Atlanta Intown - July 2023

New to Market • 1165 Reeder Circle NE

3 Bed | 2 Bath | Offered at $949,000

Classic Tudor in a great location with timeless charm. Enjoys 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, updated kitchen, and bathrooms. Permanent staircase to attic for possible expansion.

plan, brand-new kitchen, windows, fixtures and more, large deck , fenced yard and one-car garage.

Under Contract • 1138 Zimmer Drive NE

5 Bed | 3 Bath | Offered at $1,550,000

Handsome Morningside residence on a coveted super quiet street. Features five bedrooms, new, top-of-theline kitchen, two-car garage, and level backyard.

Scan below to get in touch and get started on a plan for your home sale.

Sold • 1300 Pasadena Avenue NE

4 Bed | 2 Bath | Offered at $1,225,000

Outstanding home on one of Morningside’s best streets. Features lush landscape, walk-out, level backyard, and a pool. Spacious interior throughout the two finished levels. Home is in excellent condition.

©2023

Coming Soon • 1850 Wildwood Place NE

4 Bed | 3 Bath

To the studs total renovation of this Mid-century ranch with an open floor plan, four bedrooms, and high-end finishes throughout. Completion mid to late June.

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About the Cover

An urgent call to reject hate and fearmongering

The uptick in antisemitism has been on full display in Georgia for the last few months.

It started with hateful fliers being left on streets and driveways in Sandy Springs and Dunwoody, then in neighborhoods around East Atlanta.

In June, Neo-Nazis showed up with swastika flags at synagogues in East Cobb, Macon, and Warner Robbins.

These bigots have always operated in the fringes, but lately, they’ve been emboldened to bring their hate to the public square without fear of punishment. A report by the AntiDefamation League shows a 63% increase in antisemitism in

Social media is awash in politicians and pundits tacitly propping up the behavior or joining in with thinly veiled anti-Jewish tropes – and sometimes not so thin.

Remember when Georgia’s own Marjorie Taylor Greene suggested the Rothschild banking firm was behind the creation of a “space laser” that started the California

These antisemitic tropes that Jewish people and institutions secretly control the world have been around long before the Third Reich and still flourish among conspiracy theorists and

prevalent and casual on to have Google open in

the appalling attacks on the transgender community, there’s a dastardly conspiracy lurking behind every fearful post.

And fear is most

definitely at the root. Fictional President Andrew Shepherd summed it up succinctly in his press briefing room speech (and if you haven’t seen “The American President” stop reading now, watch, and come back enlightened) when he says his opponent is “interested in two things and two things only: making you afraid of it and telling you who's to blame for it.”

Fearmongering has long been a gambit for winning elections, but the tactic has been dialed up off the meter in the age of social media. For this election cycle, the LGBTQ+ community has been thrown on the fear altar. The tired, old “gay agenda” trope is back, drag queens are no longer camp entertainment but “coming for the children,” and trans women are “erasing real women.” Don’t even get me started on the whole “woke” baloney.

This nonsense is really enough to make your head explode, but then you realize there are thousands – perhaps millions – who have been fed a steady diet of lies and fear. These folks vote and they will push the button for whichever fearmonger has the most money and loudest voice.

Just before we went to print, Bill Nigut’s “Political Rewind” – often a source of the most reasonable discourse on today’s hyperpartisanship – was scrapped by GPB after a decade. Moves like that make finding the truth all the more difficult and allow fringe elements to seize the narrative.

As we move into another presidential election cycle, I encourage everyone to spend less time on social media, read more (including the words and research offered by those with different leanings and beliefs), and maybe spend a day or two at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta.

Reject darkness. Remain in light.

Collin Kelley

Atlanta Child Murders memorial unveiled

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By Dyana Bagby

More than 40 years ago, dozens of children and young adults were abducted and found dead in metro Atlanta, including the areas of Brookhaven and Buckhead, in what has become known as the Atlanta Child Murders.

On June 27, a memorial, “Atlanta Children’s Eternal Flame Memorial,” was unveiled at Atlanta City Hall. The memorial, a 55-foot-long remembrance wall with the names of 30 victims slain between 1979 and 1981, is a stark reminder of one of the city’s darkest periods.

“We did not want to capture the world’s attention in this way, but we did,” Mayor Andre Dickens said at the ceremony. “At least 30 of our young children and young adults had been abducted and killed and were missing. The horrific events were given a name, which was the Atlanta Child Murders.”

Dickens was a young boy during this time, he said, but he remembers the entire city on edge and Maynard Jackson, the city’s first Black mayor, searching for ways to keep children safe.

“That was a time of growing up that really fortified us and brought us all together,” Dickens said.

In 2019, former mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced the Atlanta Children’s Memorial Task Force to create a memorial for the victims. She also announced a new review of DNA evidence from the case.

“I’m so honored to have played a part in making sure that this memorial will be here for an eternity so that every single person who passes the grounds of Atlanta City Hall remembers that those

children mattered to us then, they matter to us now, and they will matter to us for generations not yet born,” Bottoms said at the ceremony.

“We remember that they were your children; they weren’t just names,” Bottoms said. “They were human beings that you loved dearly.”

She also said that “progress has been made in analyzing the DNA.”

“I know that there’s still many answers to be had, but it’s my hope that one day soon, Mayor Dickens will be able to share that information with the public as well whatever information may be available so that it can continue to bring solace and comfort to the families who are here today,” Bottoms said.

The “Atlanta Children’s Eternal “Flame Memorial” was created by internationally renowned artist Gordon Huether.

Seating faces the expansive wall, where visitors can spend time, contemplate, and pay their respects. The wall’s composition of Corten steel gives the memorial a strong, enduring impact as it weathers into a rust-colored patina. At the far end of the memorial, a flame burns as an enduring tribute to the victims and all those affected.

Centered within the semi-enclosed space is a granite inlay engraved with poet, playwright, and novelist Pearl Cleage’s "A Poem for Our Children."

Huether said that creating the memorial was “emotional” and “intense.”

“I wanted to create a tribute to the victims and to their families,” Huether said. “A testament that these lost lives still matter. I wanted to create a space that was healing, comforting, and would give the viewer a sense of closure.”

Two people have been charged in the murder of Bre’Asia Powell, 16, who was caught in the crossfire after a dispute at an unauthorized gathering outside Mays High School. More subjects are being sought by Atlanta Police.

Prominent realtor George Heery Jr., 55, was killed by a falling tree in Buckhead during severe storms on June 25. Heery, along with his brother Neal, were partners and top producers at Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty.

The Atlanta City Council approved Mayor Andre Dickens’s $790 million budget – the largest in city history – for fiscal year 2024 at its June 20 meeting.

Portman Holdings has closed on 1.3 acres of land at the corner of Sampson and Irwin streets in Old Fourth Ward for phase two of its mixed-use Junction Krog project.

Activists hope to get ‘Stop Cop City’ on November ballot

By Dyana Bagby

Activists have launched a campaign that would let Atlanta voters decide in a referendum if the city’s planned $90 million public safety training center should be built, the latest effort to stop what opponents call “Cop City.”

The announcement came just after the Atlanta City Council voted 11-4 on June 6 to approve $67 million in public money for the facility, despite hundreds of people pleading with members over 15 hours to vote against funding the project.

Organizers need to gather more than 70,000 voter signatures over 60 days now that the Atlanta city clerk has approved the petition. And even that was steeped in drama.

The clerk’s office informed the group that the petition was missing a line requiring city of Atlanta residents to validate each signature. The group added the line and resubmitted the petition on June 15, but the clerk’s office said there were still issues with the petition. Vote to Stop Cop City organizers filed a lawsuit to compel the clerk’s office to approve the

SOLD MIDTOWN HISTORIC DISTRICT

petition, but withdrew it once approval was given.

The referendum would ask voters to decide if they want to repeal the ordinance approved by the council in 2021 authorizing a lease agreement with the Atlanta Police Foundation to build the public safety training center.

717 Piedmont Avenue

“People need to have a voice on whether or not there is a Cop City,” said Kamau Franklin, founder of Community Movement Builders, at a press conference for the “Vote to Stop Cop City” campaign.

“The City Council has failed over and over again to listen to the masses of people in Atlanta,” he said. “We will do all that is possible to make sure that the people of Atlanta come out and vote to shut down Cop City.”

Opponents said a referendum requires the signatures of 15% of the city’s registered voters in the last election. Atlanta had close to 470,000 registered voters in the 2022 general election.

About 97,000 people voted in the first round of the city’s 2021 mayoral race, according to the Associated Press.

Gary Spencer, senior counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, said the coalition’s goal was to get 75,000 signatures to ensure there were more than enough to meet the requirements.

“We want the will of the people to be heard,” Spencer said. “We are not going to be intimidated by intransigent public officials … we are going to take our fight to the ballot box and we believe we will win.”

Nestled in the shadow of Midtown’s iconic skyline, 717 HOUSE has been meticulously restored.  Built in 1912, this Prairie style architectural masterpiece features the Main House with 3 fireplaces, exquisite finishes, and expansive deck overlooking gorgeous rear gardens. Carriage House, detached 3 car Garage, and two private Apartment Suites provide a unique opportunity for this stunning property.

Kamau Franklin says a broad coalition of people and organizations are working to get a referendum on the November ballot to allow Atlanta voters to decide if the city should build “Cop City.” (Photos by Dyana Bagby)

to 66866.

StoryMuse helps foster storytelling with a purpose

By Clare S. Richie

Storytelling was a steady presence in Shannon Turner’s life – in school clubs, at summer camp, at work – but the 2016 presidential election fallout motivated her to make storytelling her focus.

“It felt like I’d been ignoring a calling to help us hear each other,” Turner said. “So, I left my job with $4,000 in the bank, six-weeks notice, and never looked back.”

And StoryMuse was born. The organization offers private coaching, workshops, residencies, content development, and more for individuals as well as teams and communities.

Turner got her first major contract with the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) While there, she developed profile stories, a podcast, and short documentary films culminating in a six-city tour to help individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities raise their voices to advocate for government funding needed to live independently in their communities.

One of her most recent assignments was with Zaban, the only couples'shelter in Atlanta. Turner worked with Deborah Hendreth and Percy Cooper who have been together eight years after they were evicted from their home earlier this year.

“This is my first time in a shelter,” Cooper said. “We are moving to manage a personal care home. It’s a live-in facility and we get room and board – so we can

give back.”

At a recent Zaban fundraising event, Hendreth used what Turner had taught her to tell the crowd how she and Cooper had met.

“One day at the bus stop, I was patting my head, when a man [Cooper] asked me what was wrong. I said my scalp was so tender, burning from surgery. He said his wife had died from the same thing a few years prior.”

Hendreth spent weeks in the hospital and Cooper was there for her when she got out.

Turner also helped coach Zaban volunteer Keith Yaeger. “Shannon got my thoughts in order,” Yaeger said. “She said ‘Let’s pick one or two ideas that you are most comfortable with’… She’s so patient and gave me direction.”

Turner said everyone has a story to tell.

“It’s your story. You can’t get it wrong, but you can get it better,” she said. “That’s what I do. It’s all about building empathy and connection in a world that’s constantly distracting us and driving us further apart.”

In 2021, Turner did a six-week residency in Pittsburgh, the southwest Atlanta neighborhood which has been rapidly gentrifying as developers pressure longtime residents to sell their properties.

“Legacy and newer residents told

stories in pairs about the past, present or future they would like to see become true of the community,” Turner said.

Last summer, Turner took over producing Carapace, a free event to tell and hear stories based on a theme every fourth Tuesday at Manuel’s Tavern in Poncey-Highland.

“This is true-life storytelling with a room full of strangers who by the end of the show will know you and you them a little better,” said Carapace host Cris Gray.

The April “Struck” theme brought forward tales of a barfight, a girl’s soccer injury, and a family vacation from an autistic storyteller, Ronald, who drove all the way from Stockbridge.

After Ronald’s charming tale of his family trip to Costa Rica, the crowd erupted in applause.

“That’s how we learn about each otherthrough stories,” Gray said.

Learn more at StoryMuse.net.

StoryMuse partnered with Tronzai Media to help Pittsburgh community members tell their stories. (Photo by Rikki Brew/Envisioning Freedom Photography)

Percy Cooper and Deborah Hendreth shared their stories at a Zaban fundraiser.

(Photo by Clare S. Richie)

Chris Gray hosts Carapace storytelling at Manuel’s Tavern. (Photo by Andrew Huang)

StoryMuse founder Shannon Turner, right, uses ‘life maps’ to help people visualize the stories they want to tell.

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We all had different plans for Memorial Day Weekend. Our house was being painted so I just wanted to be around, generally, should Hector and his crew need anything. Kristen wanted to declutter and Elliott needed to kickstart his summer job search. All Margo wanted was to take a road trip to the nearest Buc-ee’s, which I learned was halfway to Chattanooga. But her plan was the only one that even remotely sounded like any fun, so we obliged.

MAY I BE EXCUSED

Have you all been to Buc-ee’s? Is this some sort of TikTok thing I didn’t know about? It’s like the Disneyland of convenience stores. It makes QuikTrip look like a fruit stand. There were hundreds of customers pumping gas and buying all manner of groceries and Buc-ee the Beaver schwag. People were just THRILLED to be there. Behold, the Beef Jerky aisle! I’m still gobsmacked by it all.

Anyway, when I was in high school I spent a few summers painting houses. Maybe Hector needs summer help and will hire Elliott? My boss was my old basketball coach, Coach Avery. He hired former players and other basketball-playing buddies. Now after seeing Hector’s expertise and attention to detail, I realized Coach was kind not to fire most of us. We were sloppy and slow and perhaps too young to do work this hard, at least not well. The statute of limitations has probably expired but if I painted your house in the late 1980s, you may be due a partial refund.

The last project I worked on was at the very elementary school where Coach Avery ran his practices like a drill sergeant (for our own good, of course). One day I was glazing ground-level windows outside the 5th-grade classroom. Above left was a scaffolding setup where an older guy (20s) named Dan was working on the top floor. I heard a metal-on-metal scraping sound and then Dan hollering for me to run so I sprinted away and watched the crash.

Dan tumbled in the grass a couple of times and bounced back up laughing. I thought I had just watched someone about

to die and he just started setting the scaffold back up. Was I insufficiently fearless to be a painter? A day later an old teammate put his 16-foot ladder at a steep angle and the footing slipped backward while the ladder fell forward. The poor kid slid down helplessly, grabbing at a brick wall, leaving second-degree burns on the palms of his hands. The school job seemed snakebit and this was confirmed a few days later.

My brother Marty and I were up on the roof prepping a dormer. He sat down on a hard plastic skylight to change a sanding blade. First, it cracked a little, then a splitsecond later Marty disappeared as if he were sucked into a vortex. I hustled down the ladder and raced into the school to find him. Conveniently, he landed in the nurse’s office but inconveniently he fractured three small bones in his back. Mostly I loved that job but now that I’m reminiscing, I think I probably won’t ask Hector if he wants to hire my son after all.

The only shop talk Hector and I shared was if I was sure about the green we chose for the front door. We selected “Argyle,” which sounds sophisticated to me, but once applied it gave more of a “Lucky Charms” vibe. Whose job is it to name these things? I keep telling Kristen that Elliott and I could repaint the door but for some reason she thinks we ought to have Hector do it.

Who knows what Elliott’s first job will be but if Buc-ee’s opens a store locally we should ALL apply for jobs there. Just get on that gravy train already. Wear a Beaver suit and take pictures with inexplicably happy customers? Even I can do that.

Pets & Their People

We put out the call for photos of you with your beloved furry friends and you answered us! Our annual “Pets & Their People” issue is one of our favorite issues to assemble since it gives us another opportunity to showcase our readers. The submissions always tend to run more in favor of the pups, so we were happy to see a few more kitties this year. Be sure to visit roughdraftatlanta.com to see even more photos.

— Collin Kelley

Barker and Chanell Davis

Johnny Cash and Jason Cook

Goonie and Jen Hidinger-Kendrick

Jelly Bean and Sarah Miller

Ernie and Malcolm Miller Bean and Kelly Hamm

Jupiter and Peter Volpone

Piper and Sidni Wooten

Bucky and Samara Minkin

Flossy ane Carol Wolff

Henry and Odalys

Escobar Romagos

Mazel and Philip Karlick

Zadie and Fay Twersky

Snoopy and Maureen Braver

Left, clockwise from top left, Ramona and Shannon O’Daniel AXL and Elizabeth Holmes Pepper & Auggie with Debbie Hollonbeck Macie and Suzanne Thompson

Luna and Pruitt Miller

Sammy and Jason Rosenblatt Cat and Dr. Martha Burdette

Coco, Cosmo and Kitsy Rose

Ellie Mae B. Trouble and George Gary

Nia with Joel and Nia Sadler

Heidi and Alan Taetle

Emily and Jennifer Kumwong

Ruthless and Chad David Shearer

Emma and Chip Ivie

Finn and Bob O’Brien

Fiona and Kathleen Plate

Ginger and Mary Beth

Molly and Kate Bivins

Jett and Delia Champion

Ricky and Tom Cobb

Ms. Snow and Deborah Curry

Lia and Debra Lynn Gold

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What’s on your summer reading list?

ABOVE THE WATER LINE

Sally Bethea

I have always loved to read, even as a young child. Every summer, I looked forward to the Fulton County Library System’s reading program—diligently completing, often doubling, the ten-book requirement. In those days, the library system rewarded everyone who read at least ten books with free movie tickets to shows at the Fox Theatre. My dad always took me; I still remember how excited I was to have this adventure with him.

During my decades of mothering my two sons and riverkeeping –from my 30s to my 50s I rarely allowed myself time to read, as I struggled to stay on task at home and work. Sadly, there were many years in which I could count on one hand the number of books I read for pleasure. In retirement, this has changed dramatically. These days, I am rarely without a book nearby and keep a list of those I hope to read: an ambitious tally of more than fifty.

Although I enjoy novels Wallace Stegner, Barbara Kingsolver, and Carl Hiaasen come to mind I much prefer non-fiction: nature (of course), environmental science, biographies, autobiographies, and American history. There is so much to learn about our vibrant, complex (and also threatened) world and the diversity of its life.

Favorites

Linda Lear’s magnificent biography of Rachel Carson (Witness for Nature) led me to half a dozen other books about the brilliant environmental scientist and to a transformative trip to her beloved cottage on the coast in Maine. Reading David Brinkley’s books about Teddy Roosevelt (Wilderness Warrior) and Franklin Roosevelt (Rightful Heritage) deepened my understanding of their tremendous conservation achievements, notably their courageous insistence that hundreds of millions of acres of natural and historic significance be protected to benefit everyone.

John Lewis’ powerful memoir about growing up in Alabama in the 1940s and his role in the civil rights movement (Walking with the Wind) taught me so much that I never learned in my southern schools, despite being a teenager during the movement’s most consequential years.

James McBride’s beautifully written tribute to his mother (The Color of Water), both heartbreaking and inspiring, illustrates how family love and a parent’s indomitable

spirit can overcome racial injustices and antisemitism. I love getting to know people from historical figures and scientists to artists and community leaders-through their personal stories.

Nature science books about seashells, hawks, fungi, otters, trees, eels, and moss have magnified my sense of wonder and awe in all life on this planet. I highly recommend The Sound of the Sea by Barnett, H is for Hawk by MacDonald, Entangled Life by Sheldrake, The Hidden Lives of Trees by Wohlleben, The Book of Eels by Svensson, and Gathering Moss by Wall Kimmerer. Currently, I’m reading Ed Yong’s An Immense World, a book written to help its readers break out of our “sensory bubbles” and consider the planet as perceived by other animals.

Not surprisingly, climate change is a priority topic for me, both non-fiction (Under a White Sky by Kolbert) and dystopian (The Ministry for the Future

by Robinson). Although these books can be tough to read, given the projected trajectory of our heating planet, I find some comfort in them – the data and science that is helping us better understand the consequences of burning fossil fuels and the heroic efforts being made to find solutions.

Inspired to Write

About four years ago, a friend gave me a copy of The Forest Unseen—A Year’s Watch in Nature by David George Haskell, a biologist and writer who observed a one-squaremeter patch of old-growth national forest in Tennessee through the seasons. At the outset, I wondered how there could possibly be enough material to fill nearly 300 pages from what I (quite naively) thought was a limited subject. As I quickly learned, the book is a wonderful and accessible example of science writing that traces nature’s seasonal path with fascinating stories.

Mirroring Haskell, I decided to seek a

place in nature where I could also observe its beauty and complexity over the course of a year, paying close attention to the small things we often miss in our busy, self-absorbed lives. In early May of 2019, I discovered a trail to the Chattahoochee River that I had not previously walked; it winds along a creek and through an old forest in the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area to a spectacular section of the river.

As I began to regularly walk this trail, I remembered stories from my two decades of working to revive the Chattahoochee, as the founding director of the nonprofit Chattahoochee Riverkeeper organization. These were tales I wanted to tell—about people, adventures, challenges, and celebrations. Less than a year into my walks, the Covid-19 pandemic provided endless days of sheltering at home with lots of time on my hands. So, I wrote a book.

In July, the University of Georgia Press will publish Keeping the Chattahoochee: Reviving and Defending a Great Southern River. I hope it will encourage readers to find a special place in nature where they can magnify their own sense of wonder and open their eyes and heart to the wondrous variety of plants, animals, and microbes that inhabit our planet. I also hope the stories about my experiences as an environmental advocate will inspire readers to take action to help safeguard the environment, whether in their neighborhoods or across the country.

To purchase my book, go to ugapress.org and join me on Sept.12 at The Carter Center for the official book launch with former mayor Shirley Franklin, or at other book signing events in Atlanta and around Georgia.

Mass timber tower gets ok in Buckhead

By Dyana Bagby

A developer’s plan to build a 20-story multi-family tower using mostly mass timber in Buckhead Village has received approval from the area’s development review committee.

Chicago-based Harbor Bay Ventures wants to build the more than 516,000-squarefoot tower at 359 East Paces Ferry Road. It would include 314 units and 2,400 square feet of retail space. More than 300 residential parking spaces and 36 bicycle parking spaces are also planned.

In a memo to the city’s Office of Planning, the SPI-9 committee praised Harbor Bay Ventures for wanting to construct the tower using mass timber because it fits into Buckhead’s sustainability plan.

The SPI-9 committee reviews proposed projects primarily in Buckhead’s commercial district and provides its feedback to city planners to consider as part of their approval process.

Mass timber construction includes the nailing or gluing of numerous wood panels together to create large pieces. The large mass timber pieces are deemed strong, low-carbon alternatives to concrete and steel.

The Buckhead development review committee also said it was pleased with Harbor Bay Ventures’ additional sustainability plans that include recycling collection areas, proposed composting areas, and the use of low-flow toilets.

Michael Davis to lead new hyperlocal startup Homegrown

By Maija Ehlinger

Even before Michael Davis officially joined the team at Homegrown, the earlystage startup was keeping him up at night.

“You know when it’s three in the morning and you can’t stop thinking about an idea? And then you wake up at six a.m. and you are still thinking about that thing? That was Homegrown for me.”

There was a reason why Homegrown so captured Davis’ imagination. Davis, an Atlanta native, said he was raised in an entrepreneurial household where “sitting around the dinner table talking about pricing strategy, hiring, and [closing] big contracts” was the norm as his parents ran their automotive manufacturing business. Beyond those economics lessons, Davis said he saw firsthand the ups and downs of small business ownership.

“There are problems I’ve wanted to solve my whole life. One of them has been: How can I build something that would have made my parents’ journey easier?” he told Hypepotamus.

Solving that problem is at the heart of why Homegrown exists. The startup, the first to spin out of the newly launched Neighborhood Studios in Atlanta and

backed by early-stage venture capital firm Overline VC, is looking to change how brick and mortar businesses access financing options to open up new locations.

Now, Davis is stepping up as the first CEO of the venturebacked startup.

Homegrown’s Roots

Davis, who moved back to Atlanta two years ago from Seattle, is uniquely positioned to take on the CEO role at an early-stage startup.

After spending years in the consulting world at Deloitte, Davis was an early employee at the OKR tracking startup Seattle-based Ally.io (acquired by Microsoft in 2021) and most recently was a principal in Microsoft’s employee experience business, running teams and building up new business lines.

With Davis at the helm of Homegrown, the startup is ready to scale its vision for the

future of local business. Homegrown looks to help local business owners get the capital they need to open their next location, be it a second coffee shop, a new restaurant, or a customer-facing office in a different part of the city.

Business owners come to Homegrown to access non-dilutive and revenue-based financing options. Instead of giving up equity in their scaling business, owners use new revenue to pay back investors over time.

The platform also benefits accredited investors who are looking to build up local private businesses. The platform is designed to give investors steady returns every month (something that is often hard to find in the alternative investing

space).

“Homegrown exists because it is far too difficult for our highest performing local businesses to expand,” Davis said. “You usually have to personally guarantee the loan, which means putting up your mortgage as collateral or fully leveraging yourself to make [the loan] happen. And that’s if you’re able to actually get the attention of the bank to give you the loan. The alternative is you can do angel investing. But the problem with that is it’s nearly impossible to find these people … and when you find them, they usually will take equity or ownership in your business.” For Davis, that is a win-win for local neighborhoods.

“We’re trying to create a new asset class. By investing in the local economy, local businesses and neighborhoods you care about, you actually can get a return every month,” he said.

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Atlanta Intown has partnered with Hypepotamus, the go-to source of startup and technology news in the Southeast. hypepotamus.com

Michael Davis

PushPush Arts brings workspace, affordable housing to College Park

Motley Broom,” said Malloy. “It’s an extraordinary group effort.”

Habeger explained that as they developed the program they considered models of organizational structure from other industries such as the software industry. They were interested in encouraging, fostering, and then retaining talent.

“We don’t want to keep losing artists to cities where they can sustain themselves better,” said Malloy. “We want to invest in IP and in content by artists here in Atlanta. We want to keep them here, produce their work here, and allow artists to have upward mobility through opportunities for homeownership and opportunities to create. Not just to survive but to thrive.“

When using terms like open-sourced, Habeger clarified that the concept essentially allows access for the public to get involved at every level. From a project’s genesis to its completion, PushPush Arts invites creatives and innovators to participate as volunteers, interns, apprentices, collaborators, professional partners, or sponsors. “There is always an access point,” said Habeger.

Get Involved

By Isadora Pennington

PushPush Arts, an innovative arts incubator that has been promoting and supporting the arts in Atlanta for 25 years, is nearing completion of an exciting new development in downtown College Park.

ION College Park is an adaptive reuse arts campus offering support and structure to artists in the form of affordable housing, art studios, galleries, stages, and community art spaces.

PushPush Arts was founded in 1997 by artists Tim Habeger and Shelby Hofer. Originally named PushPush Theater, the husband and wife pair has fostered and supported thousands of artists, projects, and films over the years.

PushPush Arts was first housed in the FloatAway Building in Morningside before expanding into a larger location in Decatur. Today, they are preparing to launch their biggest venture yet: a nearly 23,000-squarefoot property in College Park.

Defining Moments

Throughout PushPush Arts’ long history, there have been plenty of defining moments. In a 2010 survey, 80% of their artists were able to bike or walk to the facility. When they asked again in 2019 that number had dropped to 10%. This set off alarm bells for Habeger and Hofer.

“All of our artists were moving out because of the affordability problem,” said Habeger. As a result, the artists had diminished access to their facility and

programming.

For the team at PushPush Arts, access is paramount. It’s central to everything they do and what they stand for. After realizing that they were not able to serve their artists as well in their location, they started looking for a better space that would be more central to their artistic base.

Cherie Ong from Good Places, one of PushPush Art’s community partners, suggested that they consider creating an adaptive reuse art space on the grounds of the 125-year-old College Park First United Methodist Church. The property was too large for the church’s current needs and instead of selling, they opted to partner with PushPush Arts in the imagining of a new comprehensive arts campus on the site.

Comprised of four buildings on a campus that is accessible to MARTA, ION College Park is also conveniently located just minutes from the airport. The property is within walking distance of downtown College Park as well as the upcoming mixeduse 6 West development.

“We created this plan to build a welcoming center for the arts in College Park,” said Habeger. “That’s where a lot of our artists were coming from anyway, and the southwest corner of Atlanta was woefully underserved for the fine arts. So that’s where we started four years ago.”

Residents renting or owning property in the arts complex will have free and low-cost access to workshops, events, performances, live music, art exhibits, and comedy shows, just to name a few. Both residents and those

who live in the surrounding neighborhoods will be able to come together to develop a lasting sense of community centered around art.

“A resident on our campus is not only a participant in creating this cultural scene but they are also homeowners, or living and working affordably, in a way that doesn’t push people out but instead invites people in,” explained Kaleigh Malloy, Development and Marketing Manager for PushPush Arts.

Time To Move

As renovation and construction efforts near their completion, the team at PushPush Arts will begin moving to the property at 1805 Harvard Ave. in late summer or early fall. The opening of the cafe, art gallery, performance space, and six artist studios will soon follow. Meanwhile, the affordable housing building, which will supply 60 oneand two-bedroom apartments, gallery space, a workroom, and a community center, is set to have a soft opening sometime before the holiday season.

Ultimately our mission has always been to amplify artists through their work with inclusion and programmatic operations,” explained Malloy. “Our vision has been to create a hub for artists where they can sustain themselves creatively and financially. This project is the actualization of that.”

Despite the fact that College Park is home to a significant artist population, there has never been an arts center in the city limits. “We have seen an outpouring of support from the community and Mayor

PushPush Arts makes big things happen by working with key players from their extensive network of community partners both locally and abroad. Some notable collaborators for ION College Park include Good Places, an organization that focuses on neighborhood revitalization in communitycentered real estate development.

Tapestry Development, a qualified low-income housing tax credit developer, is dedicated to the preservation of lowincome housing in Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina. The KNDGM Group is a majority Black-owned developer focused on breaking cycles of poverty in the face of gentrification. The design and development firm eightvillage focuses on place-based ecologies that are sustainable and empathetic in nature. The College Park First United Methodist Church is the first-ever church in College Park, and they will remain a key partner in the ION College Park project.

“We believe that there are things we can do to create great content here,” he continued. “The South has got something to say. Atlanta can sit at the table with any city in the world to talk about race, equity, a troubled past… everything that any major city deals with. Atlanta really has a lot to offer, and for the arts, we believe we can accelerate that and help to give them a firstclass cultural city to live and work in.”

If you’d like to get involved with ION College Park, follow along with progress at pushpusharts.com. Studio spaces will soon be available to rent and interested parties can email info@pushpusharts.com for more details.

A rendering of PushPush Arts new space in College Park.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Georgia Author of the Year Awards honors local writers

By Collin Kelley

The Georgia Writers Association (GWA) announced the winners of the 2023 Georgia Author of the Year Awards (GAYA) during a virtual ceremony on June 17.

This year’s awards honored authors in 15 categories, ranging from fiction and poetry to memoir/biography and children’s literature, with a record-breaking 148 nominees.

The 59th annual GAYA also awarded its Posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award to Valerie Boyd, biographer of Zora Neale Hurston, who also won for Specialty Book Award as editor of “Bigger Than Bravery: Black Resilience and Reclamation in a Time of Pandemic.”

Of particular note were two self-published winners: Monica Lee Weatherly, Professor of English at Georgia State University, for her poetry chapbook It “Felt Mississippi,” and Susan Carlisle for her romance novel “Racing to You.”

“We’re thrilled to bring together such a strong group of established and upcoming Georgia authors in our lineup of winners and finalists,” says Garrard Conley, Executive Director of GWA. “Personally, I’m also very pleased to see two well-deserving self-

published authors among the winners. We believe that this important award should be open to any and all Georgia writers who produce great work, regardless of publication status. We can’t wait to see what next year will bring.

ben franklin academy

2023 Winners & Finalists

POSTHUMOUS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Valerie Boyd

MEMOIR/BIOGRAPHY

Winner: “Odyssey: Young Charles Darwin, The Beagle, and the Voyage that Changed the World” by Tom Chaffin

Finalist: “Bodies Out of Place: Theorizing Anti-Blackness in U.S. Society” by Barbara Harris Combs

CHILDREN’S BOOK

Winner: “Penny, The Engineering Tail of the Fourth Little Pig,” Kimberly Derting and Shelli R. Johannes, Illustrated by Hannah Marks

Finalist: “Nigel and the Moon” by Antwan Eady, Illustrated by Gracey Zhang

COOKBOOK

Winner: “Eat Plants, B*tch” by Pinky Cole

Finalist: “Our Fermented Lives: A History of How Fermented Foods Have Shaped Cultures & Communities” by Julia Skinner

DETECTIVE/MYSTERY

Winner: “Anywhere You Run: A Novel” by Wanda M. Morris

For more information about our school, please visit www.benfranklinacademy.org. Congratulations to the Class of 2021! Congratulations to the Class of 2023

For more information about our school, please visit www.benfranklinacademy.org

Finalist: “Such a Pretty Smile: A Novel” by Kristi DeMeester

ESSAY

Winner: “Sifting Artifacts: Essays” by Kathy A. Bradley

Finalist: “A Month of Sundays: The New Mexico Columns” by Harry Musselwhite

FIRST NOVEL

Winner: “The Cicada Tree” by Robert

Gwaltney

Finalist: “Mama Tried” by Kathy Des Jardins

HISTORY

Winner: “Against All Odds: A True Story of Ultimate Courage and Survival in World War II” by Alex Kershaw

Finalist: “A Road Running Southward: Following John Muir’s Journey through an Endangered Land” by Dan Chapman

INSPIRATIONAL

Winner: “The Self Delusion: The New Neuroscience of How We Invent—and Reinvent—Our Identities” by Gregory Berns

Finalist: “You’re Only Human: How Your Limits Reflect God’s Design and Why That’s Good News” by Kelly M. Kapic

LITERARY FICTION

Winner: “Sister Mother Warrior” by Vanessa Riley

Finalist: “The Hollow Kind” by Andy Davidson

POETRY CHAPBOOK

Winner: “It Felt Like Mississippi” by Monica Lee Weatherly

Finalist: “Poem at the Edge of the World” by Julia Caroline Knowlton

POETRY FULL-LENGTH BOOK

Winner: “Call it in the Air” by Ed Pavlić

Finalist: “Palabras que respiran / Words that Breathe” by Cecilia Lee

ROMANCE

Winner: “Stealing Ares” by Kim Conrey

Finalist: “Racing to You” by Susan May Carlisle

YOUNG ADULT

Winner: “Does My Body Offend You?” by Mayra Cuevas and Marie Marquardt

Finalist: “Omar Rising” by Aisha Saeed

SHORT STORY COLLECTION

Winner: “Tower: Stories” by Andy Plattner

Finalist: “Haints on Black Mountain: A Haunted Short Story Collection” by Ann Hite

SPECIALTY BOOK

Winner: “Bigger Than Bravery: Black Resilience and Reclamation in a Time of Pandemic” by Valerie Boyd (editor)

Finalist: “Frankie Welch’s Americana: Fashion, Scarves, and Politics” by Ashley Callahan

Valerie Boyd

StoryCorps celebrates 20 years of recording American tales

In Loving Memory

George T. Heery,

Jr.

By Joe Earle

Outsiders may regularly describe StoryCorps as a giant oral history project capturing snapshots of American life in the 21st Century, but Daniel Horowitz Garcia doesn’t. He says what StoryCorps does is right there in its name. It collects stories.

“At its best,” said Horowitz, who heads the nonprofit’s Atlanta office, “StoryCorps is two people who know each other having a conversation about something that’s important to them.”

Horowitz believes that studying history requires something more than just recording memories. It’s something a historian does; it’s active, not passive. StoryCorps’ storytellers describe events as they recall them, not as a historian records them or interprets them. Doing history requires comparing memories to recorded facts. Sometimes what people forget can be as interesting as what they remember about an event, he said. At StoryCorps, “we talk to people with direct knowledge of the past,” he said. “We don’t critically engage with the past.

Horowitz has thought this through. The amiable 53-year-old is a historian himself. He trained at Georgia State University in how to collect and analyze the facts of history, including the personal interviews used in oral history. For the past nine years, he’s worked at StoryCorps’ Atlanta branch, where he’s now regional manager.

StoryCorps is probably best known for brief conversations broadcast regularly on National Public Radio. The organization started 20 years ago in New York. It has spent the past couple of decades gathering, recording, and archiving people’s life stories. The nonprofit’s recordings are filed in the Library of Congress and the snippets played on NPR as just a small part of the organization’s library of recorded stories, which usually last 40 minutes apiece.

StoryCorps does talk to lots of people, or at least listens as they talk to one another. The organization says it has recorded conversations among more than 630,000 people. Participants, usually chatting in pairs, talk about their lives, memories, thoughts,

philosophies, relationships. The nonprofit has programs to actively pursue life stories from members of groups that sometimes have been overlooked by past historians. StoryCorps claims its online archive is “the largest single collection of human voices ever gathered.”

In 2009, StoryCorps came to Atlanta in a partnership with WABE radio that created one of three regional StoryBooths in the country. Then, 10 years ago, StoryCorps opened a permanent recording booth at the Atlanta History Center to capture stories from Southern states. It opened similar booths in cities from New York to Chicago to San Francisco and other cities, although most now have closed. StoryCorps reports its Atlanta-based operation has recorded more than 5,500 conversations.

“The StoryCorps partnership greatly benefits from this high-profile and easily accessible public site for the recording booth,” a spokesperson wrote in an email, “and being situated within a site that serves as a historic resource reflects StoryCorps’ own mission, too, and reflects the historical importance of the stories we record. The unique offerings and location of the complex have helped expand StoryCorps’ reach to visitors, many of whom may have never heard of StoryCorps.”

Horowitz says the organization’s recordings provide snapshots of personal history that historians can study, but also offer a way for families to pass their stories from generation to generation. “I see what we do as a historical service, but also as a family service,” he said.

Some of those moments might otherwise be lost, he said. In StoryCorps sessions, he’s heard World War II veterans talk about their time at war, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention employees recount their front-line response to deadly disease, and an Atlanta academic who studied prostitutes describe the spread of AIDS in the 1970s.

People’s stories are the stuff of history, and StoryCorps wants to help keep stories around for the future. “It’s a big deal for people that your story is part of the Library of Congress,” Horowitz said. “It becomes part of the official story of the United States of America.”

For more, visit storycorps.org

October 23, 1967 - June 25, 2023

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Daniel Horowitz Garcia, regional manager for StoryCorps, outside the nonprofit’s office at the Atlanta History Center.

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Summertime is here and it’s the perfect time for grilling. In the month of July, a backyard event wouldn’t be complete without a group of friends, good drinks, and plenty of food cooking over open flames. The usual pairing for this type of casual cuisine is a tall, cold one, but let us help elevate your next gathering by putting a stem on that glass!

While rosé and white wine are the most obvious backyard sippers, we’d like red wine to find a seat at the picnic table, too. Instead of sitting outside with a less than refreshing warm glass of Cabernet Sauvignon, try a chilled red that can still hold its own with outdoor fare.

Chilling doesn’t necessarily mean that your reds should come straight from the fridge. Somewhere between 55 and 60 degrees is ideal. Reds that taste great served at these temps are unoaked with lower tannin and higher acid like Cabernet Franc, or Sangiovese. Younger wines work well. We recommend our customers look for wine packaged in clear bottles. Wines

in these see-through containers are meant to be consumed young and are great for chilling.

You’ll probably see plenty of hamburgers or steaks at summer parties and thankfully, red meat and red wine are natural partners. Wines that are full-bodied and tannic are classically paired with beef, and they have the ability to stand up to fattier cuts. It is important to consider a red that will hold up to full flavor and fat while served at a lower temp.

As previously mentioned, Cabernet Franc is a great summertime red to pair with grilled meat. This classic varietal has ideal structure, balanced tannins, and hails from France, with especially great choices from the Loire Valley.

Also, you’ll find this grape in a US version that comes from a cooler growing region – like the Finger Lakes of New York. We love Cabernet Francs from Osmote’s Seneca Lake and Ravines Wine Cellars. Another great varietal to try this summer with red meat is American

Katie Rice & Sarah Pierre

summer cookout

wine pairing can be as exotic as your wiener toppings, but white wine seems to be the safest bet. A perfect choice would be something that breaks up the salt with some acid. La Marea ‘Kristy’s Vineyard’ Albarino from Monterey, CA is a favorite, or try some pink bubbles – Poe ‘Ultraviolet’ Sparkling Rosé would be very fitting!

Maybe the most truly American classic food is slow smoked barbeque. Although its origins are hotly debated, BBQ-ing is a summertime ritual involving many types of meats and incredible, bold flavors. Here in the melting pot of Atlanta, our residents embrace BBQ from all over the country. We’ve seen vinegary East Carolina BBQ, mustard based South Carolina style, spicy Texan, and even the sweetness of Kansas City BBQ all served at the same party. Each regional style is unique, with different sauces and proteins to consider for wine pairings, so let’s keep it simple.

It has been noted by wine professionals near and far that Rosé is the perfect barbeque pairing. Refreshing, quaffable, with acidity that will tame even the spiciest of sauces, look for a Rosé that has a deeper color. Division Wine Cellars ‘L’Avoiron’

Village Rosé of Gamay or House of Brown Rosé are two of our very favorites. If you want to stick with a red wine, Italian varietals would be magic. Look for the chillable Idlewild ‘Flora and Fauna’ from Mendocino, CA or Stolpman ‘Love You Bunches’ Carbonic Sangiovese from Central Coast CA. If white wine is your thing, then again, the more acidic, the better. Try Illahe Viognier from Willamette Valley, OR or DeSante ‘The Old Vine’ Field Blend from Napa Valley, CA.

Gamay which has recently become more mainstream and accessible. Hailing from Beaujolais, France, this grape as it’s grown in the U.S. retains its minerality and fruitiness, in turn, making it a perfect cheeseburger partner. Try Stolpman GTG Blend from Central Coast, CA or Anne Amie Gamay from Willamette Valley, OR..

While we are on the grill, how can we forget another bun-friendly food, the hotdog! No Fourth of July is complete without this American favorite. Your

Still have room on your grill? Let’s talk poultry and fish. Grilled chicken just hits different with the right amount of char, smoky flavor and seasoning, and deserves a wine like Day Wines ‘Dazzles of Light’ Blend from Willamette Valley or Elizabeth Spencer Sauvignon Blanc from Mendocino. Grilled seafood and fish are incredible at the beach or backyard cookout and are perfectly wine friendly. When grilling salmon, try a balanced Chardonnay like Presqu’ile Chardonnay from Santa Maria, CA. For our red fans try a Pinot Noir like Land of Saints from Central Coast, CA. For shrimp or white fish, a Pinot Gris from Oregone – Coeur du Terre makes a great one. Yet again, Rosé would match any of these proteins flawlessly!

This summer, as you head to that backyard soiree, arrive with some fireworks in the form of wines matched for what’s on the grill, ready to beat the Georgia heat.

Quick Bites

Wild Heaven Beer expects to open a third brewery and taproom location in early 2024 with a barbecue twist. The new Wild Heaven Beer location will be in the Toco Hills Shopping Center at 2943 N. Druid Hills Road, and will feature an onsite brewery, distillery, and be a part of Wild Heaven’s new farm winery program.

Award-winning Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q will operate in the kitchen. Jonathan Fox of Fox Bros said that the menu at the new location will feature old favorites and a few new additions.

▲Delbar, a Middle Eastern restaurant anchored in Inman Park, is opening a new location in Buckhead. The restaurant will take over the King + Duke space at the corner of Peachtree Road and West Paces Ferry Road, according to a press release. Opening this winter, the new location

joins the original Inman Park location and another new outpost in Alpharetta. “Our team is thrilled to finally bring Delbar to Buckhead,” said owner Fares Kargar in the release. “This beautiful new space will enable us to offer more outdoor dining, live entertainment, new menu items and unique private events.”

Matt Coggin has opened a second DBA Barbecue location in Buckhead near Chastain Park at 4441 Roswell Road NE. Coggin, who opened the first DBA Barbecue in Virginia-Highland in 2009, announced the new location earlier this year. “We’re thrilled our second location is officially opened on the heels of the 14th anniversary of our original location,” Coggin said. “We look forward to getting to know the surrounding communities, neighbors, and making new friends as we welcome loyal patrons to our newest offering.”

◄Tickets are on sale for the 12th annual Atlanta Food & Wine Festival set for Sept. 20-24 at Historic Fourth Ward Park. This year’s food and wine festival will feature everything from curated dining experiences to seminars with appearances from chefs, mixologists, farmers, and more. The theme of this year’s festival is “All roads lead to Atlanta,” celebrating Southernstyle cuisine from across the region. A percentage of proceeds will go toward the nonprofit Children of Conservation, which works to protect endangered species. at a school in Zambia. Get tickets at atlfoodandwinefestival.com.

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ATLANTA’S ESSENTIAL MORNING NEWSLETTER

By Collin Kelley

The historic 200 Peachtree building in Downtown is getting two major tenants: SKOL Brewing Company and Valhalla Social.

According to the building’s owners, 200 Peachtree Group, the new ventures “address a need in the Downtown area for the convention and tourism market, especially ahead of the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship and the 2026 FIFA World Cup.”

SKOL Brewing Company is a craft brewery that is expected to open this fall or winter with eight crafted beers and a Nordic-inspired menu curated by Chef Rich Rosendale. The 5,000-square-foot space will have approximately 90 seats, with a maximum capacity of 250 people for private events.

Valhalla Social is a “drinkery, eatery, and entertainment hall” that will feature axe throwing, pool tables, shuffleboard, basketball, skeeball, foosball, ping pong, darts and more. This “eatertainment” concept is expected to open in the next spring or summer in 15,000 square feet and seating for 300 people.

Located just above the brewery space, Valhalla Social will also serve SKOL craft beers, and the two spaces can join together to provide capacity for 750 people.

The menu includes items like the Juicy Lucy Burger, Viking Club Sandwich,

Smoked Brisket Poutine, Cheese Curds, Valhalla Wings and Mead-Infused Cheesecake.

CNNA Architects, an Atlanta-based firm, will oversee both projects.

“The Downtown Atlanta area is being

reimagined. The area is booming with new investments as Atlanta prepares to be put in the biggest spotlight since the 1996 Olympics,” said Drew Tull, President and Managing Partner of 200 Peachtree Group. “We are proud to be a part of the solution in transforming the area and making it better than ever before.”

Longtime Atlantans will remember that the 200 Peachtree building, located next door to the Westin Peachtree Plaza, is the former home of Davison’s and Macy’s department stores.

Chef Rich Rosendale

‘Sauce Maven’ Natalie Keng releases debut cookbook

By Sammie Purcell

Natalie Keng is celebrating the release of her new cookbook.

Keng, a Smyrna resident and formerly of the food company Chinese Southern Belle, now goes by the name “Sauce Maven” and owns the company Global Hearth. She released her new cookbook, “Egg Rolls & Sweet Tea,” in June. The book combines Asian-American and Southern fusion dishes, sauces, and drinks, and also features stories from Keng’s childhood growing up in the deep south.

“When we learn to love the food, we are more open to the people,” Keng said in an emailed statement. “The dishes in this collection are my version of authentic, even if they don’t fit perfectly into any

textbook genre. I present these cherished recipes in the hope that they will become part of your family’s supper-table favorites and evolve into the reader’s own version of authentic.”

Recipes in the book include fried chicken spring rolls with honey, rainbow black rice salad, okra and tomato stir-fry, black-eyed pea hummus, Georgia bourbon Coca-Cola meatloaf, and so much more.

“Egg Rolls & Sweet Tea” is available at Global Hearth, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, and through independent booksellers.

Proceeds from purchases made through Global Hearth (globalhearth. com) will support local food and health initiatives along with women authors and entrepreneurs.

Natalie Keng

BeltLine purchases more Westside land for affordable housing

another step in the BeltLine’s creation of long-term affordable housing and commercial options around the corridor. To date, the BeltLine has invested $43 million in more than 72 acres across six sites.

With housing affordability in the Atlanta area at the lowest rate in over a decade, projects like these are aimed at making homeownership more realistic for Atlantans. Additionally, walkability has become a higher priority for homeowners, as Atlanta’s public transportation ranks poorly nationally and traffic riddles the city.

comprehensive plan for affordability.”

The property, once the site of an apartment complex that fell into disrepair, is also near the recently opened Westside Park.

By Madison Auchincloss

Atlanta BeltLine Inc. has purchased a 6.3-acre site at 350 Chappell Road, NW, in the city’s Grove Park and Historic Westin Heights neighborhoods.

In cooperation with Atlanta nonprofit City of Refuge, which serves communities

in need on the city’s Westside, this collaboration will lead to the development of affordable multifamily homes near the future Westside Trail – Segment 4 and near the BeltLine’s largest planned site in support of affordable housing, the 31+ acre site at 425 Chappell Road, NW.

The $4 million transaction reflects

“This is one more meaningful step in the Atlanta BeltLine’s goal to create affordable housing around the corridor, allowing people to have access to greenspace and walkable amenities, creating whole communities where ultimately we hope people can access jobs and services within walking distance of where they live, without the need for a car,” said Clyde Higgs, President and CEO of Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. “Through this collaboration with City of Refuge, we are making sure all Atlantans will have affordable living options as part of our

“Our mission is to ensure that people in one of Atlanta’s most historic and struggling neighborhoods, where nearly 40 percent of residents live below the Federal Poverty Level, are not left behind when it comes to equitable resources, like affordable housing. We seek to lead individuals and families on an uninterrupted journey to self-sufficiency. Our collaboration with Atlanta BeltLine puts the pieces in place to provide new housing options to people who need and deserve fair access to safe and affordable places to live,” said Bruce Deel, CEO of City of Refuge, Inc.

City of Refuge delivers critical resources, including food, job training and housing to underserved residents and plans to pursue affordable housing development on the site through the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, serving low-income residents. The program has become the state’s most successful affordable rental housing production program and serves households with incomes between 20 percent and 80 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI).

MARTA selects teams for streetcar extension to BeltLine

By Collin Kelley

The MARTA Board of Directors today selected a team led by architecture and engineering firm HDR to complete the final design for the Streetcar East Extension.

The extension of the streetcar from Downtown to the Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail then up to Ponce City Market will cost approximately $230 million and is funded through the More MARTA half-penny sales tax.

Construction on the extension will get underway in 2025 with service scheduled to begin in 2028, according to a press release from MARTA.

The MARTA board recently finalized the alignment for the two-mile extension, which runs along Edgewood Avenue, Randolph Street, Auburn Avenue, and Irwin Street to the Atlanta Beltline, then

turns north to Ponce City Market, with five stops along the route.

HDR has extensive experience with streetcar projects having provided engineering, architectural, environmental, and construction work on streetcar projects in over 30 cities in North America, according to a press release.

“MARTA is keenly focused on delivering the nine priority projects identified in the recent resequencing process by 2028,” said Carrie Rocha, Chief Capital Officer for MARTA.

“Moving into final design is a critical milestone for this project.”

“We’re excited to continue

The property at 350 Chappell Road will be transformed into affordable housing. (Courtesy Google Maps)

to partner with MARTA and the City of Atlanta on this priority project to fulfill the promise of high-quality transit on the Atlanta BeltLine and bring more accessibility to all,” said Clyde Higgs, President and CEO of Atlanta BeltLine, Inc.

“We look forward to additional community conversations around the Streetcar design as it progresses toward final design.”

Trillist updates plan for 42-story Midtown tower

By Collin Kelley

The Midtown Development Review Committee (DRC) reviewed updated plans for a new 42-story mixed-use tower on Peachtree Street at its June meeting.

Trillist’s development would front 1138 Peachtree as well as part of 13th Street at Crescent Avenue. The project includes 301 residential units, 121,000 square feet of office space, and a total of 7,300 square feet of double-height retail spaces including a combined retail and lobby space fronting Peachtree.

The south side of the site is proposed to have a pedestrian walkway, which would connect Peachtree to Crescent with a bridge to the building’s bike and mail room.

Parking would be accessed both on Peachtree and Crescent at different levels. Both driveways lead to a screened eight-story parking podium with 571 spaces.

The DRC made numerous recommendations including modifying the parking podium to be compatible with the building’s architecture in style, texture, quality, and materials; separating the cost of parking from the cost of rent to potentially reduce the size and scale of the 8-story parking deck; and working with Atlanta DOT and Midtown Transportation team to coordinate the future traffic signal at Peachtree and 13th.

The board asked Trillist to make a follow-up presentation at a future DRC meeting.

To learn more about the extension visit streetcar-east.scoutfeedback.com.