Atlanta News

From the Atlanta Tribune:

Council for Quality Growth & DeKalb Chamber Host 800+ for Sold Out Event at Assembly Studios On Thursday, May 8, 2025, the Council for Quality Growth and the DeKalb County Chamber hosted 800+ for the sold out 2025 State of DeKalb County Address. The annual address was held over lunch at Assembly Studios Atlanta and […]

The post DeKalb CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson Delivers Inaugural State of the County Address appeared first on Atlanta Tribune.

Arts Atlanta:

For all his prolific output Ludwig Van Beethoven was seldom one to write sacred music. Missa Solemnis, his epic musical dramatization of the Catholic Mass, is one of only a handful of works written expressly for the church. As such it is a bit of an oddity in his catalogue but one that served as...

Arts Atlanta:

Honey Pierre’s solo exhibition I’m Just Living Some Life, Okay? at Impossible Currency embraces mundanity and, through it, finds sublimity. The title of this exhibition — with its use of a first person pronoun, vernacular English and an interrogative ending — make the title seem like a shoulder shrug, as if the artist is saying,...

From WABE Local News:

DECATUR, Ga. — A Decatur resident with an eagle eye convinced the city to void an unknown number of people’s speeding tickets after he noticed a typo in a sign posted […]

From WABE Local News:

As Mother’s Day approaches, ESPN anchor and Atlanta author Jenn Hildreth shines a powerful light on motherhood and leadership in journalism and sports. “There’s a real strength of sharing your […]

From the Atlanta Daily World:

Photo: Getty Images Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D) issued a scathing response to President Donald Trump calling her a “low IQ person.” On Sunday (May 4), Crockett took to social media to address comments Trump made about her during an interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press.” Kristen Welker of NBC News questioned Trump earlier … Continued

The post Rep. Jasmine Crockett Claps Back At ‘Terrified’ Trump Calling Her ‘Low IQ ‘ appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

From WABE Politics News:

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has announced that he will not run for Senate in 2026. Of all the states President Donald Trump won in the 2024 election, only Georgia has […]

From the Saporta Report:

“Cinderella” is a tale as old as time (that’s a line from a different fairytale, but you catch my drift).  The Disneyfied version we know today is mostly based on Charles Perrault’s 17th century story, which includes the classic “Cinderella” signifiers – the pumpkin, the fairy godmother, the glass slippers. But one of the other […]

The post Beauty is pain in ‘The Ugly Stepsister’ appeared first on SaportaReport.

From WABE Politics News:

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed a law Thursday that prohibits the use of state funds for “sex reassignment surgeries,” hormone replacement therapy and cosmetic surgeries to alter primary or secondary […]

From WABE Local News:

Josh Green is a writer and editor of Urbanize Atlanta who has spent decades writing about housing, development and Atlanta’s changing neighborhoods. He’s written three books set in Georgia, primarily […]

From the Saporta Report:

The Month of May is designated National Small Business Month across the nation. It is well documented how significant small businesses are to the overall economic health and well-being of any community, and the outsized impact they have on the global economy. In markets around the world, employers of just a handful of people are […]

The post GMSDC Celebrates National Small Business Month: Honoring the Backbone of Georgia’s Economy appeared first on SaportaReport.

From WABE Arts and Culture News:

Like the work of a master alchemist, metals come to life in a first-time solo museum exhibition by wire sculptor Noah James Saunders. The Georgia native’s series of steel and […]

From the Saporta Report:

Chelsea Gardens apartment residents continue to plead for help as they face eviction from their homes.  Residents spoke out for the second time at Monday’s College Park City Council meeting.  During public comment, resident Dontavious Moore said workers are tearing apart unoccupied units while residents are still living in nearby apartments. Water service interruptions have […]

The post Condemnation of Chelsea Gardens apartments spark residents’ fear and outcry appeared first on SaportaReport.

From the Saporta Report:

The race for Atlanta’s City Council President is becoming more competitive. Rohit Malhotra, the founder of the Center for Civic Innovation (CCI), is running for the office. He filed his paperwork on May 9, becoming the second candidate in the race.  Atlanta City Council member Marci Overstreet announced she is running for the position in […]

The post CCI’s Rohit Malhotra announces run for Atlanta City Council president appeared first on SaportaReport.

From WABE Local News:

An Atlanta resident known to many as a local hero is asking the city for help locating his stolen bicycle. Known as the “Atlanta Magnet Man,” Alex Benigno bikes around […]

From WABE Arts and Culture News:

Without words, the universal language of music communicates directly to the soul. The one-of-a-kind instrumental music festival, “No Words ATL,” highlights local players and composers presenting instrumental music across genres. […]

From the New York Times:

Representative Buddy Carter became the first Republican to enter the primary field to take on Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia, one of the nation’s most vulnerable Democrats.

From the Saporta Report:

Decatur launches WatchFest ’26 to celebrate FIFA World Cup The City of Decatur has announced Decatur WatchFest ‘26, a 34-day soccer and music festival celebrating FIFA World Cup 26 from June 11 to July 19, 2026. As eight matches will be held at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Decatur aims to connect fans through live match viewings, […]

The post Reporter’s Notebook: Decatur World Cup WatchFest, saying goodby to Baloo the bear, Carter Center launches mental health awareness campaign appeared first on SaportaReport.

Near standout Westside park, mixed-income development enters pipeline Josh Green Thu, 05/08/2025 - 10:44

A mixed-income proposal has entered the pipeline in Vine City that would continue the trends of infill development on the Westside and intown churches relinquishing property for more housing. 

The 172 Vine St. project is a partnership between Atlanta-based developer Good Places and longstanding Vine City congregation Cosmopolitan AME Church. It would rise just west of downtown and about a block south of Rodney Cook Sr. Park, a scenic and functional 16-acre Westside greenspace that opened in summer 2021. 

Plans for the 70-unit, mixed-income proposal call for building apartments on an underused parking lot and vacant land around the church. 

Specifically, the ownership entity (Cosmopolitan Village Partners) plans to build 63 units as affordable housing, with the bulk of apartments reserved for tenants earning 60 percent of the area median income or less. (Seventeen units would be set aside for project-based Atlanta Housing vouchers.) The remaining seven apartments would go for market-rate, according to Invest Atlanta. 

The century-old Cosmopolitan AME Church and its surrounding property, as seen in March. Google Maps

Broader context of the Vine City block south of Rodney Cook Sr. Park, with downtown hotels and The Benz shown at right. Google Maps

Perks of the community would include a fitness and business center, a community room, outdoor gazebo, laundry facilities, and in-home Energy Star appliances. 

In addition to city parks, the project would be conveniently near MARTA rail and bus stations, a Fulton County health center, and pre-K to 8th grade STEM school Hollis Innovation Academy, per officials.  

The development team is seeking a Westside TAD Ascension Fund grant of up to $2.5 million to help make the project viable, in addition to 9 percent Low-Income Housing Tax Credit financing, according to Invest Atlanta. 

The Vine Street project is expected to cost $23.7 million overall. 

Additional funding sources—more than $17 million—would include state and federal tax credit equity, according to Invest Atlanta. 

Mix of conceptual apartment images included with Invest Atlanta's 172 Vine St. NW breakdown. Invest Atlanta

Invest Atlanta

The timeline for construction calls for breaking ground in October 2026 and opening the rentals for tenants about 18 months later. 

Another affordable housing build, the 105-unit Legacy at Vine City, opened just east of the proposed apartments in 2019, offering independent senior housing. 

An institution in the neighborhood, Cosmopolitan AME Church—originally named Little Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church—moved to its current home on Vine Street back in 1907. 

Over the following nearly 120 years, the church “has engaged its congregation and residents with a wide variety of programming, covering health and nutrition, literacy and education, personal empowerment, and senior programs,” notes a recent Invest Atlanta project breakdown. “The proposed project will also contribute to these continued efforts by bringing new community spaces to the church’s campus.”

Affordability mix proposed at the Vine Street project. Invest Atlanta

Overview of the block in question today. Invest Atlanta

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172 Vine St. NW Cosmopolitan Village Partners Vine City News Good Places in partnership with Cosmopolitan AME Vine City Development Vine City Construction Atlanta Housing Invest Atlanta Affordable Housing affordable housing Mixed-Income Development Rodney Cook Sr. Park Atlanta Churches Atlanta Infill Infill Infill Development Infill project

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Broader context of the Vine City block south of Rodney Cook Sr. Park, with downtown hotels and The Benz shown at right. Google Maps

The century-old Cosmopolitan AME Church and its surrounding property, as seen in March. Google Maps

Overview of the block in question today. Invest Atlanta

Mix of conceptual apartment images included with Invest Atlanta's 172 Vine St. NW breakdown. Invest Atlanta

Invest Atlanta

Affordability mix proposed at the Vine Street project. Invest Atlanta

Subtitle 70-unit proposal would claim underused parking, vacant land at longstanding Vine City church

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From the Saporta Report:

Georgia State University is gearing up for a major transformative project on its downtown Atlanta campus, but the $107 million overhaul will destroy the first building designed and built for the college.  It’s a fast-tracked catalog of nine projects set to turn the commuter-centric campus into a true college destination before Atlanta hosts the 2026 FIFA […]

The post Georgia State University makes way on campus remake – and Sparks Hall demolition appeared first on SaportaReport.

Arts Atlanta:

In a mid-century former church in the Lake Claire neighborhood, artist W. Chester Old presents a retrospective of his career. Spanning five decades, the works on display exhibit elegance paired with a particularly American irony that feels right on time given the nation’s current challenges and difficulties.  Inside, a wall-sized grid of photographs depict the...

From WABE Local News:

Clark Atlanta University is paying tribute to an alumnus and former faculty member who was shot and killed on a California technical college campus earlier this month. The HBCU announced […]

From WABE Politics News:

The Republican-led House passed a bill Thursday that would rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America and direct federal agencies to update their documents and maps to […]

From WABE Local News:

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Marvin Epp wants to share his good health. At 90 years old, the energetic but soft-spoken Forsyth County resident still works, volunteers at his local church […]

From WABE Local News:

STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. — Stone Mountain Mayor Beverly Jones faces new accusations about her handling of city finances, accusations that she calls a “witch hunt.”  At the Stone Mountain City Council […]