MARTA’s interim leader Jonathan Hunt will be the next permanent CEO. On Aug. 13, the MARTA board of directors announced Hunt would permanently take on the transit agency’s top job after a lengthy search. The finalists were announced four days ago; he beat out Cleveland Ferguson III from the Jacksonville Transportation Authority and Leroy Jones from […]
Author Archives: Delaney Tarr
Posted inDelaney Tarr
New population data shows Metro Atlanta growth is slowing down
The Atlanta Regional Commission released its annual population report on Aug. 12, and for the first time in years the 11-county region’s growth has slowed. This year, the region added 53,690 residents between April 2025 and 2026. It brings the total population to just over 5.3 million people, up from last year’s 5.28 million. But […]
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Plaza, Tara Theatre owners expand management operation — to Ohio
Christopher Escobar is a name everyone in Atlanta’s film world knows. As co-owner of the Plaza Theatre and the Tara Theatre, he helped turn two historic cinemas into arthouse hubs for film fanatics and casual moviegoers alike. Now he’s got a new venture — theater management in Cleveland, Ohio. With a small group of Plaza […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Anonymous account uses art to fill holes and create a rallying cry: ‘Fix ATL’
Fix-ATL means two things. First, it’s a handle for an anonymous social media account covering sidewalk holes across the city. Second, it’s a call to action to fix the city of Atlanta. And it all began as an art project. Editor’s note: The person behind the Fix-ATL social media account wished to remain anonymous for […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
‘Fully affordable’ housing development breaks ground along Beltline in Buckhead
On Aug. 4 a crowd of developers and community leaders broke ground on the Overlook at Garson, a new affordable housing development in Buckhead — and it sits alongside a future piece of the Beltline. The Overlook at Garson will be a mixed-use community with 130 units of affordable one- and two-bedroom homes, each priced […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Decide DeKalb puts another $75 million to major housing bond program
Decide DeKalb Development Authority is set to administer another $75 million bond for its ambitious $155 million Housing Investment Bond Program, according to a July 31 announcement from the Board of Directors. Weeks earlier, the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners greenlit the Housing Investment Bond Program with an initial $25 million bond issuance. The resolution […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Century-old mansion on Peachtree Street seeks buyer with passion for preservation
One of the city’s only remaining unrenovated Victorian mansions on Peachtree is up for sale, and the owner is seeking a preservation-minded buyer with $2.58 million to spare. Nestled among condos and high-rise buildings sits the “Rufus M. Rose House,” a Victorian home built in 1901 for local physician Dr. Rufus M. Rose. The red-brick […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
A new karaoke bar is headed to Reynoldstown. Why are locals upset?
This year, Yan Karaoke is set to open in the Atlanta Dairies in Reynoldstown, complete with 15,000 square feet of space, multiple bars, a restaurant, VIP areas and plenty of singing suites. It’s an ambitious project for the growing entertainment options in the Dairies. It’s also a hot-button issue for neighborhood residents and vocal historic […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr, Latest News
SoDo scales down after phase one — with staff cuts
South Downtown’s first test was a runaway success. During the World Cup, thousands visited the newly revitalized neighborhood and its local bars and restaurants. SoDo leaders called it a perfect “opening party.” Now what? SoDo is officially scaling back. According to CEO Jon Birdsong the neighborhood is taking a yearlong pause — and letting go […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Breaking down the Beltline’s $265 million budget
The Beltline has approved its largest-ever budget, with $265.8 million funding the city’s emerald necklace as it speeds to a 2030 completion goal. Here’s a breakdown of the FY27 budget. Since 2023, the budget has steadily increased year over year – last year rang in at $242 million. It represents the Beltline’s final stretch, as […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr, Latest News
Atlanta breaks ground on Monroe Drive Safe Streets lane reduction
“The overall goal is yes, we do need to slow traffic down in this corridor.” As Atlanta District 6 City Councilmember Alex Wan says this at the Monroe Drive Safe Streets groundbreaking on July 22, a car flies by at top speed, rattling over uneven pavement and the city’s ever-present potholes. Speeding, congestion and crashes […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Invest Atlanta greenlights $18 million bond to Clark Atlanta University improvements
At a July 16 Invest Atlanta board meeting, the city’s economic development agency approved an $18 million tax-exempt revenue bond to pay for construction of improvements and new amenities to the Clark Atlanta University campus. It will pay for a new dining facility, new North Campus gateway and the demolition of two vacant, outdated dorms. […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Atlanta marks 30 years since Olympics with documentary screening on the Games’ legacy
On July 18, 1996, the Olympic torch touched down at Atlanta City Hall. On Saturday, a group of Olympic aficionados will celebrate 30 years since the 1996 Atlanta Olympics at the Tara Theater. The theater will host a screening of the award-winning local documentary “The Games in Black & White,” which tells the story of […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
SoDo is in full swing, but will it last?
It’s 10 a.m. on July 1 and Bottle Rocket Fine Food and Beverage is packed with rowdy soccer fans. They got an early start to the FIFA World Cup festivities. In the afternoon, England and DR Congo are set to face off at Mercedes-Benz Stadium down the street. The impending game has created an infectious […]
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ArtsBridge Foundation receives operating grant from Georgia Council for the Arts
The arts education nonprofit arm of the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre is one of dozens of nonprofits to receive grant funding from the Georgia Council for the Arts — a $10,000 “General Operating Support Grant.” The money is unrestricted funding for organizations with annual expenses over $100,000. In total, the Georgia Council for the […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Atlanta History Center opens ‘More Perfect Union: The American Civil War Era,’ its most ambitious exhibit so far
On July 10, the Atlanta History Center will open its most ambitious exhibit yet: “More Perfect Union: The American Civil War Era.” With hundreds of artifacts and roughly 9,000 square feet of space, the exhibit takes on the herculean task of telling the long tale of the Civil War. And it begins with a bang […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Bezos Earth Fund gives $9.4 million to Park Pride for Four Corners Park redesign in Peoplestown
Peoplestown resident and unofficial mayor Columbus Ward remembers playing softball in a vacant lot as a kid. He also remembers when it became an official park, and the effort he joined in to keep the park from being demolished. For years, Ward and his community have pushed to give Four Corners Park more resources. Now […]
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Martin Luther King Jr. Birth Home to reopen on July 4
You can quite literally hear the history inside Martin Luther King Jr.’s childhood home. The National Parks System pushes it through — the sound of silverware clinking in the dining room, soft music in the parlor and sibling arguments over a game of Monopoly. It’s an immersive approach to the early years of the Atlanta-raised […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr, Latest News
Atlanta honors civil rights hero with local street rename
Civil rights activist John T. Johnson has never had fame like his peers. No schools named after him or special events, and certainly no street signs bearing his name. Until now. On a quiet street across from Johnson’s home, on June 27, the city of Atlanta unveiled a new street sign in West Atlanta named […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation gives $165,000 to 18 sites
The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation announced grant funding for 18 historic sites across the state, including $125,000 from the 1772 Foundation Grants for Georgia. Since 2023, the 1772 Foundation has partnered with the Georgia Trust to match historic grants. This year it gave funds to 14 Georgia organizations to help maintain their historic sites. […]
