Atlanta News

Arts Atlanta:

Anyone up for a three-hour play about investment banking? Admittedly, with a pitch like that, you might not get many takers. Better to say that the new production of Ben Power’s masterful adaptation of Stefano Massini’s monumental work The Lehman Trilogy at Theatrical Outfit is a knockout. The show is an ever-unfolding box of wonders....

From WABE Politics News:

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr raised $2.2 million for his 2026 gubernatorial bid in less than two months after taking the unprecedented step of announcing in November. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who […]

From WABE Arts and Culture News:

Atlanta artist Jym Davis describes himself as a myth builder. And that’s true. But the creative, better known as “False Face,” is also a sculptor, photographer, online content curator and […]

From the Atlanta Daily World:

Shutterstock/Anton Vierietin by Willi Zhang, Karolinska Institutet Nearly 16% of people changed their sexual identity over a 12-year period, according to a new study I conducted with my colleagues, involving around 35,000 residents of Stockholm County. This challenges long-held beliefs about sexual identity being largely fixed. Between 2010 and 2021, we found that 15.7% of … Continued

The post Sexual identity is more fluid than previously thought, says twelve-year study appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

Transit-oriented, 350-apartment development officially a go Josh Green Tue, 02/11/2025 - 10:17 An influx of new housing near Central Perimeter MARTA stations shows few signs of slowing down, with well over 1,000 units recently delivered or now in the pipeline.  

National developer High Street Residential has officially broken ground on a Brookhaven mid-rise project called Residences at Perimeter Summit, a 350-unit apartment venture with two signed restaurant concepts in the mix nearby. 

The seven-story building will rise at 1251 Perimeter Summit Parkway, just south of Perimeter Mall within the Interstate 285 loop. In an announcement today, HSR officials called Brookhaven “one of the most desirable suburbs in Georgia.”

Last year HSR, a subsidiary of Trammell Crow Company, closed on 4 acres of land to build the Residences—what project leaders have called a transit-oriented development within walking distance of two MARTA hubs served by rail. 

By foot, MARTA’s Medical Center station is roughly a mile away, and Dunwoody station about 1.2 miles.

As designed by the Cooper Carry architecture firm, the Residences project will include studios to three-bedroom apartments with around 900 square feet on average. Plans call for five floors of residential over two parking levels, with a 475-space garage.  

Courtesy of High Street Residential; designs, Cooper Carry

Amenities are set to include three courtyards, a resort-style pool and dog park, a clubroom, fitness center, coworking space, golf simulator, pet spa, sauna, and an elevated resident lounge with a kitchen for entertaining and views of the Perimeter skyline, according to High Street officials.

The apartments, all classified as luxury, will be part of the larger Perimeter Summit district, a 1.7-million-square-foot campus purchased by Spear Street Capital in 2022 with buildings standing 21, 18, and 16 stories. Access to existing walking trails around that complex will be another perk of the apartments, per HSR officials. 

The Residences are scheduled to deliver by late 2026, with New South Construction onboard to build it. 

“Brookhaven, with its historic charm and proximity to one of the liveliest office markets in the country, provides a premier living experience,” Scott Kirchhoff, a principal with HSR’s Atlanta office, noted in today’s groundbreaking announcement. 

The site's proximity to Perimeter Mall (above), Interstate 285, and Ga. Highway 400. Google Maps

Beyond the apartments, Perimeter Summit includes office and retail space spread across four buildings total, plus a condo building and 182-room hotel.

According to HSR, Spear Street has attracted “multiple high-profile headquarters relocations and innovation hubs” to the revived Perimeter Summit complex since acquiring it. The company has also partnered with STHRN Hospitality to bring two new restaurants to the development, The Little Gem and Pizza Stop. Both are set to open this year, per HSR.  

Elsewhere in Atlanta, HSR recently developed the multifamily component of Georgia Tech’s 18-acre Science Square project on the Westside, The Grace Residences. 

In other Central Perimeter residential news, GID Development Group finished the first two apartment buildings in its massive High Street venture last year. Those include 598 apartments within a short walk of MARTA’s Dunwoody station. 

Also in Brookhaven, a nearby AMLI-branded, mixed-use project has started delivering another 630 rentals in four buildings. Walkability to MARTA stations is also flaunted as a perk of that project. 

A year ago, plans for another 300 multifamily residences were also floated for the last remaining parcel next to insurance giant State Farm's towering Central Perimeter campus. 

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• Brookhaven news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta) 

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1251 Perimeter Summit Parkway 5005 Perimeter Summit Boulevard Perimeter Summit High Street Residential Trammell Crow Company City of Brookhaven Central Perimeter Perimeter MARTA TOD Transit-Oriented Development TODs MARTA trains (38877 Dunwoody MARTA Station Alternate Transportation Alternative Transportation Atlanta apartments Brookhaven Apartments Atlanta Development Multifamily Development Perimeter Mall Cooper Carry Spear Street Capital STHRN Hospitality The Little Gem Pizza Stop New South Construction

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The site's proximity to Perimeter Mall (above), Interstate 285, and Ga. Highway 400. Google Maps

Courtesy of High Street Residential; designs, Cooper Carry

Subtitle Builders stress proximity to two MARTA stations for Brookhaven’s Residences at Perimeter Summit

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From WABE Arts and Culture News:

Since 1976, Atlanta has prided itself on being the second home to the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Each February, the extraordinary dancers showcase thrilling new works and audience favorites […]

From WABE Local News:

Standing on the steps of city hall on Feb. 10, Roswell Mayor Kurt Wilson announced the funeral arrangements for Officer Jeremy Labonte.   Labonte, 24, was responding to a suspicious […]

Arts Atlanta:

Grammy-winning sax player David Sánchez will headline this year’s Emory Jazz Fest, and the event’s founder and director Gary Motley is, well, pretty jazzed about it. :: The Emory Jazz Fest turns 22 this week, but, hearing its founder and director, Gary Motley, talk with such energy about the music fest, you’d never guess he’s...

Transit advocate: How MARTA can quickly, noticeably improve Josh Green Tue, 02/11/2025 - 08:43 Most people who follow Atlanta urban planning would associate Matthew Rao with his passion project—chairing the transit advocacy group Beltline Rail Now, which he’s done since 2021. But as an Atlantan of 50 years and Georgia Tech-educated industrial designer by day, Rao has followed MARTA literally since its beginnings. His father took him, as a kid, to watch the first test-runs for MARTA’s east-west trains in the late 1970s. A spectacle, indeed. 

Inspired by a recent, witty reader comment on these pages—as spotlighted Saturday on our social media feeds—Rao got to thinking not about the long-term prospects of light-rail cars zipping along the Beltline, but about how MARTA could quickly take steps to improve public perception, in his estimation. The following Letter to the Editor is “written from my perspective as a citizen, resident, and business owner in Midtown,” he notes. It’s been lightly edited for clarity and length. 

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Dear Editor,

I live three blocks from the Midtown MARTA station and chose to live where I do, within walking distance to a station, as a requirement. I later moved my business to a storefront here to further reduce my carbon footprint, create access for all of my employees present and future, and to make riding MARTA as easy as possible. 

I ride MARTA rail about once per week, on average. I nearly always take it to the airport, and I will take it to Buckhead, downtown, or various other points. I walk to work, so no transit is needed for a commute. 

In other words: I’m the “transit-optional” rider MARTA needs to court. 

Our MARTA rail system is one of only three like it, the others being Washington D.C.’s Metrorail and San Francisco’s BART. There are other fine American metro systems built since those three, but Atlanta, D.C., and the Bay Area are special in a variety of ways. 

Having lived here since middle school, I was around for MARTA’s opening day. There was a giddiness in the air that I still remember. Atlanta, whose metro population was less than 1.5 million in the late 1970s—yes, that’s right—was joining the league of big cities. The tallest buildings in all of Midtown were the “towers” of Colony Square. City leaders knew then that building the subway with three stations, serving the then low-density Midtown, would create the conditions for its morphing from a residential neighborhood into a city. It has. And it’s getting denser all the time.

During the mid-1990s Olympics era, there was such pride in our system. The trains ran often and late into the night—and they were packed. The venues were clustered to take advantage of station locations. No one drove a car to attend the Games. 

I felt that same sense of pride and excitement as MARTA recently unveiled its new railcars. The excitement, in fact, was palpable and intense for the new Swiss-made trainsets. They are beautiful, with interiors designed for today’s lifestyles, including spaces for bikes and wheelchairs and luggage. A four-car train holds more passengers than the current six-car model, and two of these can be coupled together. 

We’ll soon have the best metro railcars in America. That’s something to celebrate!

The front exteriors of railcars will have a lighted “smile” in either red, gold, blue, or green that denotes the color of each approaching rail line, per MARTA. Courtesy of MARTA

But a new fleet alone won’t make MARTA the agency it needs to be, nor will it necessarily make ridership recover and grow. For generations to come, MARTA will be the only transit agency we have. Let’s support change and make it happen. There’s a desire on the inside at MARTA—as I’ve personally seen—to become one of the nation’s leading transit agencies, as measured by ridership and rider satisfaction. But they haven’t gotten there yet.

Other cities are recovering and exceeding their pre-pandemic levels of ridership. So what’ll bring transit-optional riders like me back onboard with MARTA, riding more often? 

It’s a long list. But MARTA can do some things this year, right now: 

1. Clean it up. 

It saddens me to imagine the incredible new Swiss-made railcars maintained like the ones we have now. I ride transit all over the world, and there are cities that do and cities that don’t when it comes to cleanliness and states of good repair. That goes for the trains and the stations. Have the beautiful stainless steel HVAC ducts at Peachtree Center station been cleaned since the Olympics? 

2. Increase frequency, especially at night and on weekends. 

We shouldn’t ever wait more than 10 minutes for a train. Often on the Red and Gold lines during weekdays, I don’t. But when you wait too long, the transit-optional rider considers ride-share. We aren’t just commuters anymore, and we need an urban rail system to work for our lives. That’s a 24-7 life—not a 9-to-6 life. 

3. Make MARTA feel safer. 

Shutterstock

I don’t know what the stats are, but we have to accept the reality that many Atlantans won’t ride MARTA because they don’t feel safe, especially at night. Make sure everyone riding has a valid ticket and that MARTA police patrol trains and stations. Don’t allow bad behavior and enforce the rules we already have. That makes us all feel better about being encapsulated in a train for 15, 20, or 40 minutes. 

4. Move forward as fast as possible with the $12-billion More MARTA expansion. 

Show progress. Stop the endless study and reevaluation of the projects defined in 2019 and get on with it. These bus-rapid transit and light-rail projects coupled with station improvements do another thing that we need: connect the many nodes of density to each other and to the rest of the city. That means a one-connection ride from whenever you are to more places that we all want to reach. 

It’s clear the suburban counties are not ready to join MARTA, and when given the opportunity to expand their own systems this past November, they rejected that soundly. They don’t want transit. Not yet. More MARTA is for the City of Atlanta. Only. Let’s worry about that as far as expansion goes. 

5. Stop the truncation of the Red and Green lines after 9 p.m. and run them all the way, end to end, at all times.

The forced transfer to the Gold and Blue lines means more hassle, more time spent waiting for a train, and a loss of riders. And for those on the Gold line between the Airport and Lindbergh, a longer wait for a more crowded train. Cities don’t do this when they want to attract more riders and keep cars off the road. Extend the Green line to Avondale and use the third platform there for riders to transfer from a Blue train to a Green train.

6. Use the Breeze system we already have to change the fare system and graduate the fare. 

I often don’t take MARTA one or two stops because the fare is high for that. And visitors to the city going from Airport to North Springs stations pay the same as I do to go one stop. Decreasing the fare for short trips and increasing it for longer ones is what those systems like BART and Metrorail did from day one. This stimulates rides for short trips and increases revenue from longer ones. Those with monthly passes and students would not experience a fee hike. Only the single-use, transit-optional rider like me. It costs $30 to $35 for a one-way ride to the airport (without surge pricing). Would I pay $5 or even $7 for that on the train? Absolutely. 

A juxtaposition of MARTA's first CQ400 train to be operational on tracks (left) and a current railcar. Courtesy of MARTA

How the new MARTA railcars' open gangway designs allow for passenger travel throughout the train. Courtesy of MARTA

Big picture, creating more density near and at the MARTA stations we have and modifying land use policies is another realm of possibility for growing ridership. 

The lesson of the early 21st century is that unless we expand the American Dream in a way that makes a family consider other options than a single-family house with a yard in a far-flung suburb that was once a forest or farm, we won’t ever be able to build enough MARTA.

 Chasing the suburbs with MARTA rail is exactly what we don’t need to do. 

— Matthew Rao

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MARTA Midtown Atlanta Atlanta Transit Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority Alternative Transportation Alternate Transportation MARTA Stations Atlanta MARTA stations MARTA trains New MARTA trains Matthew Rao BeltLine Rail Now! Atlanta Bus Transportation Atlanta Transit Link Authority MARTA Schedules Letter to the Editor Letters to Editor Letters to the Editor

Subtitle In Letter to Editor, BRN chair, designer Matthew Rao waxes on transit upgrades, big and small

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From the Atlanta Daily World:

Photo: Getty Images The family of Sonya Massey has reached a $10 million settlement with Sangamon County following her fatal shooting by former sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson in July 2024. Massey, 36, was shot in her Springfield, Illinois, home after calling 911 for assistance. Body camera footage revealed she was removing a pot of boiling … Continued

The post Family of Sonya Massey to Receive $10M After Deadly Police Shooting appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

From WABE Local News:

Coca-Cola posted better-than-expected revenue in the fourth quarter as its sales volumes rose in the U.S., China and elsewhere. Revenue for the Atlanta beverage giant rose 6% to $11.5 billion. […]

From the Atlanta Daily World:

After three years of tackling a historic court backlog, Project ORCA has officially wrapped up, marking a major victory for Fulton County’s justice system. The initiative, launched in December 2021 with $81 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, successfully cleared nearly 140,000 cases that had piled up due to COVID-19. Today, fewer than … Continued

The post Fulton County Jail Study Completed, Findings Not Surprising appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

From the Atlanta Daily World:

  By Dr. Wilmer J. Leon, III (TriceEdneyWire.com) – “I don’t know who you are and I don’t know why you like this guy (Trump). I think what you like about him; he appears to be strong and the rest of us are weak… That’s what he’s selling…Here’s what you’re buying…He’s a race-baiting, xenophobic religious bigot. … Continued

The post When They Tell You About Their Own, Believe Them appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

From the Atlanta Daily World:

Republican President Donald Trump did not win reelection in 2020. Trump claimed the Democrats stole the election, but his legal appeals to reverse the results were unsuccessful. The final stage was for Congress to officially count the electoral votes on January 6, 2021. Trump held an ill-advised rally in Washington, D.C., the same day. At … Continued

The post J. Pharoah Doss: The dangerous spending of insurrection currency appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

From the Saporta Report:

We’re witnessing a transformative moment for Atlanta’s Westside as several major initiatives come together to create lasting positive change in our communities. Through our Advancing the Vision campaign, generous donors are supporting the creation of two new parks along the Atlanta Beltline’s Westside corridor while ensuring current residents are able to enjoy the benefits these […]

The post A Vision Connecting Westside Residents to New Beltline Parks appeared first on SaportaReport.

From the Saporta Report:

Most Americans aren’t familiar with the story of the Guptas, but you can bet your bottom bitcoin that Elon Musk knows it very well. Like so much of the history being made these days, it’s an immigrants’ tale.

The post State of Capture: A story with a familiar ring appeared first on SaportaReport.

From WABE Politics News:

A federal judge in Rhode Island has found that the Trump administration has continued to improperly freeze some federal funds, despite a temporary restraining order issued late last month blocking the administration’s […]

From WABE Local News:

Allison Williams has a passion for creating and adopting innovative methods for teaching students. Williams is an Atlanta-based virtual early learning curriculum specialist and the founder and lead instructor of […]

Northwest of Atlanta, new riverside district gears up for opening Josh Green Mon, 02/10/2025 - 15:23 As part of a years-long push to activate a large, underused section of its downtown along the Oostanaula River, the historic northwest Georgia city of Rome is gearing up to welcome a mixed-use project that could inject new life. 

Investment firm CCI Real Estate announced today pre-leasing has begun on Nova River District, a new mixed-use venture situated along riverbanks in the Floyd County city’s charming central business district. 

First move-ins at the 250-unit residential portion are scheduled for July, according to CCI reps. 

Pricing for studios starts from $900, while the largest two-bedroom options are seeking $1,400 monthly and up. (We’ve asked for square footages and will post that info should it come.) 

The project is taking shape next to a new hotel, the Courtyard by Marriott Rome Riverwalk, that’s considered the first phase of an assemblage of properties for development the city’s been putting together for years, in hopes of better activating the riverfront. 

Fresh rendering depicting greenspaces and pathways at Nova River District. Courtesy of CCI Real Estate

Sample interior at the new 250-unit project in Rome. Courtesy of CCI Real Estate

Sited on 6.4 acres between the hotel and Fifth Avenue, the Nova River District will also see roughly 14,000 square feet of retail at its base.

Two original buildings on the property are being remade into an additional 4,000 square feet of adaptive-reuse retail space, all near a public pedestrian bridge that spans the river. Another Nova River District facet calls for 1 acre of public greenspace, with a link to the 16.7-mile AdventHealth ECO Greenway.

The broader goal is to add to the vibrancy of Rome’s Historic Broad Street on the other side of the river. 

Beyond downtown walkability, perks of the Nova River District apartments include a heated saltwater pool, fitness and wellness studio, onsite coffee shop, courtyards, and two “elevated sundecks,” per project officials. 

“We look forward to welcoming residents… and introducing new experiences and energy to this special part of Rome, complementing what this community has already built over generations,” said Jeff Warwick, CEO at CCI, in a statement. “With walking trails, local eateries, and history at every turn, Rome creates an atmosphere that is unlike anywhere else in the state.”

Courtesy of CCI Real Estate

Approximation of the Nova River District site, shown before the hotel was constructed next door. Google Maps

The development team also includes Poole and Poole Architecture, True North Companies (general contractor), Focus Design Interiors, Davis and Church (structural engineer), Phillips Gradick Engineering, and Dovetail Civil Design. Gallery residential is on board to handle property management once the district opens.

Pinnacle Financial Partners and Commerce One Bank closed a $37 million construction loan to build Nova River District last spring.

Swing up to the gallery for more visuals and context—no interstate driving required. 

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• OTP news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta) 

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Approximation of the Nova River District site, shown before the hotel was constructed next door. Google Maps

Fresh rendering depicting greenspaces and pathways at Nova River District. Courtesy of CCI Real Estate

Courtesy of CCI Real Estate

Range of floorplan rental options at Nova River District's initial phase. Courtesy of CCI Real Estate

Sample interior at the new 250-unit project in Rome. Courtesy of CCI Real Estate

Courtesy of CCI Real Estate

Courtesy of CCI Real Estate

The project's location among Rome's rivers, situated about 65 miles northwest of Midtown.Google Maps

An earlier rendering depicting Nova River District's multifamily component. Courtesy of CRE IMPACT River Arts District

Subtitle Pre-leasing has begun at Nova River District in charming downtown Rome

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From WABE Politics News:

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp says big payouts from civil litigation is a major issue facing the state. The first legislative hearing was held on Monday for Kemp’s “tort reform” package, […]

From the Saporta Report:

A household name in the Atlanta creative scene is bringing his studio onto the Beltline. Cam Kirk Studios, named after its founder and Morehouse alum photographer Cameron Kirkland, who goes by Cam Kirk, completed its move from its previous Downtown space and opened its new studio location on the Beltline near Krog Street Market On […]

The post Cam Kirk Studios finds new home on the Beltline appeared first on SaportaReport.

From the Saporta Report:

The Atlanta region is at a significant moment in time. Leaders of several regional entities have one attribute in common. They all are from the City of Atlanta.  For several organizations, it’s unprecedented to have a leader from the City of Atlanta serving at the helm.  Take the Council for Quality Growth, which is celebrating […]

The post Atlanta keenly positioned to be the region’s center of gravity appeared first on SaportaReport.

From WABE Politics News:

A group of powerful Georgia state lawmakers have rolled out a plan that shifts the state school superintendent from being elected by Georgia voters to being appointed by members of […]

From the Atlanta Daily World:

Kendrick Lamar performing the Super Bowl LIX Half Time Show (Screenshot). BHM Our Voices: Perspectives on the Black Experience – Stories examining the issues, injustices, and events shaping Black lives today. Three weeks into Donald Trump’s second term, it’s already the horror show we feared. And, like in classic horror films, the antagonist is coming … Continued

The post Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime Show: A Bold Rebuke of Trump’s America appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

From WABE Politics News:

Georgia Power, a national data center association, and clean energy groups are divided over the need for legislation that would prevent state-regulated utilities from raising electricity rates to cover the […]