SEPT. 28 - OCT. 11, 2018 • VOL. 12 — NO. 20
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► Lenox Square parking spaces become parks PAGE 2 ► As 285/400 interchange expands, air pollution is a concern PAGE 6
Pickin’ tunes on the porch
Darlington tenants protest mass displacement BY EVELYN ANDREWS evelyn@reporternewspapers.net
PHIL MOSIER
The band Flat Pickin’ – featuring members, from left, Kirby Black, Ryan McDonald, Leslie Crum and Page Garwood – perform at the Fall Folklife Festival at the Atlanta History Center on Sept. 22. The annual festival included an arts market and many other activities.
Battle against Tesla CEO is latest high-profile case for local lawyer Page 4
We have a moral obligation to be faithful stewards of Buford Highway’s heritage, while ensuring its sustainable growth for generations to come. JOE GEBBIA BROOKHAVEN CITY COUNCILMEMBER
See COMMENTARY, page 10
OUT & ABOUT Welcome fall with Apple Cider Days Page 16
Tenants at the Darlington apartments are rallying against a mass move-out that would displace them from the historic Buckhead complex for a renovation. The conditions at the complex have quickly deteriorated since receiving the notice to vacate, residents said. In August, renters at the Darlington, one of the few lower-cost apartment complexes in Buckhead, received notice they had to vacate their units by Oct. 17. Varden Capital Properties, the developer that purchased the building about a year ago, plans to renovate the complex, but has released few details and did not respond to requests for comment. Participants at the Sept. 17 rally spoke about conditions at the apartment while holding signs that said “people before profit” and “housing is human right.” They later walked to the sidewalk at Peachtree Road See DARLINGTON on page 15
TSPLOST money may be lower than expected, officials fear BY EVELYN ANDREWS evelyn@reporternewspapers.net
Atlanta’s special transportation tax may be producing less money than expected and is under review by the city Auditor’s Office, according to City Councilmember Howard Shook and the Buckhead Community Improvement District, who are raising the alarm that some projects could lose funding. The Buckhead CID is concerned some planned projects expected to be funded See TSPLOST on page 22