Atlanta News

From WABE Local News:

Months after a chemical fire released plumes of acrid smoke across metro Atlanta, forcing thousands to evacuate, BioLab has decided not to resume manufacturing at its Conyers plant. But the company plans […]

Arts Atlanta:

Soprano Lauren Snouffer, who plays the lead, talks about this colorful new production and the timeless themes that still resonate centuries later. :: George Frideric Handel had many successful works during his life, but Semele wasn’t one of them. The use of English in the libretto was unorthodox, and the work as a whole was...

From WABE Arts and Culture News:

The trailblazing Atlanta Opera marks another “first” this year with its staging of a rare gem of Baroque opera, George Frideric Handel’s “Semele.” A passionate, adulterous love affair between the […]

From WABE Local News:

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — The first thing Richard Landin plans to do after reuniting with his wife was give her a hug. “I’m ecstatic, happy, joyful, honestly a lot of different […]

From the Atlanta Tribune:

56th NAACP Image Awards Creative Honors Source: Paras Griffin / Getty By Nia Noelle on June 3, 2025 Adrian Holmes has taken his role as Uncle Phil in Bel-Air to a whole new level, with life now imitating art. The Canadian-born actor was officially initiated into Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, joining the Tau Epsilon […]

The post Actor Adrian Holmes Becomes an Alpha Phi Alpha appeared first on Atlanta Tribune.

From the Atlanta Tribune:

By bawintern1 on June 4, 2025 Donald Trump loves telling the country that we need more people in the trades instead of racking up college debt. Yet his administration is axing Job Corps — the very program that teaches the most vulnerable kids how to fix engines, wire houses, care for the sick, and build […]

The post Trump’s Job Corps ‘Pause’ Is MAGA’s Plan To Eliminate Poor Youth appeared first on Atlanta Tribune.

From WABE Politics News:

President Donald Trump is resurrecting the travel ban policy from his first term, signing a proclamation Wednesday night preventing people from a dozen countries from entering the United States. The […]

From WABE Local News:

Three years after Atlanta rapper Young Thug and 27 others were indicted on gang and racketeering charges, followed by a long, problem-plagued trial, nobody will be convicted of murder. When Fulton County […]

From WABE Local News:

A Fulton County Superior Court Judge has ordered the Atlanta Police Foundation to comply with a series of open records requests filed by a group of reporters and researchers related […]

Redevelopment plans kick off for huge Buckhead campus. Any requests? Josh Green Wed, 06/04/2025 - 15:26

The owner of Atlanta’s tallest building and the former CNN Center has stepped in to take over the stalled redevelopment of Buckhead’s biggest office park. 

But exactly what a reimagined, 14-building Piedmont Center might look like has yet to be determined. 

Sunbelt office owner-operator titan CP Group announced Tuesday it has completed the all-cash acquisition of Piedmont Center, a 46-acre campus spanning 2.2-million square feet along Piedmont Road, just north of Buckhead’s main shopping and hotel districts.

The Ardent Companies, considered one of Buckhead’s largest office landlords, bought Piedmont Center four years ago and announced plans for a comprehensive remake called “Oxton” in early 2023. 

Those plans failed to materialize, and on Tuesday the Piedmont Center campus was sold in foreclosure for a $200 million credit bid on the Fulton County Courthouse steps, as Bisnow Atlanta reports. (Austrian investment firm Bawag Group was the winning bidder, but CP Group didn’t mention that firm as a partner in a press release announcing Piedmont Center’s purchase shortly after the auction, the website reports.)  

Overview of Piedmont Center's 14-building campus today. Courtesy of CP Group

Officials with CP Group, which is based in Boca Raton, Fla. with a corporate office in Atlanta, say the master-planning and capital-improvement process for Piedmont Center’s remake into a hospitality driven, highly amenitized campus will begin immediately. 

Planned upgrades in Buckhead are described by CP Group as: 

“… thoughtfully curated food and beverage concepts, reimagined lobbies and conference centers, expanded fitness facilities, and revitalized outdoor and common areas. [Elsewhere will be] high-end spec suites—fully built, move-in-ready offices—designed to meet the demand for flexibility and speed among today’s tenants…”

The 3525 Piedmont Road campus includes 14 office buildings, where more than 200 companies have a presence. Other upgrades in recent years have included 1.2 miles of walking trails and what the previous owners described as “the fastest internet in Buckhead.”  

Ardent had hoped to move forward with Oxton in late 2023. Plans called for reimagining more than 35,000 square feet of ground-level office space in buildings 1 to 4 at Piedmont Center into what was described as “a mixed-use experience unlike anything in Atlanta.” Scofflaw Brewing Co. was announced two years ago as the first signed tenant, but the brewery didn’t materialize. 

Previous plans for a Piedmont Center campus remake distributed by Ardent Companies in 2023. Courtesy of Ardent Companies; designs, Square Feet Studio

Ardent Companies; designs, Square Feet Studio

Ardent’s plans more generally called for retail to spill into the office complex’s courtyard, beneath a canopy of tall, mature trees, and for food-and-beverage vibrancy to continue from morning until late at night.

Across Atlanta’s three core submarkets, CP Group now controls more than 8 million square feet of space. Renovations at the company’s other trophy properties—Bank of America Plaza and The Center (formerly CNN Center)—are ongoing. 

“Piedmont Center’s scale and iconic presence in the heart of Buckhead presents a rare opportunity to reimagine a legacy campus for the future,” Chris Eachus, a CP Group founding partner, announced Tuesday. 

What, dear readers, would that future for Piedmont Center look like, in a perfect world?  

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3525 Piedmont Road Piedmont Center Oxton Ardent Companies Westbridge Bridger Properties Square Feet Studio Adaptive-Reuse Adaptive-Reuse Development JLL Cushman & Wakefield Food and Beverage The Ardent Companies CP Group The CP Group

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Overview of Piedmont Center's 14-building campus today. Courtesy of CP Group

The 45-acre campus' Piedmont Road location, between Roswell Road and Peachtree Road. Google Maps

Previous plans for a Piedmont Center campus remake distributed by Ardent Companies in 2023. Courtesy of Ardent Companies; designs, Square Feet Studio

Courtesy of Ardent Companies; designs, Square Feet Studio

Previous plans for the Oxton project distributed by Ardent Companies in 2023. Courtesy of Ardent Companies; designs, Square Feet Studio

Previous plans for a Piedmont Center campus remake distributed by Ardent Companies in 2023. Courtesy of Ardent Companies; designs, Square Feet Studio

Subtitle 14-building Piedmont Center's planned remake as Oxton falls victim to foreclosure

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From the Saporta Report:

Atlanta Beltline, Inc. announced its first steps forward as the new master planner and co-developer of the fraught Murphy Crossing development adjacent to the Westside Trail and near the Oakland City and West End MARTA stations.  At a June 2 public meeting, Beltline leaders announced its project timeline for the next year. From now until […]

The post Murphy Crossing inches forward with Beltline at the helm appeared first on SaportaReport.

From WABE Local News:

N’namdi Arinze stands by his food. He says if doesn’t eat it, he won’t sell it. Arinze is making his mark in Atlanta’s food industry as the founder of Vegan […]

From WABE Local News:

According to a new investigative report published by Atlanta Civic Circle, the City of Atlanta’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund is being used to pay housing bond debt and staff salaries. […]

From the Atlanta Tribune:

The City of South Fulton Municipal Court will conduct Amnesty Week from Monday, June 2, through Friday, June 6, 2025, between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. daily. During this period, eligible individuals may resolve outstanding cases, reschedule missed court dates, and clear active bench warrants without incurring Failure to Appear (FTA) fees or additional penalties. […]

The post City of South Fulton Holds Municipal Court Amnesty Week Notification appeared first on Atlanta Tribune.

Near Sandy Springs’ City Center, ‘transformative’ project set to break ground Josh Green Wed, 06/04/2025 - 13:14

A new mixed-use dimension near Sandy Springs’ lively, walkable downtown core is set to move forward in coming days, according to development officials. 

Dallas-based High Street Residential and local development partners Third & Urban revealed today that a “transformative” project called Hillcrest will replace church-owned land immediately west of Sandy Springs’ City Springs, a $230-million social, retail, government, and arts hub that opened in 2018. 

The 8.1-acre project is scheduled to break ground this month at 6150 Sandy Springs Circle, replacing the Sandy Springs United Methodist Church Activities Center. 

HSR, the residential subsidiary of global developer Trammell Crow Company, is predicting the Hillcrest project will “redefine luxury living and community engagement” in central Sandy Springs, according to today’s announcement. 

Looking north, the context of Hillcrest's 8.1-acre site in relation to City Springs and other area landmarks about a mile north of Interstate 285. Google Maps; illustration, UA

Sandy Springs United Methodist Church has been in talks to offload the property for private development since at least 2016. Proceeds from the sale will now be used to redevelop and upgrade the main church campus, which is situated across Mount Vernon Highway from the Hillcrest site. The sales price wasn’t disclosed. 

Plans call for Hillcrest to include 362 multifamily units and 30 luxury townhomes, all of them for rent, according to HSR. 

Elsewhere the project will see more than 18,000 square feet of patio-heavy retail dotted around a centralized, public greenspace and plaza, per officials. 

Designs call for three to five-story buildings terracing down from the intersection of Mount Vernon Highway and Sandy Springs Circle. A parking garage with more than 100 public spaces reserved for retail and city events is also included, along with street infrastructure that improves walkability and allows for street parking, according to HSR. 

Plans for Hillcrest's centralized greenspace and retail portion at 6150 Sandy Springs Circle. Courtesy of High Street Residential; designs, Cooper Carry

The Hillcrest townhomes call for two and three-bedroom plans, each with rooftop patios and two-car garages. The multifamily component, meanwhile, will see a rooftop clubroom and pool zone—with “panoramic views of Sandy Springs and Buckhead,” per developers—plus perks that have become standard in new upscale intown buildings: a sauna, movie room, golf simulator lounge, fitness center with a Pilates studio, and WFH space. 

Third & Urban—the company behind ITP projects such as Westside Paper, Armour Yards, Common Ground on the Beltline, and forthcoming Corporate Square in Brookhaven— will be overseeing Hillcrest’s retail facets. Those plans generally call for a wine bar, coffee shop, fitness studio, ice cream option, and a mix of causal and high-end dining spilling into the centralized plaza.

Beyond City Springs, the site is located within a mile of more than 2 million square feet of retail space that includes four grocery stores, per HSR. 

“This project will deliver exceptional housing, vibrant restaurants, and meaningful community spaces—supporting the church’s future and advancing the city’s vision for a dynamic urban core,” said HSR principal Scott Kirchhoff in a prepared statement.

Hillcrest’s development team also includes Cooper Carry (architect), Square Feet Design (retail consultant and interior designer), New South Construction (general contractor), Citizens Bank (lender), Wesley Community Development (church advisor), and CBRE (retail leasing). 

Plans call for completing all aspects of Hillcrest in 2027, according to HSR. 

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6150 Sandy Springs Circle Sandy Springs Hillcrest High Street Residential HSR Sandy Springs United Methodist Church Trammell Crow Company Third & Urban Cooper Carry Square Feet Design South Construction Citizens Bank Wesley Community Development Amy Fingerhut CBRE Sandy Springs United Methodist Church Activities Center Downtown Sandy Springs Atlanta Churches Church Redevelopment Sandy Springs Churches Suburban Churches High Street Residential Trammell Crow Company Rental Townhomes BTR Townhomes BTR Housing Sandy Springs Apartments

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Looking north, the context of Hillcrest's 8.1-acre site in relation to City Springs and other area landmarks about a mile north of Interstate 285. Google Maps; illustration, UA

Plans for Hillcrest's centralized greenspace and retail portion at 6150 Sandy Springs Circle. Courtesy of High Street Residential; designs, Cooper Carry

Subtitle 8-acre Hillcrest development to swap church property with hundreds of homes, retail, public plaza

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Early voting for the primary election for 2025 Georgia Public Service Commission special election is underway. Make sure you vote and make your voice heard.

From WABE Politics News:

President Donald Trump’s big bill making its way through Congress will cut taxes by $3.75 trillion but also increase deficits by $2.4 trillion over the next decade, according to an analysis released […]

Arts Atlanta:

It’s billed as a comedy, and Horizon Theatre’s new Laughs in Spanish certainly does what it can to make its audience chuckle. Ironically, though, it’s the dramatic moments of the work that are more memorable in this well-meaning but uneven production closing out the Little Five Points company’s 40th season.  Running through June 22, Laughs...

From the Saporta Report:

This summer, Atlanta Way 2.0 and SaportaReport are partnering on an initiative to strengthen the civic fabric of greater Atlanta through journalism. Our two amazing interns will share their journey in our weekly column. Here, Asia Woodard reflects on her first few weeks as an Atlanta Way 2.0 intern.  What do you think of when you […]

The post Discovering the AUC’s role in the Atlanta Way appeared first on SaportaReport.

From the Saporta Report:

On June 2 the Chattahoochee National Park Conservancy kicked off the Island Ford Trail Project, an overhaul of the National Recreation Area’s 66 miles of trails. It’s the single largest project in the nonprofit conservancy’s history and the first phase of a pioneering trail management plan.  From June to December, a professional trail crew will […]

The post Chattahoochee National Recreation Area kicks off first-ever trail overhaul appeared first on SaportaReport.

Arts Atlanta:

Each week, ArtsATL curates a selection of the most exciting arts and culture events happening in Atlanta this weekend, highlighting nine must-see experiences.  :: Thursday Young John Lewis Written by hip-hop and spoken word playwright Psalmayene 24 and featuring all original music composed by Atlanta composer Eugene H. Russell IV, this world premiere spotlights the early years...

From WABE Local News:

A federal judge has thrown out murder charges against a former Atlanta police officer who shot and killed an unarmed man hiding in a closet. U.S. District Judge Michael Brown […]

From the Atlanta Tribune:

Atlanta Fashion Week (ATLFW) is proud to announce the return of BMW as its Official Automotive Partner through an exclusive two-year agreement with the Atlanta Area BMW Dealers. This partnership is designed to celebrate the intersection of fashion, craftsmanship, and forward-thinking design. The renewed partnership delivers a series of bold, high-touch activations that reflect BMW’s longstanding commitment to the arts […]

The post BMW Returns to Atlanta Fashion Week with Partnership Focused on Design and Cultural Impact appeared first on Atlanta Tribune.

From WABE Politics News:

When Republican State Sen. Brian Strickland launched his 2026 campaign for Georgia attorney general this week, he did something unusual.  Instead of just releasing a digital video, he made his […]

From WABE Politics News:

President Trump took yet another step Tuesday to place NPR and PBS at the center of his broader clash with major cultural institutions, formally asking Congress to take back the […]