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Hey, West Midtown / Collier Hills! This week: a Doraville soju distillery says it will move its tasting room into the former Aziza space at Westside Provisions District, and Georgia Tech has named Dr. Timothy Lieuwen interim president effective Nov. 1. Plus, the Atlanta City Council is expected to take a final vote Monday on selling the city jail to Fulton County for $68 million, and Collier Hall has a pair of Candlelight tribute concerts on Sunday.

- News — Georgia Tech names Lieuwen interim president while Cabrera heads to the Aspen Institute, the council readies its vote on the $68M jail sale, and early voting is underway for five Fulton Commission seats.
- Business — Minhwa Spirits plans to move its tasting room into the former Aziza space on Howell Mill Road, while Nordstrom Rack is scheduled to open at Atlantic Station on October 29.
- Events — Journey, Teddy Swims and WNBA Finals Game 3 land at State Farm Arena, Spookeasy and the Great Pumpkin-Carving Festival set the Halloween mood on Thursday, and Collier Hall hosts Candlelight tributes to Drake and The Beatles on Sunday.
- Government — Atlanta City Council committees took up the jail sale, a citywide zoning rewrite and data center water limits, and the full council meets Monday at 1 p.m. before the Fulton commissioners gather Wednesday.
- Construction — Howell Mill Road collects a run of small permits, I-75 and Buford Spring Connector lighting projects are moving, and the service requests show traffic signal trouble on Howell Mill and Northside Drive.

Let's dive in.

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Georgia Tech names interim president
University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue named Dr. Timothy Charles Lieuwen, currently Georgia Tech's executive vice president for research, as interim president effective Nov. 1. Angel Cabrera's last day is Oct. 31, ahead of his move to lead the Aspen Institute, and a 14-member committee is working on a nationwide search for a permanent president.

Supercomputer Expands Atlanta's Role in the Nation's Digital Future
Nexus, housed in Georgia Tech's Coda data center, was developed with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and supported by a $20 million National Science Foundation investment. At least 90% of its computing capacity will be available to researchers through an open, peer-reviewed allocation process.

Atlanta City Council to Vote on Selling City Detention Center to Fulton County
Mayor Andre Dickens offered to sell the jail to the county for $68 million, and Fulton County Chair Robb Pitts accepted, but the council wanted to weigh in first. Fulton County already leases some beds at the city jail, and the sale is meant to help with overcrowding at the county jail on Rice Street.

Fulton County Holds Property Tax Rate Flat as School Board Weighs Increase
County commissioners voted Oct. 7 to keep the general fund rate at 8.87 mills for the fifth consecutive year, though the county advertised a 0.54% increase over the 8.82 mill rollback rate. The Fulton County Board of Education has tentatively adopted a rate of 18.08 mills, one mill above last year's 17.08 and the first proposed increase in seven years.

Boil water advisory impacting metro Atlanta communities lifted
The advisory followed an issue at the Chattahoochee Water Treatment Plant first reported on Sunday. The advisory was lifted for portions of the City of South Fulton, Fairburn, Union City, Chattahoochee Hills and Palmetto, and the Atlanta Department of Watershed Management said sampling showed no signs of contamination.

Fulton Commission Races Heat Up as Early Voting Launches Across Metro
Voters will choose a new chair and either three or four new commissioners for five of the commission's seven seats on the Nov. 3 ballot. Early voting started Tuesday and runs through Oct. 30, and the races include a District 1 rematch between Republican Bridget Thorne and Democrat Maggie Goldman, who lost by 394 votes four years ago.

BUSINESS

Nordstrom Rack opening new store at Atlantic Station - Nordstrom Rack is scheduled to open a new store at Atlantic Station on October 29.

Minhwa Spirits relocating tasting room to West Midtown - Doraville-based Korean American soju distillery Minhwa Spirits announced plans to relocate its tasting room to Atlanta's West Midtown neighborhood.

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Monday, October 19
- bunii | Actor’s Express – King Plow Arts Center
- JOURNEY – Final Frontier Tour (An Evening With) | State Farm Arena

Tuesday, October 20
- The Linda Lindas w/ Grace Bowers | Actor’s Express – King Plow Arts Center
- Trap Yoga Tuesday | The Interlock
- Teddy Swims – The Ugly Tour | State Farm Arena
- Preview Reception: Autumn Estates & Collections Auction: Day 1 & 2 | Ahlers & Ogletree Auction Gallery

Wednesday, October 21
- Bluegrass Open Jam | Ormsby's ATL
- Wellness Wednesdays: HIIT Like a Pro | The Interlock
- Atlanta Dream: WNBA Finals | Game 3 | State Farm Arena

Thursday, October 22
- The Hip Abduction | King Plow Arts Center
- OTE Basketball Opening Weekend (Oct. 22–23) | OTE Arena
- Spookeasy Halloween Pop-Up Bar | Chattahoochee Food Works
- Great Pumpkin-Carving Festival | Atlanta Botanical Garden
- Atlanta F.A.M. – Fashion, Art & Music | Chattahoochee Food Works

Friday, October 23
- Stephen Day: Self Titled Tour | Terminal West
- Georgia Tech Volleyball vs. Pittsburgh | Georgia Tech – McCamish Pavilion
- Georgia Tech Mini 500 | 741 Fowler St

Saturday, October 24
- Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Football vs. Boston College Eagles Football | George C. Griffin Track & Field Facility
- Creator’s Market | Atlantic Station
- Chasing Abbey | Actor’s Express – King Plow Arts Center
- Plantini hosted by Seed Atlanta | The Interlock
- Atlanta United FC vs. Chicago Fire FC | Atlanta’s Stadium
- ASHES | Georgia Institute of Technology

Sunday, October 25
- GT Women’s Volleyball vs. Southern Methodist (SMU) | McCamish Pavilion
- Sunday Sweat Series | The Interlock
- Contemporary Kids | Atlanta Contemporary Art Center
- Cooking Class: Sushi 101 at a Local Wine Bar With Chef Jennifer | Taste Wine Bar and Market
- Candlelight: Tribute to Drake | Collier Hall
- Candlelight: Tribute to The Beatles | Collier Hall
- Uncle Sugar & The Northside - Sunday Night | Northside Tavern

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

Past Week Roundup

Atlanta City Council committees packed the week with big money and big policy questions, though only agendas are posted so far, and minutes aren't yet published. As covered in today's news section, the Finance/Executive Committee took up the $68 million sale of the city detention center to Fulton County, and it also had the FY 2027 property tax rates and a resolution urging tax compliance checks before data centers get city incentives. The Zoning Committee had a rewrite of the entire citywide zoning ordinance on its agenda, plus a new legal definition of "family" that could change household occupancy rules in residential zones. The City Utilities Committee agenda covered a ban on using drinking water to cool data centers, a ban on septic tanks for new commercial buildings, and proposals to ease sudden water bill spikes, along with more than $60 million in water and sewer upgrades. At the Transportation Committee, members were set to consider a $2 million federal grant for the Centennial Yards Complete Streets design work and several street abandonment requests. The Community Development/Human Services Committee had $24 million in federal housing grants and $21.85 million in added park construction funding up for review. The Public Safety & Legal Administration Committee agenda included limits on city purchases of weapon-equipped robots and a $350,000 police lawsuit settlement.

Meetings This Week
- Atlanta City Council — Committee on Council | Oct-19, 11:30 AM | key topics: dedicated police officers at recreation center polling sites, revisions to public comment sign-up procedures, an independent investigation into contracts with Foris Webb, III, and civic board appointments
- Atlanta City Council | Oct-19, 1:00 PM | key topics: proposed $68 million sale of the Atlanta City Detention Center to Fulton County, greenway park expansion on Memorial Drive, data center water cooling limits, and traffic safety studies
- Fulton County Board of Commissioners — Board of Commissioners | Oct-21, 10:00 AM | key topics: North Point Mall Tax Allocation District property tax pledge, utility easement dedications for residential and commercial projects, senior transportation extensions, and departmental budget caps

CONSTRUCTION | Presented by

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Permits
- 1800 Howell Mill Rd NW: Two commercial alteration permits are under review for minor interior renovations. The work covers about 315 square feet of an existing 12,030-square-foot medical space. You won't see any exterior disruption.
- 1055 Howell Mill Rd NW: A fire sprinkler permit is issued. Advantage Fire will add and relocate parts of the existing system to meet the 2022 NFPA 13 standard.
- 2302 Marietta Blvd NW: A commercial addition permit was filed this week. The filing doesn't include a description, so the scope isn't clear yet. An electrical permit is also issued for the Amazon space, covering two new IDF cabinets that tie into an existing circuit.
- 1380 Atlantic Dr NW: A fire alarm modification is pending review. The system will be adjusted to match a new tenant layout on the first floor, which points to a new occupant moving in.
- 1175 Chattahoochee Ave NW: A commercial alteration permit is under review for a tenant name change in an existing suite. No construction is planned, but a business there is changing hands or rebranding.
- 425 10th St NW: An electrical permit is pending for a new 200-amp service for AT&T inside an existing church. It includes a separate power meter.
- 271 17th St NW: An electrical permit is issued to relocate lights and outlets for a new copy room. It's a small interior job, and the office is getting reshuffled.

Road Work

Under Construction
- I-75 lighting, Musket Ridge Drive to I-85 — Older sodium streetlights along this stretch of I-75 are being swapped for energy-efficient LEDs. GDOT lists it as about 88% complete.
- Bridge preservation at six metro sites — Crews are resurfacing, painting and replacing joints on six bridges, including Moreland Avenue over the Norfolk Southern tracks and Deering Road over the I-75/I-85 ramp. GDOT lists it as about 46% complete.
- Northside Drive at 14th Street and Hemphill Avenue — GDOT is simplifying the cluster of intersections where Northside Drive (SR 3) meets 14th Street and Hemphill Avenue so the signals can be timed more flexibly. Work has only just started.
- SR 9 resurfacing to north of Paces Ferry Road — SR 9 is being repaved from SR 3 to just north of Paces Ferry Road. GDOT lists it as about 39% complete.
- Buford Spring Connector tunnel lighting at I-85 — The tunnel lights where the Buford Spring Connector meets I-85 are being upgraded to energy-efficient LEDs. GDOT lists the work as essentially complete.

Service Requests
- Traffic Signal Repairs (Non-Emergency) — Eight reports came in. Howell Mill Rd and Norfleet Rd leads with three, followed by 10th St NW and Techwood Dr NW, Deering Rd and Northside Dr, and 16th St and State St. Two more locations round out the list.
- Traffic Signal Repairs (Emergency, Level 1) — Seven reports. Northside Dr and 10th St drew three, Howell Mill Rd NW drew two, and one more came in on Howell Mill Rd. Deering Rd and Northside Dr also had a report. If you drive Howell Mill or Northside, you've likely hit a signal issue lately.
- Potholes — Three reports: two at Hampton St and Ethel St, and one on Bohler Rd NW.
- Overgrown Right of Way — Visibility problems at Huff Rd and Boyd Ave and on Garden Ln NW.
- Sign Repair or Installation — Center St and Lynch Ave needs a sign repaired, replaced, or installed.
- Downed Tree — A tree came down on Northside Dr NW.

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Until next week,
West Midtown / Collier Hills Busybody

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