Category: Buckhead Reporter

Falcons CEO aims for better Super Bowl, stadium legacies

by John Ruch | Jan 16, 2019 | Arts & Entertainment, Brookhaven Reporter, Buckhead Reporter, Dunwoody Reporter, Sandy Springs Reporter, Slideshow, Top Stories | 0

The Feb. 3 Super Bowl and the Mercedes-Benz Stadium built in part to host it are intended leave better legacies than earlier games and venues, Atlanta Falcons president and CEO Rich McKay told the Buckhead Business Association at its annual luncheon. “Stadiums are not the difference-maker,” but larger conversations created by their development can be for such communities as Vine City and English Avenue, McKay said in his keynote speech at the Jan. 15 event at the Westin Buckhead Atlanta hotel. In light remarks, McKay also joked about some of the foibles of the stadium and Super Bowl hosting,...

State senators representing Buckhead, Sandy Springs picked to chair committees

by Evelyn Andrews | Jan 16, 2019 | Buckhead Reporter, Politics, Sandy Springs Reporter | 0

Three state Senators that represent Sandy Springs and Buckhead were picked to chair committees on Jan. 15. The chair positions are selected by Senate leadership and hear legislation that falls under their committees. Sen. John Albers, a Republican who represents parts of Sandy Springs, remains the chair of the public safety committee. In his role as the chair last session, Albers formed and led a school safety study committee that investigated ways to further secure schools. Sen. Jen Jordan, a Democrat who represents parts of Buckhead and Sandy Springs, will chair the special judiciary committee. This committee assists the...

State rules on wireless antennas would strip local control, say city officials

by Dyana Bagby | Jan 16, 2019 | Brookhaven Reporter, Buckhead Reporter, Dunwoody Reporter, Politics, Sandy Springs Reporter, Top Stories | 0

The General Assembly is expected to take up a bill this session that would reduce local regulations on placing small-scale wireless antennas, commonly called “small cells,” on existing or new poles in the public right of way. Supporters of such a bill say it would ensure high-speed internet access to rural Georgia. Such a statewide bill is supported by the small-cell industry, but some local officials say such legislation would strip cities of local control and clutter the cities’ right of way with ugly poles and boxes, while financially benefiting the wireless industry giants. “We don’t need Georgia to...

South City Kitchen named Buckhead business of the year

by John Ruch | Jan 15, 2019 | Buckhead Reporter, Food & Drink, Perimeter Business, Top Stories | 0

The South City Kitchen restaurant’s local spot was named the Buckhead Business of the Year for 2018 at the Jan. 15 annual luncheon of the Buckhead Business Association. Operated by Fifth Group Restaurants, South City Kitchen opened in 2016 in the tower at 3350 Peachtree Road next to the Buckhead MARTA Station. It has sister locations in Midtown, Smyrna and Alpharetta. Steve Simon of Fifth Group and Michael Robertson of the restaurant accepted the award, which recognizes newer businesses that are growing and known for charitable contributions to the neighborhood. Other Business of the Year nominees included: Cheesecaked; the...

Atlanta launches new building permit tool

by Evelyn Andrews | Jan 15, 2019 | Buckhead Reporter | 0

The city of Atlanta has launched a new building permit tool aimed at simplifying development. The online service, called the ATL Permit Navigator, will help guide developers and business owners through complex projects such as renovations and new business development, a press release announced. The service allows developers to navigate through zoning and building regulations, pay fees and obtain licenses, the release said. “This tool is part of our continuous efforts to improve the citizen permitting experience,” said Tim Keane, the planning commissioner, in the release. “Bringing this information online and available at any time of day empowers users to feel...

Buckhead attorney sues Catholic archdiocese for alleged sexual abuse, claims cover-up

by John Ruch | Jan 15, 2019 | Buckhead Reporter, Faith, Public Safety, Top Stories | 0

A Buckhead attorney is suing Atlanta’s Roman Catholic archdiocese on behalf of an anonymous client allegedly sexually assaulted by a priest in the 1970s, in a case that claims church officials are continuing to cover up abuse cases. The archdiocese recently released a list of clergy members it says were credibly accused of abuse — including the late Rev. John Douglas Edwards, who is the alleged abuser in the lawsuit. Attorney Darren Penn — who attends Buckhead’s Cathedral of Christ the King, the archdiocese’s mother church — says a goal of the lawsuit is to get a fuller picture...

Local legislator lends personal experience to ‘fake service animals’ study

by Evelyn Andrews | Jan 15, 2019 | Brookhaven Reporter, Buckhead Reporter, Dunwoody Reporter, Politics, Sandy Springs Reporter, Top Stories | 0

State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick brought her experience volunteering with her pet dog Dobie to the table to make recommendations on how to curb the use of “fake service animals.” “That’s why I am on the committee,” said the senator, who represents part of Sandy Springs. “I am an animal person.” The Senate study committee was addressing concerns about people passing off their regular pets as trained service or emotional support animals to gain access to public spaces that typically ban them, particularly restaurants and airlines, Kirkpatrick said. The issue often happens with pet dogs, sometimes causing safety issues or...

Atlanta to propose short-term rental rules after Super Bowl boom

by John Ruch | Jan 14, 2019 | Buckhead Reporter, Perimeter Business, Politics, Real Estate, Top Stories | 0

The city of Atlanta is preparing a new system of registering and licensing short-term home rentals, but is waiting until after the Super Bowl tourist boom to present it, says City Councilmember Howard Shook. “Everybody’s very sensitive right now about doing anything that might crimp someone’s Super Bowl experience,” said Shook, who represents Buckhead’s District 7. Shook has been working with city staff on short-term rental regulations. So has Councilmember J.P. Matzigkeit of Buckhead’s District 8, who says he will seek a “bigger stick” in the form of higher fines. Short-term rentals through such services as Airbnb have drawn...

Robin’s Nest: I am not a cook

by Robin Conte | Jan 14, 2019 | Brookhaven Reporter, Buckhead Reporter, Commentary, Dunwoody Reporter, Food & Drink, Sandy Springs Reporter | 0

A friend had — as women do — made dinner for our family when we were in a time of need, and her chicken cacciatore was so darn delicious that I asked her for the recipe. She graciously complied. I started reading it enthusiastically but stopped as soon as I saw “pound the chicken breasts.” There are lines in the kitchen that I will not cross, and pounding chicken breasts is one of them. Websites and cooking shows try to entice me into crossing my culinary line by presenting dishes that use just five ingredients, but I am not...

Holy Spirit’s traffic plan is coming soon; college aims to grow

by John Ruch | Jan 13, 2019 | Buckhead Reporter, Education, Faith, Real Estate, Sandy Springs Reporter, Top Stories | 0

A traffic mitigation plan for Holy Spirit Church and Preparatory School’s proposed Buckhead campus expansion into Sandy Springs was expected the week of Jan. 14 in a key attempt to sway neighbors who say the project would violate a 15-year-old zoning agreement. Meanwhile, there may be another wrinkle to the traffic talk. Holy Spirit College, another affiliate institution on the campus at Northside Drive and Mount Paran Road, reportedly has growth plans of its own and is enrolling a new class of 10 to 20 students this fall. Holy Spirit officials and residents with the Northside/Chastain/Mt. Paran Neighborhood Preservation Association...

Doraville ordinance intends to inspire local cities to protect LGBTQ people

by Dyana Bagby | Jan 13, 2019 | Brookhaven Reporter, Buckhead Reporter, Dunwoody Reporter, Politics, Sandy Springs Reporter, Top Stories | 0

The city of Doraville recently approved an ordinance that prohibits local businesses from discriminating against various minority groups, such as African Americans and people with disabilities. But the new law also bans discrimination against people based on their sexual orientation and gender identity in a move that bucks “religious freedom” bills that have been debated at the General Assembly for the past several years. In November, Doraville became only the second city in Georgia to put such a law on its books to protect LGBTQ people from discrimination. The city of Atlanta passed the first such ordinance in 2001....

New giant projects join Buckhead-area senior housing boom

by John Ruch | Jan 12, 2019 | Buckhead Reporter, Perimeter Business, Real Estate, Top Stories | 0

Two more major projects aim to join a senior housing boom in the area, one on Howell Mill Road and another in Brookhaven’s Lenox Park. Meanwhile, a massive expansion of an existing senior community, Canterbury Court, is headed for the city’s Zoning Review Board with an approval from NPU-B after a hastily arranged compromise with neighbors concerned about traffic, water runoff and new towers looming over back yards. They join such projects as the Peachtree Hills Place luxury senior housing along Peachtree Hills Avenue and an upcoming expansion of the Lenbrook senior community on Peachtree Road. Village Park Senior...

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