converted paper mill in West Midtown. The specialized boutique offers additive-free mezcals, tequilas, and artisan goods sourced directly from small Mexican producers.

BUSINESS

Blaze Pizza Permanently Closes West Midtown Location on 17th Street — Blaze Pizza has permanently closed its West Midtown location at 540 17th Street, ending a run in the neighborhood that began in September 2018.

EVENTS | Presented by

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Monday, August 24
- AgLanta Eats: Neighbors + Flavors | Atlanta Botanical Garden

Tuesday, August 25
- Georgia’s Largest Happy Hour | Chattahoochee Food Works

Wednesday, August 26
- Indie Market at Chattahoochee Food Works | Chattahoochee Food Works
- Actor's Express presents: Choir Boy | Actor's Express Theatre Company

Thursday, August 27
- Charmaine Troy Ph.D. Book Signing | 3pm - 5pm/Barnes & Noble @ Georgia Tech
- Screen on the Green | Atlantic Green

Friday, August 28
- Purpose | COCA-COLA STAGE

Saturday, August 29
- Hostage Situation | Actor's Express – King Plow Arts Center
- Creator's Market | Atlantic Station
- CANN PRESENTS: YACHT ROCK REVUE – PRIMETIME | Chastain Park

-Saturday Night Sets | Chattahoochee Food Works

Sunday, August 30
- Sunday Famers Market | Chattahoochee Food Works

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
Commissioners moved on several big-ticket items this week, starting with a directive to negotiate with MARTA to take over funding and possibly operating the county's Senior Transportation Program, with a report due back in 90 days. The board also approved a bond deal with the Fulton DeKalb Hospital Authority to build a new Behavioral Health Crisis Center that will serve indigent patients, a project aimed at expanding mental health care access countywide. Commissioners voted to fold two separate court technology funds into the county's General Fund, centralizing how that money gets managed. They also approved a $2.4 million landscaping contract renewal covering county properties and a $1.6 million elevator overhaul at the Juvenile Justice Center. Rounding things out, the board reappointed its top executives, including the County Manager and County Attorney, each at a salary of $383,800 a year.

Atlanta City Council
The council and its Committee on Council handled a heavy load of fiscal business this week. Council approved up to $1.3 billion in bonds to fund capital improvements at Hartsfield-Jackson and signed off on a $200 million refinancing plan for Mercedes-Benz Stadium debt, both moves designed to lower long-term costs without raising new taxes. Members also adjusted solid waste fees and backyard collection rules on a 12-1 vote and awarded a three-year, $57.2 million trash collection contract to Waste Management of Georgia. On the infrastructure side, council approved a $99 million pool of funding for small street and transit repairs across the city and a $25 million contract to keep the drinking water system in good shape. A proposal to create a task force studying data centers got sent back to committee for more work, and in the Committee on Council, members advanced two mayoral board appointments while keeping several reform proposals, including a council civility pledge and public comment rule changes, on hold.

Notable Neighborhood Mentions

Atlanta City Council
- 788 W Marietta St NW — City Council approved an encroachment agreement allowing Bandwidth Infrastructure Group to run micro-fiber optic cable conduit across the bridge over the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks.

Meetings This Week
- Atlanta City Council — Zoning Committee | Aug-24, 11:00 AM | key topics: Upper Westside industrial-to-mixed-use rezonings on Logan Circle and Chattahoochee Avenue, event space permit on Collier Road, and self-storage restrictions
- Atlanta City Council — Public Safety & Legal Administration Committee | Aug-24, 1:00 PM | key topics: $40 million police camera expansion contract, feasibility study for a 7th APD patrol zone, and alcohol license fee updates
- Atlanta City Council — City Utilities Committee | Aug-25, 10:00 AM | key topics: potable water bans for data center cooling, Data Center Task Force creation, and Chastain Park stream restoration
- Atlanta City Council — Community Development/Human Services Committee | Aug-25, 1:30 PM | key topics: high-density land-use amendments on Ellsworth Industrial Boulevard and Ponce de Leon Avenue, Westside blighted property condemnations, and afterschool programming renewals
- Atlanta NPU — NPU-D | Aug-25, 7:30 PM | key topics: opposition to Howell Mill Road QuikTrip waiver, proposed Collier Road bar and event space, and Marvin Street setback variance
- Atlanta City Council — Transportation Committee | Aug-26, 10:00 AM | key topics: $7 million in grants for BeltLine Southside Trail Segment 6, Buckhead roadway resurfacing agreements, and e-scooter permit extensions
- Atlanta City Council — Finance/Executive Committee | Aug-26, 1:30 PM | key topics: tax delinquency restrictions for data centers, FY2027 property tax rates, and a 5-year lease for Old Fire Station 22

CONSTRUCTION

Permits
- 665 Marietta St NW — Permit filed to convert a certificate of completion into a full certificate of occupancy. This one's just paperwork catching up to an earlier project.
- 1950 Howell Mill Rd NW — Google Fiber is installing a new switch box and 60 amp service on a concrete pad. Expect some utility crew activity but nothing disruptive.
- 1968 Marietta Rd NW — Tenant fitout underway across the first and second floors, including new electrical rooms. This is a sizable buildout, worth watching for a new business announcement soon.
- 1026 Collier Rd NW — New multifamily building permitted. Another apartment project is coming to Collier Rd, adding to the density shift already reshaping that corridor.
- 950 W Marietta St NW — Electrical work underway for a third floor tenant buildout. Another sign of ongoing commercial turnover along West Marietta.
- 230 18th St NW — Plumbing lines are being brought into a space, standard prep work ahead of a new tenant moving in.
- 1380 Atlantic Dr NW — 132 Cat6 outlets going in, a big data infrastructure upgrade that suggests a tech-focused tenant or office expansion in Atlantic Station.
- 788 W Marietta St NW, 499 Northside Cir NW, and 1730 Taylor St NW — Routine electrical, HVAC, and equipment replacement permits. Nothing that should affect your day-to-day.

Road Work

Under Construction
- I-75 from Musket Ridge Drive to I-85, Lighting Upgrade — Crews are swapping out old HPS lighting for energy-efficient LED fixtures along this stretch of I-75. The work also covers pole, conduit, and wiring replacement where needed.
- Bridge Preservation at 7 Locations in Cobb, DeKalb & Fulton — This multi-county project spans Cobb, DeKalb, and Fulton counties and covers co-polymer overlay work, steel beam painting, and bridge joint replacement at seven bridge sites, including the ramp from US 41 to SR 280 and Moreland Avenue over US 23.
- SR 3/US 41 from Tech Parkway to Hemphill Avenue — GDOT is reworking the intersection cluster where SR 3 (Northside Drive), 14th Street, and Hemphill Avenue meet, aiming to simplify the layout and give signal timing more flexibility.
- SR 9 from SR 3 to North of Paces Ferry Road — Crews are resurfacing this section of SR 9 after the roadway's condition score dropped too low. The work covers both the northern and southern segments near Paces Ferry Road.
- Buford Spring Connector at I-85, Tunnel Lighting Upgrade — This project swaps the tunnel's HPS lighting for LED fixtures, with conduit and wiring replacement included where it's needed.

Service Requests
- Potholes — 17 reports across the neighborhood, with clusters on Ellsworth Drive and Norfleet Road, Seaboard Avenue, Sunbury Place, Sumter Street, and Howell Mill Road. Most remain in progress.
- Traffic Signal Repairs — 7 reports at Bolton Road and Marietta Road, Loop Road and Leslie Drive, Holly Street and 10th Street, 10th Street and Techwood Drive, and Northside Drive and Collier Road. Two are contractor responsibility, the rest are in progress.
- Downed Trees — 6 reports concentrated on Forrest Street and at Northside Drive and Marietta Street. Most got flagged as duplicates, with one closed and one still in progress.
- Overgrowth and Visibility Issues — 4 reports on Glenbrook Drive, La Dawn Lane, and Northside Drive. Two are resolved, two remain in progress.
- Litter Removal — 2 reports on Adams Drive and at 10th Street and Techwood Drive. One's resolved, one's still in progress.
- Sign Repair — One request on West Marietta Street, still in progress.

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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.