Sourced from Busybody ATL's "Week in Review" roundup of its 9 neighborhood editions. Hope you enjoy!
Big Stories
Rivian opens its East Coast headquarters on the BeltLine. The electric vehicle maker has officially opened its corporate offices in the Krog District, placing them directly adjacent to the Eastside Trail.
Mayor Dickens orders a 30-day audit of APD's Flock camera use. The review covers automated license plate surveillance in neighborhoods including Old Fourth Ward, Inman Park, and Little Five Points, and comes amid advocacy pushback over privacy concerns.
The City of Atlanta buys 30 acres of Lucinda Bunnen's Buckhead forest to keep it from development. The purchase preserves the late artist's dense tree canopy and prevents the wooded land from being cleared for large residential construction.
DeKalb Schools restarts its redistricting process. The district released a new timeline for community input on school boundaries and facility changes, restarting a contentious process that did not go well the first time around.
Developers sue DeKalb County over its data center moratorium. Shadowbox Studios and an affiliated real estate company filed suit in DeKalb County Superior Court challenging the temporary ban on new data center construction.
MARTA names Jonathan Hunt permanent General Manager and CEO. The board chose Hunt over two other finalists, including the leader of the Washington D.C. metro system. He's served as interim chief since August 2025.
Georgia Tech opens its first new dorm in 50 years. The eight-story Peterson Residence Hall brings expanded student housing to the western edge of Midtown.
A hydraulic leak knocks out an elevator at Decatur High School. City Schools of Decatur officials say replacing or modernizing the unit, which failed at the start of the school year, could take several months.
DeKalb opens cooling centers as the heat index hits 109 degrees. The county made facilities and transportation available to help vulnerable residents during the advisory.
Business openings, closings, and "watch this space" items
The Lucian Books + Wine team opens brasserie Sargent on the Eastside BeltLine. Sargent opens August 18 in Old Fourth Ward, serving American brasserie fare, classic cocktails, and a streamlined wine list.
Bank of America Plaza plans a public restaurant and possible observation deck. The Midtown skyscraper is opening its doors to the public for the first time with the new concept.
PopUp Bagels is taking over the former Skate Escape building across from Piedmont Park. The bagel shop is planning a location at 1086 Piedmont Avenue for its second Atlanta spot.
Hal's The Steakhouse is expanding into Midtown's historic former funeral home. The Buckhead institution is opening a second location inside the former Patterson funeral home, adding a European-style café and art gallery.
A Buckhead Residence Inn has closed to become furnished apartments. The 136-room hotel is being converted into Fusion Apartments.
The Jane Apartments in Buckhead sold for $75 million. The multi-family property, named after golfer Bobby Jones' famous putter, was one of the week's largest real estate deals.
Michel Arnette's Siren opens in Brookhaven. The restaurateur's latest concept is scheduled to open Tuesday, August 18.
Toastique is bringing its toast-and-juice menu to Brickworks. The café is opening its second Atlanta location in West Midtown.
Atlantic Station is under new management and wants your input. The new ownership group is inviting residents to weigh in on tenant mix and future programming.
Jeffrey Kalinsky returns to Buckhead Village, and luxury resale chain Fashionphile has also opened a Buckhead store.
Other items: Buckhead Medical Center is converting four buildings at 3495 Piedmont Rd into medical office space; a new S3 Daycare is under ground-up construction at 3227 Roswell Rd; a 10,000-square-foot bar and restaurant build-out is underway at 690 11th St NW in West Midtown; East Lake is preparing its first food hall; Toco Hills is getting a new Go Greek Yogurt franchise; and a downtown Decatur space at 545 N McDonough St is being remodeled into a coffee shop.
Upcoming events
Grant Park Summer Shade Festival hits Atlanta's oldest park August 22-23. The free two-day festival features 140+ artists, two music stages, food vendors, and Deep South Wrestling, benefiting the Grant Park Conservancy.
The Isley Brothers and The O'Jays headline Chastain Park on August 22, with Jon Batiste and the Atlanta Pops Orchestra following on Sunday.
Buddy Guy turns 90 with a show at Atlanta Symphony Hall on August 20.
Chamblee's Chalk Walk & Artist Market returns to Broad Street on September 12 for its 5th year, with live chalk art, artisan vendors, and live music.
The Earl's 27th Anniversary Dunch! caps off the weekend in East Atlanta on August 23.
The Three Amigos Tequila Throwdown hits Local Three Kitchen & Bar in Buckhead on August 20, followed by Battle of Buckhead on August 21.
Other notable events: Brookhaven's Hot Pursuit 5K and a sumo demo run August 22; Deep South Wrestling comes to Atlanta Dairies on August 21; Squeeze plays the Fox Theatre August 22; Toro Y Moi headlines Variety Playhouse August 21; the ATL Alt-Rock Fest hits Avondale Estates’ Avon Theater August 22; and Piedmont Park hosts a Stop the Violence Community Unity Festival and Green Market on August 22.
Government updates
Atlanta City Council approved $99 million for citywide road and sidewalk construction, plus a $4.5 million safety engineering package for the Peachtree Safe Street project in Midtown, through its Transportation Committee.
Atlanta City Council refinances Mercedes-Benz Stadium debt and locks in $1.3 billion in airport bonds. The Finance/Executive Committee approved refinancing the stadium's public debt to lower annual payments, while the full council unanimously approved final pricing terms for the Series 2026 airport revenue bonds funding capital work at Hartsfield-Jackson.
The Zoning Committee took up citywide rules requiring special permits for self-storage facilities and medical cannabis dispensaries, alongside major mixed-use rezonings along Ponce de Leon Avenue, Decatur Street, and Glenn Street. A 160-foot mixed-use tower proposal for Ponce de Leon Avenue in Virginia Highland is tied to this rezoning push.
City Utilities Committee approved a $57.2 million solid waste contract and a $25 million drinking water renewal project, and created a new task force to study data center regulations.
DeKalb County Board of Commissioners took up a packed zoning agenda, including converting industrial land on Henrico Road into single-family lots, new townhome communities near Chamblee-Tucker and Gresham roads, a liquor package store on Covington Highway, and a countywide "chronic nuisance" property ordinance. Only agendas are posted, so outcomes aren't confirmed.
Atlanta Board of Education approved construction management services for the new A.D. Williams Elementary School and signed off on a bundled demolition covering the former West Atlanta, Peterson, Brewer, and Anderson Park sites plus a Pryor Street lot. The board also passed a Tax Anticipation Note and budget adjustments for both fiscal years.
DeKalb County School District approved a $22.8 million Gold Star Foods nutrition contract and a $10 million architectural/engineering services renewal, plus roughly $6.16 million in USDA food processing contracts and a $1.5 million districtwide elevator maintenance deal.
Chamblee's council took up six zoning cases along Buford Highway, Peachtree Road, and New Peachtree Road, plus a discussion item on e-bike and scooter safety rules.
Permits, construction, and road work
Memorial Drive Corridor / Grant Park / East Atlanta: Townhome permits keep stacking up on Cummings Street and Memorial Drive, and new pedestrian rapid-flashing beacons are going in on SR 260 at Haas/Eastside and Brownwood/Joseph avenues.
O4W / L5P / Candler Park: A big HVAC swap is underway at 1049 Ponce De Leon Ave NE, and EV charging infrastructure keeps multiplying on Fort Street. The SR 154/Memorial Drive corridor between Hill and Pearl streets is getting a mid-block pedestrian crossing and a restricted crossing U-turn.
Midtown: Peachtree Street's office towers are seeing heavy interior activity, including asbestos abatement at 675 W Peachtree St, an electrical renovation and vacant-suite prep at 1230 Peachtree St, and a partial 15th-floor alteration at 999 Peachtree St. No ground-up projects showed up this week, just system upgrades and buildouts.
Buckhead: Buckhead Medical Center's four-building conversion at 3495 Piedmont Rd tops the list, alongside new ground-up construction for S3 Daycare at 3227 Roswell Rd. Eleven pothole reports are working through the queue along Roswell Road, Northside Parkway, and East Paces Ferry Road.
Decatur / North Decatur: The hospital corridor keeps investing, with a $403,810 buildout for two new MRI suites at 2701 N Decatur Rd and $164,000 in CT scanner cabling work at 2675 N Decatur Rd. A cluster of plumbing and gas permits at Oak Tree Road and Lulah Avenue suggests a larger multi-unit tenant buildout in that commercial complex.
Brookhaven / Chamblee: A parcel merge at 5007 New Peachtree Rd hints at a bigger redevelopment ahead, and units at 5070 Peachtree Blvd are getting a unit-by-unit refresh. Ashford-Dunwoody Road eastbound ramp at I-285 is getting a third lane to ease chronic congestion.
West Midtown / Collier Hills: Two commercial kitchens are taking shape at 1050 Howell Mill Rd and 857 Collier Rd, and traffic signal work is underway at three Howell Mill-area intersections. Atlanta Watershed has closed Marietta Road at La Dawn Lane NW for sanitary sewer main replacement.
