Atlanta News

From the Atlanta Daily World:

Atlanta Public Schools and the Atlanta Board of Education announced the appointments of seven new principals and a new executive director of athletics at the board’s monthly executive meeting, Monday evening. All of the appointments are effective July 1, 2025. Gregory Goodwin, Executive Director of Athletics   Goodwin brings more than 30 years of experience … Continued

The post Atlanta Public Schools, Atlanta Board of Education Appoint Seven New Principals, District Athletic Director appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

Two years after debut, Oakhurst condo conversion sniffs sellout Josh Green Tue, 05/06/2025 - 08:46

An adaptive-reuse project where Oakhurst meets Kirkwood is approaching sellout status nearly two years after its debut, with final new condos priced at less than $200,000, according to sellers.  

Called Park 108, the condo venture by national developer Toll Brothers aimed to fill a void of for-sale multifamily product on the southwest side of Decatur by transforming a building that’s stood for nearly a century. 

Renovation work on the 33-unit building took about two years. Eric White, Toll Brothers division president in Georgia, says the two remaining Park 108 homes are both priced at $199,900. 

The Forsyth plan (one bedroom, one bathroom) counts 632 square feet on the first floor, while the Claire studio plan has 504 square feet on the second floor. The latter was discounted by nearly $15,000 last month. 

Toll Brothers

Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Floorplans for remaining condos can be viewed here (see floors one and two), while a peek inside the one-bedroom unit is over here. 

According to listing services, the two remaining Park 108 condos qualify for the Decatur Land Trust Model, which means specific qualifications must be met. 

DLT’s model goes that homes will be sold to new owners, but the land beneath them will be kept in a trust. Should new homeowners sell in the future, the DLT’s ground-lease program is meant to ensure the properties retain their affordability permanently by capping the price at which owners can sell, DLT officials previously told Urbanize Atlanta. DLT also typically retains a long-term option to buy the homes back if owners choose to sell and move. 

Following its completion in summer 2023, the revised three-story Park 108 structure offered a range of floorplans (18 total) from 500-square-foot studios to airy two-bedroom units with ceilings climbing up to 14 feet. Some included a second story, with prices topping out around $600,000. 

In-home features include wide-plank hardwood flooring, oversized windows, and custom cabinetry. Like transit access, the condos’ character is intended to make up for the building’s lack of amenities, such as a swimming pool and balconies. 

This two-bedroom unit was priced just shy of $600,000. Toll Brothers

Perks of the location include MARTA’s East Lake station, situated across the street. Oakhurst Village is a few blocks in the other direction, and College Avenue’s charming strips of retail and restaurant offerings are also nearby.

The 1930s building once functioned as a Southern Bell telephone company switchboard facility; more recently, it was an AT&T training center.

Find more context and images for the Park 108 project in the gallery above. 

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• Oakhurst news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)

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108 Park Place Thrive Residential Park 108 MARTA Toll Brothers East Lake MARTA Station Southern Bell Atlanta Condos Adaptive-Reuse Decatur City of Decatur Adaptive-Reuse Development Adaptive Reuse Atlanta Condos for Sale Decatur Condos Decatur Condos for Sale

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The brick structure's frontage on East Lake Drive, prior to renovations. Google Maps

The 1930s building and parking prior to renovations, across the street from East Lake MARTA station. Google Maps

Layout of first-floor units and onsite storage. Courtesy of Toll Brothers/Park 108

The corner where Park Place meets East Lake Drive in Oakhurst. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

This two-bedroom unit was priced just shy of $600,000. Toll Brothers

Toll Brothers

Toll Brothers

Subtitle Two new units unsold at adaptive-reuse project near MARTA—both priced (barely) in the $100Ks

Neighborhood Oakhurst

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Park 108

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Arts Atlanta:

2025 marks the fourth year of NoWordsATL, a festival showcasing instrumental music performed by Atlanta artists representing a variety of genres. While previous fests have been multi-day affairs spread across multiple venues, NoWordsATL4 takes place on Saturday, May 10, at The Garden Club at Wild Heaven West End. “Last year, we had a three-day festival...

From WABE Politics News:

If Joe Biden’s presidency had a capstone achievement, it was the Inflation Reduction Act, and if the IRA’s project of reindustrializing America through climate action has a poster child, it […]

From the Atlanta Daily World:

The Atlanta City Council approved a resolution urging that the State of Georgia adopt reforms to the Georgia State Patrol’s vehicular pursuit policies. Suggestions include restricting high-speed pursuits to cases involving violent felonies only; requiring supervisory approval before initiating or continuing a pursuit; and prohibiting PIT maneuvers in densely populated areas, residential neighborhoods, traffic-congested corridors, and pedestrian-heavy … Continued

The post Atlanta City Council Calls for Reforms to State Police Pursuit Policies appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

From the Atlanta Daily World:

President Donald Trump declared in March that the pardons issued by former President Joe Biden were void because they were done by autopen. Legal experts replied that the law does not prohibit automated signa­tures. Trump’s detractors argued that the president was using the autopen signatures to demonstrate Biden’s cognitive impairment and that “Biden’s team” covered … Continued

The post J. Pharoah Doss: Progress 2025—a conspiracy theory appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

From WABE Politics News:

After weeks of confusion, the Trump administration confirmed that it terminated visa records for thousands of international students because of past brushes with law enforcement, many of them minor.

From the Saporta Report:

With so much high-level pressure on him to run, Gov. Brian Kemp’s decision not to challenge U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff next year has to be considered something of a surprise, but really it wasn’t. A race between the state’s two most talented politicians would have been great fun to watch, but in pondering his options, […]

The post With trade war looming and time on his side, Kemp spurns Senate race appeared first on SaportaReport.

From the Saporta Report:

It was 2019, and the demolition permit had been issued. 220 Sunset Avenue — the apartment building developed by Rev. Maynard Jackson Sr. and where his family lived — appeared destined for the scrap heap. There was such history in the red brick building. The Jackson family lived on the top floor of the building, […]

The post Success on Sunset: restoring historic 220 Sunset for affordable housing appeared first on SaportaReport.

From the Saporta Report:

The cast and crew of the locally-made feature “Color Book” took to the 49th annual Atlanta Film Festival for the local April 24 premiere of the “Love Letter to Atlanta” focused on a father and son.  At a sold-out screening, Atlanta-based director David Fortune explained his approach to creating his debut feature film. The story […]

The post ‘Color Book’ creates love letter to Atlanta at local film festival premiere appeared first on SaportaReport.

From the Saporta Report:

To see fuller versions of the photos, click on any image and swipe right or left.

The post Brickwork around town – various locations and dates appeared first on SaportaReport.

From the Saporta Report:

By the end of 1845, people in the region had begun to believe that there just might be something to the young town of Atlanta. Any who remained skeptical of the hype found it harder to do so with the arrival of the first Macon and Western train. You’ll remember that Cousin John Thrasher had […]

The post Replacing the Monroe appeared first on SaportaReport.

From WABE Local News:

Grant Wallace, the owner of Peace of Mind Glass Recycling and Grantlanta Lawn, understands the power of an idea, service and connecting people. Now, he’s connecting the dots of all three with […]

Reader poll: Should Beltline reschedule cancelled Lantern Parade? Josh Green Mon, 05/05/2025 - 16:40

That rumble heard across intown Atlanta on Saturday afternoon wasn’t thunder—it was the 15th incarnation of the wondrous Atlanta Beltline Lantern Parade being cancelled due to approaching, intense storms. (Okay, maybe thunder, too.)   

It marked a rare occasion that the Lantern Parade, one of Atlanta’s most unique and coveted traditions, didn’t step off as planned. And it begged the question: Will the cancelled festivities be rescheduled, or will Atlantans have to wait until next year to whoop at hundreds of glowing creations meandering by on the Beltline?

Beltline spokesperson Keona Swindler tells Urbanize Atlanta a rescheduled date hasn’t been set as of today, but “we’ll share more information as soon as it’s available.” Sounds promising, if a bit noncommittal. 

“It was hard to come that decision [to cancel the parade],” Swindler noted via email. “It is the highlight of our year!” 

The Lantern Parade's Westside Trail debut in 2022. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Described as a “beloved Atlanta celebration of creativity, community, and light" with giant glowing puppets and marching bands, the grassroots parade had humble beginnings in 2010, when a few hundred creative souls marched with LED lanterns down the shoddy dirt railroad corridor that’s become the Eastside Trail—with no spectators on the sidelines. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lantern Parade was drawing estimated crowds of 70,000 annually to the Eastside Trail, solidifying itself as a local tradition alongside the Dogwood Festival, Streets Alive, and Inman Park Festival, among others.

The pandemic paused the parade for two years, but in 2022 it reemerged on the flipside of town, illuminating a section of the Beltline’s Westside Trail beginning in Adair Park—and concluding with a huge party in the Lee + White district’s parking lots. Beltline officials declared the Westside Trail the parade’s permanent home last year.  

Which means it’s time to take a community vote, via the reader poll below, just in case the powers-that-be are listening. If you’re in favor of a rescheduled parade, please do share dates that seem to make sense as well. 

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• West End news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)

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Westside Trail Beltline Atlanta BeltLine West End Westview Oakland City Lantern Parade Chantelle Rytter and her Krewe of the Grateful Gluttons Lee + White MDH Partners Ackerman & Co. Ackerman and Co. Atlanta Traditions Atlanta Festivals What to do in Atlanta

Subtitle If so, any suggestions as to when?

Neighborhood Adair Park

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From WABE Local News:

The man charged in a slaying in suburban Atlanta that the Trump administration highlighted in support of its tough immigration stance pleaded not guilty Monday to charges of murder and […]

From WABE Local News:

For 120 years, the United Way of Greater Atlanta has been working to make sure people across metro Atlanta thrive. Through partnerships and relationships, UWGA has provided access to vital […]

BREAKING: Star Metals developer sets sights on Eastside Beltline properties Josh Green Mon, 05/05/2025 - 14:56

An Atlanta Beltline-adjacent site in Reynoldstown where big development ideas have been kicked around for nearly two decades could finally see movement soon—but with a larger scope than ever planned before. 

Officials with the Allen Morris Company, a Florida-based real estate firm with a growing Atlanta presence, tell Urbanize Atlanta they’re in talks to help develop a vacant, formerly industrial 930 Mauldin St. site in Reynoldstown that counts direct Eastside Trail access. 

Allen Morris is entering a joint partnership with longtime property owners and developers Metzger & Co. The latter company in 2022 unveiled a revised, Perkins & Will-designed development vision for the site that would have blended retail and residential in a unique, Z-shaped structure, claiming one of the last large development sites left along Reynoldstown’s section of the Beltline.

But according to a neighborhood source, the project’s scope has recently grown to include the 205 Holtzclaw St. property immediately south of the Mauldin Street site, which the developers have purchased. Formerly home to the DooGallery, that site houses an empty lot and low-rise, warehouse-style buildings today. 

Overview of the 930 Mauldin St. and 205 Holtzclaw St. properties in question alongside the Beltline's Eastside Trail. Google Maps

Allen Morris and partners have scheduled a meeting Thursday to discuss rezoning and other details with the Reynoldstown Civic Improvement League, a volunteer community organization. 

“Our intent is to work with RCIL to conceive a project that will be mixed-use with multifamily residential and retail,” Allen Morris officials wrote to Urbanize Atlanta today via email. “Construction timing, scope, and other details are highly conceptual until we receive feedback from RCIL. 

“We look forward to working with the neighborhood,” the message continues, “to develop a project that inspires, impresses, and improves the lives of all who interact with it.”

Metzger & Co.’s development plans for Mauldin Street have been proposed, off and on, for more than 17 years, long before Beltline hysteria swept over the historic eastside neighborhood.

Back in 2008, the Beltline and Atlanta City Council approved a three-story, 108-unit building that Metzger & Co. had brought to the table, but it never went forward.

Eight years later, the developer pitched a larger project with 40 more apartments and about twice the height. City officials and neighborhood leaders vocally criticized that proposal’s lack of affordable housing, how it didn’t interface well with the Beltline, and for what they called poor construction meant for a 20-year life cycle. A rezoning application was unanimously rejected at an NPU meeting, and the project fizzled.

More recently, Metzger & Co.’s retooled plans called for 142 apartments (15 percent reserved as affordable housing) and 2,700 square feet of retail spaces fronting the Beltline, in a 140,000-square-foot building that would have topped out at six stories. But those designs, according to sources, have been scrapped, though they'd been approved by NPU and other neighborhood groups as part of a successful rezoning process in 2022. 

As shown in 2022 renderings, overview of the project's planned Beltline frontage, with the retail portion at bottom left. Note: These plans could be obsolete now. Perkins & Will; via City of Atlanta Office of Zoning and Development

How the long-vacant (but always artful) industrial site fronts Reynoldstown streets and the Eastside Trail today. Metzger & Co./Flippo Civil Design

According to LoopNet, the 1.3-acre Mauldin Street site is home to a 31,000-square-foot industrial building now. It last sold for $2.2 million back in 2006—cheap by today’s standards for Eastside Trail-adjacent acreage.

Elsewhere in Atlanta, Allen Morris, a national developer, is actively planning the final phases of its growing Star Metals District now, as the upscale Stella at Star Metals tower nears completion. 

About two miles west of there, the company is putting together a massive Bankhead project along the Beltline’s Westside Trail that would also claim underused, formerly industrial properties. 

Allen Morris also opened the Bryn House project in North Druid Hills in 2023.

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• Reynoldstown news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta) 

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930 Mauldin Street SE Metzger & Co. BeltLine Development Reynoldstown Civic Improvement League Beltline Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail Cabbagetown 90 Mauldin Associates Cathy Woolard Stein Steel Perkins & Will Perkins&Will Flippo Civil Design Watts & Browning Engineers Allen Morris Company The Allen Morris Company BeltLine Construction Reynoldstown Development Reynoldstown Construction

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Overview of the 930 Mauldin St. and 205 Holtzclaw St. properties in question alongside the Beltline's Eastside Trail. Google Maps

As shown in 2022 renderings, overview of the project's planned Beltline frontage, with the retail portion at bottom left. Note: These plans could be obsolete now. Perkins & Will; via City of Atlanta Office of Zoning and Development

According to previous renderings, how the completed 930 Mauldin St. project would look to Beltline patrons, with retail spaces depicted at left. Perkins & Will; via City of Atlanta Office of Zoning and Development

Stair-stepped plans for Holtzclaw Street frontage, away from the Beltline, per plans brought forward by Metzger in 2022. Perkins & Will; via City of Atlanta Office of Zoning and Development

How the long-vacant (but always artful) industrial site fronts Reynoldstown streets and the Eastside Trail today. Metzger & Co./Flippo Civil Design

Metzger & Co./Flippo Civil Design

Blueprints depicting BeltLine-adjacent retail spaces at the project's north end, per 2022 plans. Metzger & Co./Flippo Civil Design

Subtitle Allen Morris Company in talks to help bring long-planned—but expanded—Reynoldstown build to fruition

Neighborhood Reynoldstown

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930 Mauldin Street

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From WABE Local News:

Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp says he will not run for U.S. Senate in 2026, a blow to national Republicans who spent months courting the term-limited governor to challenge Democratic […]

From the New York Times:

The popular two-term governor of Georgia had been seen as the strongest potential Republican challenger to Senator Jon Ossoff, a Democrat.

From WABE Politics News:

In the latest Georgia town hall meeting turned heated, an event hosted by Sen. Raphael Warnock was twice disrupted by protests over a vote on weapons shipments to Israel. The […]

From WABE Arts and Culture News:

Honey Pierre, an Atlanta mixed-media artist, builds worlds from yarn, fabric, and paint. Her colorful, vibrant and textured worlds may seem fantastical, but what they portray is as real as […]

Self-storage project overlooking Atlanta's marquee park tops out Josh Green Mon, 05/05/2025 - 13:46

A controversial Virginia-Highland project has taken shape with sweeping views across Piedmont Park, the Beltline corridor, and Midtown’s skyline—but with minimal windows for enjoying the scenery. 

The self-storage facility project at the doorstep of two marquee, walkable intown attractions, the Beltline’s Eastside/Northeast trails and Piedmont Park, has reached its maximum height of five stories, according to building plans and a recent site visit. 

Two low-rise commercial buildings were demolished at the site last year (1011 Monroe Drive and 597 Cooledge Ave.) that had most recently housed Cantoni Furniture and Illuminations Lighting. The high-profile corner is located a few yards from where the Beltline’s popular Eastside Trail and new Northeast Trail section link to each other with an expanded, improved pedestrian crossing at Monroe Drive.  

Public Storage, a national self-storage provider, is building a larger facility to replace those structures. That use has drawn the ire of both neighborhood leaders and Beltline development arbiters. 

The company hasn’t clarified exactly what it’s building, or when it plans to deliver, despite repeated requests for more information throughout most of 2024. Inquiries this week to Public Storage officials have also not been returned. 

How the Public Storage project relates to the recently enhanced Atlanta Beltline pedestrian crosswalk at Monroe Drive. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Public Storage/Atlanta BeltLine DRC

The construction timeline is important to parts of Atlanta beyond the Monroe Drive site. 

On the flipside of Piedmont Park, the Atlanta Botanical Garden’s $150-million expansion project hinges on the Public Storage facility project being finished and open.

The Garden’s 8-acre expansion will consume adjacent land where Public Storage has operated for years. In exchange, the Garden is swapping the Monroe Drive property, which it bought for $13.5 million in 2023, with Public Storage, so the company can maintain a presence in the area.

The Botanical Garden also bought Public Storage’s facility on Piedmont Avenue, immediately north of the current gardens, for a reported $40 million.

Drawings shared by Public Storage representatives in early 2023 with the Atlanta Beltline Design Review Committee—following several design updates—lend an idea what’s in store for the intown corner. 

According to those plans, the self-storage project would include office space (and bike racks) with a large, Botanical Garden-themed mural on one wall.

The lack of retail space or residential uses such as townhomes peeved Beltline DRC members during planning stages in 2023. They criticized the project as presented as “a missed opportunity” and “a use that does not belong on the Beltline or anywhere near it.” 

Building permits indicate the self-storage facility will stand five stories—its height today. A competing business, Extra Space Storage, has long operated another self-storage facility next door on the same block, along Kanuga Street.

The project's northern face along Cooledge Avenue. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Proximity of the Self Storage site (in red) to the Eastside Trail, Piedmont Park, and Extra Space Storage immediately to the south. Google Maps

Botanical Garden officials told Urbanize Atlanta in November they hope to break ground on the expansion in late 2025, with completion sometime in 2027. But that’s all contingent on Public Storage relinquishing their current building on the Garden’s expansion site. 

Head up to the gallery for more context and photos showing how the Va-Hi self-storage build relates to Monroe Drive and the Beltline today. 

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• Virginia-Highland news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)

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1011 Monroe Drive Public Storage Atlanta Botanical Garden Virginia-Highland Civic Association Atlanta Construction Atlanta Development Self-Storage Self-storage development Self-storage facilities Piedmont Park Eastside Trail Beltline Atlanta BeltLine Rycon Construction Extra Space Storage

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Proximity of the Self Storage site (in red) to the Eastside Trail, Piedmont Park, and Extra Space Storage immediately to the south. Google Maps

State of previous buildings on site as of early 2023, with a competing self-storage facility visible next door. Google Maps

How the Public Storage project relates to the recently enhanced Atlanta Beltline pedestrian crosswalk at Monroe Drive. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

The 1011 Monroe Drive project has reached its max height, if renderings submitted to Beltline DRC officials are any indication. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

The west elevation overlooking Piedmont Park and Midtown today. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

The project's northern face along Cooledge Avenue. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Public Storage/Atlanta BeltLine DRC

Subtitle Public Storage facility near Piedmont Park claims properties next to enhanced Beltline trails

Neighborhood Virginia-Highland

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From the Saporta Report:

When most Atlantans think of MARTA, they think of movement: trains, buses, the daily flow of a bustling city. But for those without a place to call home, MARTA is often the last place of shelter when every other option has disappeared. Recognizing this sobering reality, Hope Atlanta and MARTA forged an innovative partnership—MARTA HOPE—to […]

The post Hope in Motion: How Hope Atlanta and MARTA Are Redefining Community Care in Transit Spaces appeared first on SaportaReport.

From WABE Politics News:

President Donald Trump’s administration said Monday that it is going to pay immigrants who are in the United States illegally and return to their home country voluntarily $1,000 as it […]

From WABE Arts and Culture News:

The Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University has two exhibitions on view, both of which examine connections between history and modern society. Timothy Hull’s “Anonymous Fragments” is a series […]