Video Friday - Roy Orbison - You Got It

Former Bank to Bring New Tenants to Northlake

 From: http://www.tonetoatl.com/2016/08/developer-cashes-in-on-former-bank-to.html
Southeastern Retail Development plans to bring two restaurants and a dental office to LaVista Road near Northlake Mall.  The project, which has been in the works since last year, is finally moving forward.  Current plans call for the new businesses to open late next spring.

The two story, nearly 8,000 square foot former First Union/Wachovia/Wells Fargo bank branch at 4070 LaVista Road will soon be demolished and replaced with two buildings.  Wells Fargo closed the branch last summer and directed customers to their other location, which is literally across the street. (Although a SLUP request from last year indicated the building would be retrofitted, it will in fact be demolished.)

A freestanding, 2,200 square foot building, closest to Northlake Mall, will house a new Starbucks Coffee shop and drive-thru.  The new location will reportedly serve as a replacement of the existing Starbucks sans drive-thru in nearby Northlake Festival.  (The current Starbucks occupies a portion of a former The Sport Shoe.)
 A separate building, which will be constructed beside the Starbucks, will house an approximately 2,100 square foot Willy's Mexicana Grill and a roughly 3,500 square foot Aspen Dental office. 

Willy's joins existing Mexican quick serve restaurants (QSRs) Chipotle Mexican Grill and Moe's Southwest Grill in the Northlake market. 
more  

photo: google maps

Cousins Properties Close on Decatur's Callaway Building Site

From: from ajc.com
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local/decatur-cousins-properties-close-on-callaway-build/nsM3q/
Cousins Properties closed with the Decatur Urban Redevelopment Authority on the five-acre Callaway Building site in downtown Decatur late Friday afternoon. Assistant City Manager Lyn Menne wasn’t certain of the final costs, though Cousins will reimburse the city the $5.12 million it paid DeKalb County for the building two years ago.

Cousins will also reimburse the city for attorney fees and for interest on the bond Decatur issued to pay for the Callaway property.

Cousins’ planned a mixed-use project for the site including 329 apartments and a 40,000-square-foot, four-story structure, with a ground floor for retail and the upper three stories for office only. (Decatur hasn’t had a new downtown office building since 1991).
The closing came on the same day the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that five developers, including Cousins, received letters from DeKalb County saying the county sewer system lacks adequate capacity for their projects.

The letter was issued months after DeKalb initially reviewed the project and told Cousins that there was capacity, Menne said. As it stands, the developer now has to pay for both sewer upgrades and a tap fee of approximately $1,700 per unit to connect to DeKalb County Sewer.
more 

photo: Google maps

Volunteer for the Decatur Book Festival

From thedecaturminute.com

Volunteer for the Decatur Book Festival Next Weekend

 by Catherine
Do you know one of the things that makes Decatur so great? Its community of residents that come out every year – many times per year – to be a part of its festivals. Seriously, Decatur would not be Decatur without without thousands of folks donating their time to help out at events.

If you’ve never volunteered for a festival or if it’s been a while, you can sign up online here: Volunteer Decatur! Become a true Decaturite and help out at the Decatur Book Festival next weekend. In fact, invite your neighbors and friends to join you and make a weekend of it! If you’re a return volunteer (we love you, btw), you can log into your volunteer account here.

The Decatur Book Festival is the city’s largest event and it takes a huge crew of awesome volunteers to make it happen. We’d love to have you as part of the Volunteer Decatur Team!

Video Friday - Louis Armstrong - We Have All The Time in The World

Beltline Project Near Krog Street Tunnel Raises Concerns

Current proposal for Beltline project near Krog Street Tunnel raises concerns


From: http://atlanta.curbed.com/2016/8/24/12622426/project-near-krog-street-tunnel-concerns
 Beltline founder: The development is "not designed with transit in mind"
By Frank Reddy Aug 24, 2016

Recently presented plans for a development near the Atlanta Beltline and Krog Street Tunnel have made some Beltline advocates and community members wary.

Notably, that group includes Beltline visionary Ryan Gravel, according to a recent post on local advocacy site ThreadATL.

Atlanta BeltLine Inc. and developers North American Properties presented the proposal at 670-690 DeKalb Avenue last week to members of the Inman Park Neighborhood Association, which according to ThreadATL seemed to have acceptable building materials, street-level activity, density, and brag-worthy 20-percent affordable housing.

Gravel reportedly told the group of residents and company representatives that, as presented, buildings on the current site plan "are beautiful, but they’re not designed with transit in mind." In fact, some worry the project could effective block a transit line.

Gravel said the proposed site plans for the project did not allow enough space for rail to run through alongside a trail, and a possible 1,000-foot tunnel with an S-curve in it (to be used in lieu of the Krog Tunnel) would only have enough room for transit, reports ThreadATL. This, in theory, could mean walkers and bikers would be S.O.L. Also, the added cost of building such a long tunnel — when a much shorter one had apparently originally been proposed — could be an impediment to making transit a reality in the first place, some argue.
read more

Halt and Catch Fire Season 3 Tonight @ 9:00 on AMC

AMC
from: https://www.yahoo.com/tv/halt-catch-fire-keeps-blazing-140500334.html

Halt and Catch Fire did something kind of incredible in its second season. After starting out as a run-of-the-mill, prestige-y period drama about a mysterious and difficult guy being mysterious and difficult (basically a B-, 1980s version of Mad Men), it hung a hard left between seasons and turned itself into a riveting series focused primarily on two women running an online video game company in the very early days of both online and video games. That… that was really something. Abrupt changes are easy. (“Quick, everybody do something else!”) Successful abrupt changes are much harder. (“Quick, everybody do something else… better!”) As the show makes its way into season three, it has another round of small changes up its sleeve, and with these changes in place, it solidifies its place in the upper echelon of TV dramas.

Video Friday - John Barry - Out of Africa Theme

A relaxing song to just lounge around a pool on a float with a cold drink.

New townhome community planned near Decatur.

 Photo credit google maps
New townhome community planned near Decatur.
From: http://www.tonetoatl.com/2016/08/townhomes-planned-for-vacant.html#more

Arrowhead Investors, LLC plans to construct about 40 attached townhomes on Lawrenceville Highway near Hollywood Road.  The residences would be built on a nearly 4 acre parcel between Orion and Hollywood Drives, just south of North DeKalb Mall. 

The 3.78 acre parcel was approved for redevelopment in 2007 for a 98 room personal care facility.  The facility never happened and Atlanta-based RaceTrac attempted to have the property rezoned in 2012 for a gas station and convenience store, but abandoned their plans amid significant community opposition.  

Assorted documents related to the current proposal state different numbers of units, ranging from 40 t0 43.  Multiple calls placed to Brian Flint of Arrowhead Investors seeking confirmation of the current count were unanswered.

Arrowhead lists a number of previously completed projects on their website including:

The Battery on Paces Ferry Vinings Slope Drive at Paces Ferry Road (Vinings) Cobb County - 80 townhomes 

Brownstones at Decatur Scott Boulevard City of Decatur, DeKalb County - 84 townhomes

read more

Eye in the Sky - Glider

Comments: Chris Billingsley : Nice. on Eye in the Sky - Glider

Video Friday - Shania Twain - From This Moment On

Registration Now Open for 2016 Madison Ave Soapbox Derby

2016 REGISTRATION

Register for the 6th Annual Madison Ave Soapbox Derby through the following link:
http://soapbox.gearboxgo.com/registration

Madison Ave Soapbox Derby Message*: Just wanted you to know we selected our 2016 beneficiary. all proceeds benefiting Reading is Essential for All People (REAP). It’s crucial for a child’s educational development that he or she become a proficient reader by the end of third grade. This is when kids start reading to learn instead of learning to read. Unfortunately, 32% of Georgia’s 4th grade students read below grade level. Reading is Essential for All People (REAP) is a non-profit dedicated to improving reading proficiency in public school students through teacher training and enrichment. Teachers leave college without all the tools they need to reach all their readers. Shrinking school budgets and increasing time constraints make is difficult for teachers to access the necessary professional development required to meet all their readers’ needs once they are in the classroom. REAP provides teachers with specialized approaches to reading instruction that makes all readers stronger but are critical for those students who struggle.

Waffle Eating Contest at Downtown Waffle House Sept 9

From: http://thedecaturminute.com/2016/08/10/call-all-waffle-eating-champions/
Do you have what it takes to be a waffle eating champion? If so, mark your calendar. On Sept. 9, the downtown Decatur Waffle House is hosting a National Waffle Week Waffle Eating Contest.

waho500

Project Pabst Atlanta Oct 1 2016

From: http://atlanta.projectpabst.com/lineup/

Tickets HOURS Doors: 12pm Show: 1pm Outdoor Stages End: 9:45pm Getting There We are located at East Atlanta Village Flat Shoals Ave SE & Glenwood Ave SE

Ceviche at Las Brasas

 From: http://www.clatl.com/food-drink/article/20829857/ethnic-eats-ceviche-at-las-brasas

Ceviche at Las Brasas by Grace Huseth

Last month, Peruvians celebrated their Independence Day — a remembrance of the successful fight against the Spanish to regain Peruvian independence. What better way for Atlantans to celebrate Peruvian identity than to have a taste of true seafood ceviche the Peruvian way.

Ceviche (suh-VEE-chey) is a popular Latin American dish made of fresh raw fish cured by citrus juices and spiced with onions and herbs. In the U.S. we often serve ceviche as a shrimp appetizer with tortilla chips, but authentic Peruvian ceviche is the only rendition at Las Brasas.

Owners John and Maria Koechlin opened the original Las Brasas eight years ago on Howard Avenue in Decatur. After retirement, their son Michael turned Las Brasas into a destination by keeping the old favorites and incorporating some fresh, new dishes. After closing the Howard Avenue location, which is now home to the Doggy Dog hot dog stand, Las Brasas moved to a larger space just a few blocks away. The new location opened at 614 Church St. in fall 2015 and the restaurant plans to celebrate its one-year anniversary in the new space in late September.

While a large painted mural on the side of the building draws in diners initially, the addition of the family’s Peruvian ceviche recipe keeps them coming back.

Michael Koechlin personally picks up fresh seafood daily at Buckhead Beef and crafts his family’s ceviche recipe by hand. The restaurant’s most popular variety is the Ceviche Mixto ($17), which comes with tender flounder fillet, soft calamari, sliced octopus tentacles, and tiger shrimp is marinated with salt and lime juice. Then the mixture is topped with thinly sliced sweet onions and cilantro for a pop of freshness. Koechlin says the addition of popped cancha corn kernels and cold sweet potato slices served alongside offer a mellow respite from the ceviche's bold flavors.

Register for Youth Flag Football

From: https://beactivedecatur.com/

Video Friday - Berlin - Take My Breathe Away theme from Top Gun

Decatur BBQ Festival Band Schedule and Event Info

 From: http://www.decaturbbqfestival.com/schedule/

Band Schedule

Harmony Park Stage

12:30 – 1:15 Sydney Rhame
1:45 – 2:30 In The Wheelhouse
3:00 – 3:45 Jontavious Willis & Country Royalty
4:15 – 5:00 Grizzly Goat
5:30 – 6:30 Lockdown Blues Band

New Belgium/Patientco Main Stage

1:00 – 1:45 Jeff Mosier
2:15 – 3:00 Mudcat
3:30 – 4:15 Dappled Grays
4:45 – 5:45 Randall Bramblett
6:15 – 7:45 Dianne Durrett & Soul Suga  -------------------------- General Info Ticket price ($ 12 until midnight August 12th – day of festival price $ 20) ticket price includes entry to festival and 7+ hours of live music (food and beverages are extra) Kids 12 and under will receive FREE admission when accompanied by a paid adult Coolers are not allowed Outside drinks of any kind are not allowed Bottled water, various beer, soda, and nonalcoholic drinks will be available for purchase Vegetarian choices Our 4 main BBQ vendors will each have several vegetarian options for our guest in addition to classic BBQ fare Cash & Credit Front gate, merchandise tent, and beer stations will take both cash and credit via square (we encourage you to pay via cash whenever possible) ATM’s will be on site for cash withdrawals Pets Leashed pets ARE allowed on site, however the main site is an asphalt parking lot that has limited astro turf coverage. It is August and pets may be prone to discomfort given the heat and site so owners please be aware there comfort is 100% your responsibility. Owners are responsible for the actions of their pets at all times while at the festival. Handicap access The event site is handicap friendly, should you or someone in your party need assistance please ask one of our staff members Please drink responsibly and be aware we reserve the right to stop serving attendees completely at our own discretion

This Fall ABC's New Series with Kiefer Sutherland

Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning actor Kiefer Sutherland (“24”) returns to primetime in a conspiracy thriller as Tom Kirkman, a lower-level cabinet member who unexpectedly becomes president after a devastating attack on Washington. He will struggle to prevent the country and his own family from falling into chaos, as he is thrust into one of the most difficult presidencies in history.

Video Friday - Elvis Presley - C'mon Everybody

Sharknado The 4th Awakens Sunday 7-31