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Hey West Midtown and Collier Hills! This week: Hazmat was called to Marietta Blvd., and GT is doing cool stuff with lightning safety tech. Also, the AJC dropped a damning investigation into a city contractor paid $420,000 a year with almost nothing to show for it. On a lighter note, Formula 1 cars are hitting Hank Aaron Drive on Sunday South of us (South of the neighborhood, but definitely cool enough to let you all know).

- News — The AJC investigation into a $420K city contractor with scarce documentation of his work is this week's must-read, plus a hazmat call on Marietta Boulevard.
- Business — Summerland restaurant has opened as the week's lone restaurant addition
- Events — Red Bull F1 cars take over Hank Aaron Drive Sunday, Bob Dylan plays Chastain Friday, and Screen on the Green lands Thursday at Atlantic Green.
- Government — NPU-D meets Monday to vote on opposing a tax abatement at 1425 Ellsworth Industrial and weigh in on a citywide cannabis dispensary zoning change.
- Construction — GDOT is reworking the Northside-14th-Hemphill interchange, a new duplex is permitted on Hampton Street, and shipping containers are headed to 665 Marietta — plus seven pothole reports and four broken traffic signals flagged to 311.

Let's dive in.

NEWS

Atlanta Fire Crews Respond to Hazmat Call on Marietta Boulevard
Atlanta Fire Rescue responded to a commercial building in the 1400 block of Marietta Boulevard after reports of smoke and a potential hazardous materials situation. The call brought an emergency response to the commercial and industrial corridor of West Midtown.

Georgia Tech Researchers Test World Cup Lightning Safety Tech
Georgia Tech researchers are using recent sporting events as testing grounds for advanced lightning detection and tracking technology. The work aims to improve protection for Georgians at outdoor events and during severe thunderstorms.

Atlanta paid him more than the mayor. It has little record of his work.
An AJC investigation found that Foris Webb III received $420,000 a year from the City of Atlanta while documentation of his work output is scarce. The city's records offer little accounting of what services were actually delivered in exchange for the compensation.

Back-to-school events set for Decatur, DeKalb, Atlanta
A series of back-to-school events and school supply giveaways have been scheduled across the Atlanta, DeKalb, and Decatur public school districts. Families with children in those districts can find specific event details at the link above.

BUSINESS

Summerland - opening - Summerland, a new restaurant concept, has opened in Upper West Market.

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EVENTS | Presented by

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Monday, July 27
- Industry Night | Chattahoochee Food Works

Tuesday, July 28
- Atlanta Department of Transportation: Marietta Boulevard Community Meeting | Mt. Ephraim Baptist Church
- Trap Yoga Tuesday | The Interlock
- Georgia's Largest Happy Hour TUESDAYS | Chattahoochee Food Works

Wednesday, July 29
- Indie Market at Chattahoochee Food Works | Chattahoochee Food Works
- Wellness Wednesday | Atlantic Green
- Wellness Wednesdays: HIIT Like a Pro | The Interlock

Thursday, July 30
- Screen on the Green | Atlantic Green
- Atlanta F.A.M. – Fashion, Art & Music | Chattahoochee Food Works
- Tanya Godsey | Trinity Anglican Church

Friday, July 31
- Summer Citrus Centerpiece Workshop | ASW Exchange
- Bob Dylan | Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park

Saturday, August 1
- Saturday Night Sets | Chattahoochee Food Works
- O.A.R. Three Decades Tour | Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park

Sunday, August 2
- Sunday Famers Market | Chattahoochee Food Works
- Paint and Sip: Paint Night Done Right - Atlanta | Taste Wine Bar and Market
- GOLDEN: A K-Pop Kids Party! | Terminal West
- Uncle Sugar The Northside - Sunday Night | Northside Tavern
- Red Bull Showrun Atlanta | Hank Aaron Dr.

GOVERNMENT

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

Meetings This Week
- Atlanta NPU — NPU-D Monthly Meeting | Jul-28, 7:30 PM | key topics: resolution opposing tax abatement at 1425 Ellsworth Industrial Drive is scheduled for a vote, citywide zoning change requiring Special Use Permits for medical cannabis dispensaries (Z-26-41) will be heard, solid waste fee ordinance is on the agenda, alcohol license change-of-agent requests for Fetch and Publix Moores Mill are scheduled for review

CONSTRUCTION

Permits

- 665 Marietta St NW — Shipping containers are coming to an existing concrete slab, with electrical service planned for power tools. It's a commercial setup, so expect some activity as this takes shape.
- 981 Huff Rd NW — Interior finish and buildout work is underway on a new sprinklered residential condo building. This one shows up three times in the filings, all tied to the same core and shell permit, so the pace of work there is picking up.
- 1053 Hampton St NW — A new 3-story duplex is permitted for ground-up construction, adding two units totaling about 1,600 square feet of heated space. One more empty lot headed toward housing.
- 1710 DeFoor Ave NW — A covered entry addition is proposed at the front of a commercial building, including a front patio and guardrail work. Minor in scope, but it signals a business putting money into its street presence.
- 375 18th St NW — HVAC replacement on a commercial property, swapping out condensing units and evaporators for like-for-like equipment. Routine, but expect some noise during the work.
- 1385 Collier Rd NW — New fire alarm notification devices are being added to an existing system. Nothing dramatic, just a safety upgrade.
- 1042 Northside Dr NW — Sprinkler additions and relocations to meet current fire code. Filed twice, likely covering separate scopes within the same property.

Beyond these, the area logged 37 additional residential and minor permits this month, mostly HVAC replacements, electrical work, and plumbing.

Road Work

Under Construction
- SR-3/US-41 Intersection Improvements (Fulton County) Work ongoing on the intersection cluster at Northside Drive, 14th Street, and Hemphill Avenue. GDOT is simplifying the signal configuration to give drivers more flexibility through that area.
- I-75 LED Lighting Upgrade, Musket Ridge Drive to I-85 (Fulton County) Crews are replacing outdated high-pressure sodium lights with LED fixtures along this 1.8-mile stretch. Poles and conduit may also get replaced as part of the work.
- SR-9 Resurfacing, SR-3 to North of Paces Ferry Road (Fulton County) GDOT is repaving SR-9 to bring the road surface back up to standard. Expect lane restrictions and rough pavement conditions in the work zone until it wraps up.
- Bridge Preservation, Multiple Locations in Cobb, DeKalb, and Fulton Counties GDOT is working on bridge maintenance across seven locations in three counties, including sites in Fulton. Work includes polymer overlay, steel beam painting, and joint replacement.
- Buford Spring Connector Tunnel Lighting Upgrade (Fulton County) LED fixtures are going in to replace the old tunnel lighting at the I-85 connector. Wiring and conduit work may also be part of the scope. If you use this tunnel, plan for potential closures, especially at night.

Utility Work

Atlanta Watershed
- Lane Closure on Northside Drive NW for Storm Drainage Repairs and Paving — Crews are working on storm drainage repairs and paving at 3111 Northside Drive NW, between 3131 Northside Drive NW. Expect lane restrictions in that stretch while work is underway.

Service Requests

- Potholes — Seven reports came in across Moores Mill Rd, Bolton Rd, Hampton St NW, Beck St at Emery St, and Collier Rd NW at Howell Mill Rd, among other spots. Most are in progress.
- Traffic Signal Repairs — Four signals need attention: two at Techwood Dr and 5th St, one at 15th St NW and Williams St NW, and one at Northside Dr NW and 14th St NW. A separate emergency signal repair at Collier Rd NW and Northside Dr has already been closed out.
- Right of Way Litter Removal — Seven reports cluster around Moores Mill Rd at Ridgewood Rd and Defoors Walk NW. A handful are resolved, but others are still being worked.
- Overgrowth and Visibility Issues — Three reports on Echota Dr NW flag overgrowth blocking sightlines, including one at the Greystone Rd NW intersection. Two are resolved and one is still in progress.
- Downed Tree — One downed tree on Moores Mill Rd NW is 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.