SEPTEMBER 2023 Vol. 29 No. 9 ■ RoughDraftAtlanta.com Atlanta Intown A Publication FOCUS ON EDUCATION P6-15 INSIDE: ELEVATE ATLANTA PROGRAM GUIDE P25-28
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Under Contract • 949 Plymouth Road NE
5 Bed | 3.5 Bath | Offered at $1,795,000
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Under Contract • 1615 E Sussex Road NE
4 Bed | 3.5 Bath | Offered at $1,895,000
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2 | SEPTEMBER 2023 RoughDraftAtlanta.com Ken Covers, Luxury Home Specialist Seeking Exceptional Results For Your Home Sale? Let’s Talk About The Possibilities. Ken Covers, Real Estate Advisor Engel & Völkers Atlanta 1745 Peachtree Street | Atlanta | GA 30309 C +1 404.664.8280 O +1 404.845.7724 ken.covers@evatlanta.com | kencovers.evatlanta.com ©2023 Engel & Völkers. All rights reserved. Each brokerage independently owned and operated. All information provided is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified. If your property is currently represented by a real estate broker, this is not an attempt to solicit your listing. Engel & Völkers and its independent license partners are Equal Opportunity Employers and fully support the principles of the Fair Housing Act. Source: FMLS 2023 Scan below to get in touch and get started on a plan for your home sale. Coming Soon • 1850 Wildwood Place 4 Bed | 3 Bath | Offered at $1,395,000 Total back to studs renovation of this residence situated on a prime cul-de-sac in the desirable neighborhood of Morningside-Wildwood Place. Coming Soon • 3118 W. Roxboro 5 Bed | 4.5 Bath | Offered at $2,995,000 Italian Tuscan farmhouse with 5 bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms, over 6800 square feet and oversized half acre lot.
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About the Cover
Students are shown on the first day of class at the newly opened Virginia-Highland Elementary School. Find out more about the school on Page 6. (Photo courtesy Atlanta Public Schools)
SEPTEMBER 2023 | 3 RoughDraftAtlanta.com Scan to subscribe to Rough Draft, or, text DRAFT to 66866 Facebook.com/ roughdraftatl x.com/ roughdraftatl Instagram.com/ roughdraftatl RoughDraftAtlanta.com atlanta Reporter Newspapers A Publication Atlanta Intown A Publication Silver Streak By Contents SEPTEMBER 2023 ©2023 with all rights reserved Publisher reserves the right to refuse editorial or advertising for any reason. Publisher assumes no responsibility for information contained in advertising. Any opinions expressed in print or online do not necessarily represent the views of Reporter Newspapers or Rough Draft Atlanta. Honored as a newspaper of General Excellence 2018 Editor’s Letter 4 Focus on Education Virginia-Highland Elementary 6 Interim Superintendent 8 NFL Yoga at Carver 10 Financial Literacy 12 Nsenga K. Burton Q&A 13 Education Briefs 14 Community Cop City Update 16 Cheesecake Factory Demolished 17 News Roundup 18 Westside Spur Trail 18 May I Be Excused? 19 Sustainability Above the Waterline 22 Dining Women + Wine 24 Special Section ELEVATE Atlanta Preview 25-28 Dining Atlanta Food & Wine Festival 30 Arts & Entertainment Tara Theatre Challenges 32 Real Estate South Downtown Changes 34 Midtown Tower 35 Perspectives in Architecture 36 Editorial Collin Kelley Editor collin@roughdraftatlanta.com Sammie Purcell Associate Editor Staff Writers Dyana Bagby Cathy Cobbs Bob Pepalis Logan C. Ritchie Contributors Sally Bethea, Teri Elam, Melody Harclerode, Sarah Pierre,
32 30 25
alive
EDITOR'S NOTE
I returned to Atlanta after a summer away in Ann Arbor, MI to discover more cranes dotting the skyline.
One in particular is across the street from my building in Midtown. Before I left in May, the Society Atlanta building at 811 Peachtree had barely cleared the roofline. Now, it's rapidly climbing to 31 stories and they’ve already started installing glass on lower floors.
The canyon of buildings looking south down Spring Street from 10th is starting to resemble Manhattan.
And maybe I got used to less traffic and bustle while I was away, but it seems like there are more cars, more bikes, and more scooters. That’s especially true around Tech Square now that classes are back in session (be sure to check out our special section on education starting on page 6).
I’m looking forward to the return of Atlanta Streets Alive on Sept. 24 after a three-year hiatus prompted by the pandemic. Peachtree Street will be closed to vehicular traffic from Midtown to Downtown. Attendees will be able to walk, roll, bike, skate or board down the open street from 2 to 6 p.m.
Atlanta Streets Alive will become a series, with fall 2023 dates planned for Sundays on Oct. 22 and Nov. 19. The event will pick back up again in Spring 2024 on the third Sunday of the month from April to November.
I’ve had the privilege and opportunity to travel across a vast portion of the U.S. and to many places in Europe, but I always wind up back in ATL. There’s something about the bustle, hustle, and arts scene (check out our guide to ELEVATE starting on page 25) that keeps bringing me home.
Rough Draft Presents a Delicious Harvest Harmony with Chefs Olivia McCoy and Jarrett Stieber
4 | SEPTEMBER 2023 RoughDraftAtlanta.com
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Attendees must be 21+ to attend. Tickets are all-inclusive of food, drink pairing, and gratuity.
SEPTEMBER 2023 | 5 RoughDraftAtlanta.com Owner and Operator, Christa Huffstickler. Engel & Völkers Atlanta ©2023 Engel & Völkers. All rights reserved. Each brokerage independently owned and operated. All information provided is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified. If your property is currently represented by a real estate broker, this is not an attempt to solicit your listing. Engel & Völkers and its independent license partners are Equal Opportunity Employers and fully support the principles of the Fair Housing Act. evatlanta.com • 404.845.7724 All Metro Atlanta and North Georgia Offices Now Under One Unified Ownership Buckhead 1745 Peachtree Street Atlanta, Georgia 30309 Sandy Springs 6681 Roswell Rd Sandy Springs, GA 30342 Morningside 1411 North Highland Ave Atlanta, GA 30306 North Atlanta 2610 Old Milton Pkwy Alpharetta, GA 30009 North Georgia 3801 East First Street Blue Ridge, GA 30513 World Leaders in Real Estate, Now Serving Atlanta From Five Local Offices. #1 TrendGraphix, 2021-2022 Across Atlanta Brokerage with Highest Sales Volume for New Construction #2 Engel & Völkers Corporate, 2022 Across the Globe Engel and Völkers Brokerage Globally for Number of Sides E&V Office Acquisitions 2 Brand New Office Launches 2 Office Locations 5 Engel & Völkers North Fulton and North Buckhead are now Engel & Völkers Atlanta
Virginia-Highland Elementary Owls ready to soar
By Clare S. Richie
On Aug. 1, Virginia-Highland Elementary (VHE) welcomed about 580 Atlanta Public School students from Ansley Park, Midtown, Morningside, Sherwood Forest, and parts of Virginia-Highland.
Before the school opened, there was plenty of tension in the community about moving students to a new school, but the opening day went off without a hitch.
“It went smoothly – knock on wood,” said VHE Principal Terry Harness. “Our teachers are great and happy. Our kids
know exactly what’s going on and where they need to be. It feels like a building that we have already been in for a while... I feel like it’s home.”
“The first day, Mr. Harness greeted the kids with “Hootie the Owl” mascot, music, and lots of balloons,” said Melissa Clark, interim VHE PTO co-president.
Clark’s daughter had just watched a video of her teacher Mr. Freeman reading “The Night Before First Grade.” On the first day, he served “jitter juice” – Sprite, juice, and sprinkles – to help students overcome their nerves.
To alleviate overcrowding, 450 VHE students came from the former SPARK zone and 80 from Morningside, per Harness. VHE also added a general and a special needs Pre-K class. “It’s like we’ve all been one big happy family the entire time,” Harness said.
Nestled on the corner of Virginia Avenue and Park Drive, VHE is both diverse, with about 40 percent students of color, and walkable.
“Sixty percent of our school population lives within the walk zone,” Harness said, noting that 200+ children walked or biked the first week. Five buses are dedicated for those outside the 1-mile walk zone or west of Monroe Drive.
The campus has come full circle. Built in 1924 as an elementary school, it’s been renovated and reimagined, serving as a middle school from 1978 – 2021, housing Morningside students during their school’s renovation and now VHE.
“APS has done a great job renovating and performing some upgrades,” Harness added. “It feels elementary, but we also have the amenities of a middle school: a large gym with bleachers and an auditorium for our kids and community.”
The extra space makes room for innovative teaching. There is a phonics lab led by Humanities Instructional Coach Corrie Madlem. In this dedicated space, students practice tracing letters in sand
trays, looking in hand-held mirrors as they form words, and more, per Leah Matthews, VHE interim co-president.
“We are also going to do a math gym, like skip counting by 2 or 5,” Harness said.
There’s also a maker's space that teachers can use stocked with paints, marbles, flashlights, and more. “It’s like a combo between science and art,” said Matthews.
Thanks to a Captain Planet grant, there will soon be an outdoor garden classroom.
“Everything we’ve tried to establish right out of the gate is uniquely us – our school colors, logo, and mascot,” Harness said. “I believe we’ve accomplished that with the support of an incredible PTO, a wonderful group of community members and parents.”
Matthews said the PTO raised more than $300,000 in seed funds prior to the school opening for the 2023-24 academic year.
“The vast majority of those funds paid for curriculum, teacher classroom startup funds, and small facelifts to make the building feel like an elementary school,” Clark said.
The funds also allowed VHE to expand its library by adding nearly 4,500 titles when it was discovered there wasn’t enough money in the APS budget.
In November 2022, Harness was named VHE principal and started planning for this transition with APS and the community. His former assistant principal, Dr. Jennifer Toney, was promoted to SPARK’s principal.
SPARK which had about 850 students last year, now has about 415 with more room to grow and its own renewed excitement, per Harness.
“Something born out of so much uncertainty and no desire to split up now seems like everyone is really happy and we have two great communities that support each other,” Matthews said.
“We’ll come back together at David T. Howard Middle School,” Clark added.
6 | SEPTEMBER 2023 RoughDraftAtlanta.com
FOCUS ON EDUCATION A SPECIAL SECTION
amhsi.org amhsi ALEXANDER MUSS HIGH SCHOOL IN ISRAEL The Ultimate College Prep Study Abroad Adventure Grants Available On Your College Application Dani Oren Israel Programs Admissions Director, Atlanta Doren@jnf.org • 404.236.8990 x852 FOR MORE INFORMATION Ad_Atlanta In Town.indd 3 8/22/23 5:16 PM
The VHE succulent wall in the main hallway. (Photo by Melissa Clark)
Kindergarten student Kate Valduga with Hootie the Owl. (Photo by Ryan Valduga)
First grade student Quinn Clark hugs Principal Harness. (Photo by Melissa Clark)
SEPTEMBER 2023 | 7 RoughDraftAtlanta.com Chase Mizell #1 AGENT, ATLANTA REALTORS®, 2021 + 2022 c. 770.289.2780 o. 404.874.0300 chasemizell@atlantafinehomes.com • chasemizell.com Ansley Park • 95 Montgomery Ferry Drive 6 Bedrooms, 6.5 Bathrooms, Offered for $4,495,000 Sotheby’s International Realty® used with permission. Atlanta Fine Homes, LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each franchise is independently owned and operated. #1 Agent Volume, 2020+ 2021, Atlanta REALTORS® Association.
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Danielle Battle named APS interim superintendent
By Collin Kelley
The Atlanta Board of Education (ABOE) appointed Dr. Danielle Battle as interim superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools beginning Sept. 1.
The board also approved Superintendent Dr. Lisa Herring’s transition plan to exit her role on Aug. 31 and serve as a consultant with APS through Dec. 31.
“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Battle back to APS where her experience and relationship with administrators, staff, and the overall community allows her to pick up the reigns with ease,” said ABOE Board Chair Eshé Collins. “She will build on our academic achievements and policies that propel our young scholars as well as advocate for the district’s needs. I have great confidence that Dr. Battle and Dr. Herring will, together, ensure a seamless transition.”
Battle served in a variety of leadership positions over her 19-year career at APS.
Prior to her retirement in June 2021, Battle served as Principal of Parkside Elementary and Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School, Associate Superintendent and Interim Chief of Schools and Academics. She joined APS after 11 years as a teacher and principal in North Carolina.
The board announced in June that it would not renew Herring’s contract beyond
the 2023-24 academic year and is in the process of selecting a national search firm to help identify a permanent superintendent.
“As a life-long champion for student success, I am exceedingly proud of the progress made in the classroom and across this school district during my tenure. The 150-year legacy of Atlanta Public Schools is one driven by excellence. I welcome working closely with Dr. Battle over the next few months to capitalize on the growth and gains achieved by our young scholars and to build upon our rich history of educational excellence,” Herring said in her own statement.
8 | SEPTEMBER 2023 RoughDraftAtlanta.com
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SEPTEMBER 2023 | 9 RoughDraftAtlanta.com LEARN MORE AT: marist.com/admissions Serving grades 7– 12, Marist School provides an unparalleled Catholic education where achievement exists within a spirit of humility and generosity. Students are challenged by a college-preparatory curriculum and enjoy extensive extracurricular activities as well as opportunities to deepen their faith. The distinctive Marist educational experience forms students into faith-filled, global-ready servant leaders. Lear n. Lead. Ser ve. Save the Date OPEN HOUSE Sunday, December 3 CMY ZooATL-Atlanta-Intown-Education-quarter.pdf 1 8/16/2023 3:00:07 PM aischool.org @aischool THE JOY OF LEARNING 2023_AISAd_RoughDraftAtlanta_4.94x6.185_AUG.indd 1 8/16/23 1:06 PM LEARN WHAT MAKES WOODWARD DIFFERENT woodward.edu/visit WOODWARD WAY THE An evidence-based approach to teaching, with focus on the link between ACADEMIC SUCCESS and SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING is
NFL players connect with Carver football team through yoga
By Clare S. Richie
On July 18, the Dharma Project brought together two NFL players – Atlanta Falcons safety Richie Grant and Houston Texans wide receiver Amari Rodgers – with the Carver STEAM Academy football team to discuss the value of yoga.
“We approached it from the lens of how do we get more boys interested and engaged in yoga,” said Rutu Chaudhari, Dharma Project founder and executive director. “Particularly Black boys, because there is such a strong narrative that yoga is not for them.”
Believing that everyone should have access to these self-care practices regardless of race, location, gender, sexual orientation, or financial status – the nonprofit Dharma Project collaborated with the Department of Corrections, Atlanta Public Schools, Decatur Housing Authority, Refugee Women’s Network and more since 2016.
“When I first heard of yoga in college, I was like that’s for women,” Grant said.
Now he and Rodgers train twice a week with instructor Joe Palese, who led NFLers and Carver players in a short session during their visit.
“It’s about the breathing,” Grant said. “When you’re on defense in the last drive
“If the Saints tight end is doing yoga, I’m damn sure doing yoga – excuse my language – to make sure I get that same advantage,” Grant said.
Yoga showed Rodgers that “everything in our body is connected.”
“Two weeks before I tore my ACL, I had strained my hamstring,” Rodgers said. “A torn quad on one side may affect you on the other side. That’s when I started getting into yoga.”
Chaudhari went to the Carver athletics department last year touting how yoga could improve player performance and reduce injury.
“But the added benefit is in the healing, mental health value, and self-regulation that comes from this practice and how that might also serve youth,” Chaudhari said.
Dharma project instructors, Safia Icgoren and Liz Vanderhoff, lead the weekly summer sessions for all 60 Carver football players.
“In the beginning, they were like ‘I don’t know how I feel about this – being in this pose’,” Vanderhoff said.
But now Icgoren feels the players “know what to expect and are getting comfortable with their bodies and the movement and the breathing.”
of the 4th quarter, up by four points and the other teams got to score a touchdown –most people panic. But if you lock into your breathing, you don’t worry about anything else and do what you need to do.”
Grant and Rodgers aren’t alone. Both shared that “at least 50% of NFL players do yoga.”
With encouragement from the NFL players and Carver football Coach Quinton Wesley’s commitment to continuing the yoga instruction during the school year, Chaudhari is hopeful that student players will stick with the practice on and off the field.
“If you guys take it seriously, then whenever you are in a high-stress situation, tap into that breathing,” Rodgers shared. “Calm down and make the best decision.”
“This is something you can use for the rest of your life,” Grant said.
10 | SEPTEMBER 2023 RoughDraftAtlanta.com
Sun Volt
Dharma Project instructors lead Carver STEAM Academy football players through a yoga session. (Photos by Lynne Tanzer)
From left: Amari Rodgers, Safia Icgoren, Rutu Chaudhari, Liz Vanderhoff, and Richie Grant.
SEPTEMBER 2023 | 11 RoughDraftAtlanta.com All data believed to be accurate but not warranted. If you have any existing brokerage relationship, this is not intended as a solicitation. Equal housing opportunity.w ANSLEYRE.COM | 404.480.HOME 952 PEACHTREE STREET, SUITE 100, ATLANTA, GA 30309 Molly Carter Gaines REALTOR ® c. 404.542.3120 | o. 404.480.HOME | MOLLY@ANSLEYRE. COM Fair Fight Action, ADL National, Trees Atlanta, Atlanta Legal Aid, Sierra Club, Zoo Atlanta, Georgia Asylum & Immigration, Lambda Legal, Nature Org & University of Georgia What an honor to be part of this historic and very special sale! I REPRESENTED THE BUYERS ON THIS SALE, AND WE SEARCHED FOR OVER A YEAR FOR THE PERFECT HOME. WHEN THIS ICONIC PROPERTY BECAME AVAILABLE IN DRUID HILLS, THERE WERE MULTIPLE OFFERS. The kind and generous seller wanted ALL PROCEEDS of his home sale to be donated to charities, including a very SPECIAL SALE IN DRUID HILLS your trusted advisor.
Bank of America funds 100 Black Men financial literacy program
By Rough Draft Staff
Bank of America is supporting the 100 Black Men of Atlanta nonprofit organization with grant funding to help launch a new financial literacy training program for students in Atlanta.
“We are committed to the advancement of local economies and being a leader of positive change in our community,” said Al McRae, president,
Bank of America Atlanta. “Providing support to organizations like the 100 Black Men of Atlanta that are providing critical support to the future leaders of Atlanta is one of the ways we are impacting the broader community while also contributing to Mayor Dicken’s Year of the Youth proclamation.”
Established in 1986, 100 Black Men of Atlanta is an African American volunteer organization that focuses on education and empowerment.
The organization currently offers its Project Success. Project Success is a postsecondary preparation, tuition assistance and mentoring program for Atlanta Public Schools.
The program currently operates at the B.E.S.T. Academy and Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy. Both schools are public, single-gender with grades six through 12.
The recent grant will allow the organization to enhance and launch the program in additional partner schools.
The new program will teach basic financial skills, including:
Building an emergency fund
Budgeting
Paying bills
Saving for longterm goals
“The goal of our financial literacy program is to introduce and instill smart money habits, breaking the cycle of the current disparity in rates of financial literacy across racial and ethnic groups. We are delighted to increase the impact of this initiative through the generosity of Bank of America and donors who make this possible,” said Sidney Barron, chairman of 100 Black Men of Atlanta.
The grant was announced on Aug. 10 in conjunction with National Financial Awareness Day on Aug. 14.
The Bank of America will also assist by providing resources through its Better Money Habits financial literacy curriculum. For more information, visit 100blackmen-atlanta.org.
12 | SEPTEMBER 2023 RoughDraftAtlanta.com
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100 Black Men of Atlanta offers its Project Success curriculum to Atlanta Public Schools. (Courtesy BOA)
Take 5 with Nsenga K. Burton, Clark Atlanta’s new entrepreneurship director
By Teri Elam
As a true multi-hyphenate, there’s an art to everything Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., has done over the last 25+ years.
Because of the breadth of diversity of her knowledge and experience, Burton has been able to inform and impact many, which includes students at Clark Atlanta and Emory recently, as well as readers at The Huffington Post, The Root, and her very own, The Burton Wire.
And we have her English teacher, Ms. Arkin, at Binford Elementary School in Richmond, VA to thank (more about that below). You may spot her at SCAD FASH or the Museum of Design Atlanta when she’s not creating or hanging out at home near Decatur.
If I plotted your career experiences on a Venn Diagram, what would be their intersection – that thing they have in common that draws you to them?
The one thing that draws everything I do together (entrepreneur, writer, producer, artist, activist, curator, professor, cultural critic) is critical thinking—the ability to see beyond the surface, analyze factual data, and produce something meaningful.
You hold advanced degrees in film and communication, including from NYU and the University of Southern California – when and how did you first fall in love with the art of communication/writing?
I was a voracious reader. I pulled Black nationalist books from my parents’ bookshelves in middle school, including “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” and “Black Fire,” which were game-changing. My mother also bought my sister and me all of the “Wizard of Oz” books by Frank Oz from a book fair. As for Ms. Arkin, I remember reading “A Christmas Carol” and “A Wrinkle in Time,” and it was in her English class, where she encouraged us to write creatively, that I fell in love with writing. That’s where I got the bug. Eventually, my love of reading dovetailed with my love of writing. Practicing one craft makes you better in the other.
I recently saw a Khalil Gibran quote: “Art arises when the secret vision of the artist and the manifestation of nature agree to find new shapes.” What does this quote mean to you and your work?
Interesting…I love the work of Khalil Gibran. My favorite quote of his is, “A little knowledge that acts is worth infinitely more than much knowledge that is idle.” I think the essence of his work is that art and knowledge should constantly evolve and move. If they are moving, they will eventually intersect with nature or the universe to create new meaning.
Congratulations on being named the new regional director of Clark Atlanta University’s National Center for Entrepreneurship. Part of the center’s work is to “support expanded opportunities for Black entrepreneurship through ownership, innovation, and creativity.” You are also an entrepreneur – can you share your thoughts on the intersection of art and/or artful thinking and business?
Thank you! When many people think business, particularly on college campuses, they think about traditional categories like accounting, finance, economics, or management. Rarely do people think about media or entertainment industries as businesses, even in a city with a $10 billion film and television industry and an iconic music industry that brings in over $1 billion each year. All facets of art and entertainment intersect with business and drive economies, develop the workforce, and have a significant economic impact on local, state, national, and international economies. A lot of the technology that people easily see as businessrelated comes from these media-related industries; for example, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and even fiber-optic technologies. It is important for people to understand that art, media, entertainment, and culture offer viable opportunities to build short and long-term (generational) wealth while stimulating economies and the mind.
As a serial entrepreneur who has done well in many areas of art and media, what are your thoughts on what it takes to have a successful business in these areas?
Vision, focus, drive, and resiliency—and I believe it is critical to remind people that there are many ways to be in business for yourself. Some of the most rewarding businesses can be in the form of art, media, and writing.
SEPTEMBER 2023 | 13 RoughDraftAtlanta.com
In a culture elevating self, we elevate Christ. In a culture pursuing trends, we teach what is timeless. In a culture swayed by confusion, we instill confidence. How will you choose to educate your child? Learn more at heritageprep.org A classical Christian school serving PreK-12th grade
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Education Briefs
The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta has launched a “reverse scholarship” pilot program that will pay off up to $30,000 in student debt for borrowers in the Foundation’s three neighborhoods of focus: South Cobb (Fair Oaks); South Fulton (College Park and East Point); and Thomasville. The initiative launched less than two months before federal student loan payments – which were paused under a federal moratorium during COVID – are set to resume, aims to mitigate the impact of student loan debt in marginalized communities. This debt contributes to the racial wealth gap and has long-term implications for financial, physical, and mental health, according to a press release from the Foundation. The application is open now and closes Sept. 15. Students or parents who want to apply should first complete a profile and then access the application at cfgreateratlanta. org.
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▲Verizon has partnered with Atlanta Public Schools to open the Innovative Learning Labs at Crawford W. Long Middle School and Herman J. Russell West End Academy. The labs were possible through a partnership with Heart of America and the J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute at Arizona State University. The labs gives students and teachers access to emerging technology such as augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), 3D printing, and artificial intelligence (AI).
Atlanta Public Schools and the City of Atlanta have partnered for the zone speed safety camera program for multiple schools across the district. The program will be implemented in multiple phases but will first launch at the following school sites: R. N. Fickett Elementary School, Kindezi at Gideons Elementary School, Burgess-Peterson Academy, Kimberly Elementary School, Miles Elementary School, Continental Colony Elementary School, Drew Charter Schools, Morris Brandon Elementary School (Main Campus), Cleveland Avenue Elementary School and E. Rivers Elementary School. The 30-day warning period began Aug. 18 and ends Saturday, Sept. 16. Persons who violate the speed limit will be issued a speeding ticket beginning Monday, Sept. 18. “Our priority is to keep our students safe. The school zone speed cameras will help slow drivers down, thereby protecting children as they walk to and from school,” said APS Police Chief Ronald Applin. In Georgia, a speeding violation will carry a fine of $75 for first-time offenders. Subsequent offenses will result in a $125 fine.
14 | SEPTEMBER 2023 RoughDraftAtlanta.com
Mathnasium gives students the instruction they need to catch up, keep up, and get ahead, so they can feel confident that they’re on track for a successful school year.
▲The Every Child Reads campaign launched by Fulton County Schools has seen student proficiency rates rising above pre-pandemic levels to outpace state and national scores, according to officials. Every Child Reads is one of the high-dosage, small-group tutoring
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programs set up across the district for grades K-12. Performance by third-grade students grew by three and four percentage points, respectively, from 2022 to 2023, according to an FCS presentation. Scores in 2023 have exceeded 2019 in both English Language Arts and Math.
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra will host its inaugural HBCU AccessFest: College, Career and Community Fair, on Saturday, Sept. 16, from noon to 6 p.m. at the Woodruff Arts Center. The event will provide valuable resources and information to help students and families explore their options for higher education, internships, mentorship, and career paths. Planned activities include an HBCU College Fair, interactive booths, workshops, and networking opportunities. The event will also feature panel discussions to educate the community on financial wellness, introduce career pipelines for current HBCU students, and support Black- owned and HBCU vendors. Other campus activities for the weekend include the ASO’s "Movies in Concert" production of Marvel Studios’ Black Panther in Concert on Sept. 15-17, furthering the ASO’s commitment to the importance of representation and diversity in the arts. Visit aso.org for more information.
►Georgia’s Own Credit Union gave local educators a boost before the start of the new school year. The credit union surprised 28 teachers from Bolton Academy in West Midtown with a $3,000 shopping spree for their classrooms on Aug. 4. Each teacher was given a shopping spree for various supplies. The supplies included Expo markers, Sharpies, crayons, colored pencils, Kleenex, glue, scissors, Post-It notes and snacks.
SEPTEMBER 2023 | 15 RoughDraftAtlanta.com
‘Stop Cop City’ petition drive to continue in September
By Dyana Bagby
Opponents of Atlanta’s planned public safety training center will continue to gather signatures for its “Stop Cop City” referendum petition drive through September after originally planning to wrap up its campaign Monday.
The Vote to Stop Cop City Coalition said Aug. 21 that since June, it has collected 104,000 signatures in support of a referendum to allow Atlanta voters to decide the fate of the planned $90 million training center, dubbed “Cop City” by opponents. Original plans to submit the signatures to the city on Aug. 21 were halted after coalition members accused the city of trying to thwart its use of direct democracy.
Although just over 58,000 verified signatures are needed to get a referendum on the ballot, the Vote to Stop Cop City Coalition wants to gather much more than 104,000 because they expect a majority of them to be tossed out by the city as invalid. But the coalition also believes the city fears putting “Cop City” to a vote.
The coalition “wants to leave no doubt as to the will of Atlanta voters” and will continue collecting signatures through Sept. 23, a time extension granted by U.S. District Judge Mark Cohen.
“[I]n recent days, the coalition began to hear from reporters and sources inside City Hall that the City of Atlanta is planning to argue for a higher-than-previously-reported legal minimum signature count for ballot access,” the coalition said in a news release.
“More concerning were reports that they also plan to utilize ‘signature match’ — an archaic and widely abandoned tool of voter suppression that has been widely condemned across the political spectrum, including by the Republican-controlled Georgia State Legislature — in their
verification process,” according to the release.
The Vote to Stop Coalition has said it needs 58,203 verified signatures for its referendum to allow a public vote on repealing the city’s lease with the Atlanta Police Foundation, the developer of the training center. The number is equivalent to 15% of registered voters in the city’s last election.
Information provided to Rough Draft by city officials denied there would be an attempt to raise the number of 58,203 signatures to gain ballot access.
At its Aug. 21 meeting, the Atlanta City Council approved a resolution authorizing the city attorney to hire an outside consultant to assist in the verification process. The city also announced it has hired former city clerk Foris Webb III to help supervise the line-by-line review of collected signatures to verify them against the state voter registration database.
“In an effort to ensure that adequate resources are dedicated to this project, the City of Atlanta — through the adoption of the Atlanta City Council — has developed a step-by-step process to conduct the audit of the documents, of which the signature verification process may be a critical element,” said Interim Municipal Clerk Vanessa Waldon in a news release.
“We are committed to a transparent process that meets the requirements of the law and builds public confidence and trust,” Waldon said.
The news release from the city said verification “will be a manual process, a line-by-line review, which will also include double-checking of each line and other quality control measures. The review will rely on the official state voter registration database. Petition lines that do not pass the verification process will have detailed
16 | SEPTEMBER 2023 RoughDraftAtlanta.com
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‘Cop City’ protestors at Atlanta City Hall in May. (Photo by Dyana Bagby)
documentation as to the reason for the non-verification status.”
The third guideline implies signature matching, a process that allows ballots to be rejected because of perceived signature mismatches. The ACLU and other civil rights groups have condemned the process as a tool of voter suppression.
City officials, however, said that referendums differ from regular elections.
When voters casts ballots at a precinct for a local, state or federal race, they are required to present an ID to prove who they are. Provisional ballots also enable a person’s identity to be verified.
With a referendum, there is no ID required, so it would be up to the city clerk, the consultants and conversations with the petitioners to determine parameters for signature verifications, said city officials.
Vacant Cheesecake Factory demolished, but what comes next?
By Dyana Bagby
The long-vacant Cheesecake Factory restaurant in the heart of Buckhead Village is finally gone.
Crews demolished the two-story building at 3024 Peachtree Road late last month. A concrete slab, a water fountain, and a parking lot remain on the nearly one-acre site along Buckhead’s signature corridor.
In an Aug. 8 email, owner Peter Blum said he had no plans for the high-profile property.
“Sorry, I do not,” he said when asked about future plans for the property.
“I am not planning to sell it,” he said.
In a follow-up email on Aug. 9 in response to questions about possible redevelopment of the site, Blum expanded his statement.
“I do not have any plans to sell or develop it,” he said. “It has been more than 30 years since I negotiated the lease with [The Cheesecake Factory] and am unable to answer your questions.”
The restaurant building was constructed in 1993 and vacated by the Cheesecake Factory in 2014 when it relocated to Lenox Square. At that time, Blum envisioned redeveloping the old Cheesecake Factory property with an upscale “iconic” store, he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
In 2017, Blum sold his property next door at 3030 Peachtree Road, for more than $33 million. The site is home to the RH Atlanta showroom (formerly Restoration Hardware). But his hopes for redeveloping
the vacant restaurant property never materialized.
In 2020, Blum went back and forth with a Buckhead Development Review Committee about demolishing the vacant restaurant. The committee recommended the building be razed. A demolition permit was issued July 14.
Commercial real estate is still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, but there is still no denying the appeal of Buckhead real estate.
In 2019, Jamestown, developer of Ponce City Market, purchased Buckhead Village (formerly The Shops Buckhead Atlanta) and is revitalizing the shopping and dining district. Last year, a developer announced plans for a 20-story apartment building behind RH Atlanta showroom.
“We don’t know what the plans are for that site, but it is a valuable piece of property for sure,” said Garth Peters, director of citizen and government affairs for the Buckhead Coalition.
Fulton County property records lists the fair market value of 3024 Peachtree Road at $3.9 million.
Jonathan Koes, research manager for Colliers Atlanta, said Blum and his investors “would be able to really maximize the value of the land if they can land a notable tenant.”
“The RH Atlanta showroom sold for $33.25 million back in 2017, for perspective,” Koes said. “Land values in Buckhead/Lenox have commanded about a 30-35% premium over the Atlanta average.”
SEPTEMBER 2023 | 17 RoughDraftAtlanta.com
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The demolished Cheesecake Factory site. (Photo by Dyana Bagby)
News RoundUp
The 11-county Atlanta region added 66,730 residents between April 2022 and April 2023, bringing the total population to 5.16 million, according to estimates released today by the Atlanta Regional Commission.
Ground was officially broken on Aug. 4 for segment one of the Atlanta BeltLine Northside Trail. The 0.9-mile segment will connect from the existing Eastside Trail and through Piedmont Park. When complete, this segment will provide an alternative to traveling along Monroe Drive, allowing safe access for pedestrians and cyclists between the busy 10th Street and Piedmont Avenue commercial areas.
The Lenox Boardwalk, an “urban linear park” that includes a 10’-12’ multi-use trail along Lenox Road between the Lenox MARTA Station (on East Paces Ferry Road) and Peachtree Road, is set to begin construction in November.
Jim Maddox, Atlanta’s longestserving council member, died Aug. 16 at 88. Maddox served on the council for 32 years before retiring in 2009. Nicknamed “The Dean” of the Atlanta City Council, he represented the 11th District for eight terms.
Spur trail to link Atlanta’s ‘Upper Westside’ to Downtown
By Dyana Bagby
The route for a planned new trail is less than a mile, but it is expected to create a critical link between Downtown Atlanta to historic neighborhoods in the rapidly developing area now called the Upper Westside.
Construction is expected to begin early next year on the .75-miles long Westside Paper Spur Trail, a $2.9 million project of the Upper Westside Community Improvement District and PATH Foundation. Funding for the trail comes from the city’s $750 million Moving Atlanta Forward infrastructure package approved by voters last year.
“The Spur,” as it’s called by Upper Westside CID officials, will meander behind
buildings on Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard. To the north, it will tie into West Marietta Street and run between the 15.2-acre Westside Paper adaptive reuse project and the 95-acre QTS Data Centers campus.
To the south, it will tie into the Westside BeltLine Connector at Jefferson Street where users can then make their way to places like Centennial Park in the heart of Downtown.
The Spur is a small but key part of the Upper Westside CID’s overall vision to create multimodal connectivity for those living and working in the former industrial hub west of I-75 and I-85, just south of Buckhead.
“Since so many areas in this part of town just have really crummy sidewalks or non-existent sidewalks, and certainly very limited bike options on the road, it’s just been
important for us that we not just rely on just one connection from A to B with what the Atlanta BeltLine is providing,” said Adeline Collot, program director for the Upper Westside CID.
“We want to feed all of the infrastructure that we’re building into BeltLine connections,” she said. “The connectivity to the Westside BeltLine Connector — that’s getting people to Downtown and getting people to their jobs.
“So it really becomes important to have this really safe, off-road network that gives people options to get out of their cars.”
Land for The Spur was donated by QTS, which also owns the Westside Paper property. The donation allows the city’s $2.9 million to go completely toward construction, said Upper Westside CID Executive Director Elizabeth Hollister.
The Upper Westside CID is the land partner and maintenance partner for the trail. The PATH Foundation, which built the Westside BeltLine Connector, is the design and construction administration partner. The Spur is expected to open in late 2025, said Hollister.
The Upper Westside CID is bounded by Northside Drive to the East, Collier Road to the North, Marietta Boulevard to the West, and Jefferson Street to the South. Six neighborhoods are within the district, including Blandtown, Knight Park/Howell Station, and the Marietta Street Artery.
Developers who can’t find property in Midtown in part because the neighborhood is nearly completely built out are extending their reach into the Upper Westside where large industrial tracts are still available. Hundreds of apartments are going vertical and developers
are converting industrial buildings into creative office and retail spaces, like Westside Paper.
“The Upper Westside is rapidly growing because of its proximity to Midtown, to Downtown, to Buckhead and to I-75 and I-85,” Collot said. “It’s a really exciting part of town to be in.”
But when you look at building infrastructure, Midtown and Downtown have been fortunate in that their grid has been built around wide roads, Collot said.
“We don’t have a grid and our roads are not wide at all,” she said. “When you contemplate fully protected infrastructure, if it’s on the road, it’s just really tight and very constrained conditions.”
The Upper Westside CID is in the design phase on a protected cycle-track along West Marietta Street that will link the BeltLine’s Westside Trail at Marietta Boulevard to the CID’s Brady Avenue cycle-track, another part of its multi-modal vision for the district.
The Upper Westside CID also recently issued a request for proposals for a Huff Road multimodal study. The two-lane road is one of the few east-west corridors in the Upper Westside but lacks pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure.
The scope of the study includes identifying street-level improvements for walkers, cyclists, and transit. It also asks planners to determine how to increase access between Huff Road and the Atlanta BeltLine.
“We’re not going to make our roads any wider, but we have this great opportunity through this trail system to be able to get people out of their cars and on bikes, and just enjoy a higher quality of life,” Collot said.
18 | SEPTEMBER 2023 RoughDraftAtlanta.com
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A rendering of the Westside spur trail.
Lights, camera, action, and stuff
Want to ensure your kids are all smiles on the first day of school? Have a hot and boring summer. I’ll stop short of calling it a parenting hack because I was equally hot and bored, but I’m digging the positive school vibes.
single pencil.
MAY I BE EXCUSED
Margo had plenty of time for fastidious planning and the acquisition of new stuff. She went clothes and supply shopping despite my assertions that our household is already overflowing with said items. She did dry runs on her hair routine and on perfectly packing her new lunchbox. She organized her new backpack days in advance while I silently wondered what to do with last year’s backpack and lunchbox.
Elliott was fine with recycled school supplies, so I happily hauled out a trunk full. For the first day, he grabbed a few sheets of paper and a single pencil and
A few weeks in, the household is regaining that familiar untidiness that outfits the school year. Backpacks and water bottles and shoes are randomly strewn around the family room. Folders, notebooks, laptops, and crumpled-up but perhaps important(?) quizzes and notices decorate the kitchen island. Someday I’ll miss this mess, right?
Bohemian chic, shabby chic, cluttered chic? Just when the term “chic” cannot be applied to my home in any way a call came from TV location scouts. Now that the TV and film industry is so prominent in Georgia, we get this call a couple of times a year like so many other households around here. But we try to never get our hopes too high. Out of maybe twenty times our house has been scouted, it has only been used twice, so it’s equal parts exciting and annoying.
Exciting because who else would pay us just to get lost for 12 hours? Annoying because the effort involved in cleaning the house and hiding all the extra stuff for something that probably won’t happen is enormous. They tell us there is no need to tidy up, but we consistently conclude that they know not of what they speak. The first time our house was used was for Coca Cola/Kroger print ad that featured a family sharing a laugh and a Coke around our kitchen island. It probably
could’ve been any kitchen island in any house, anywhere, so paying us was a headscratcher. But we were happy to oblige.
The second time was a Checkers fast food commercial. The gist was that when you do a good deed, you deserve the Super Loaded Bacon Buford, which is a solid premise. “Diego” is filmed in our driveway loading heavy items onto a moving truck. It aired repeatedly during college basketball games, so I shouted “That’s our house!” every time it aired. They shot a second commercial in our breakfast room that never aired so we also know what it feels like to be snubbed by Hollywood.
This most recent call was for a Disney/ McDonald’s commercial though, and some Disney/McDonald’s money sure would
help with all the purchases of new stuff. Kristen took the lead, and we cleaned the house until it achieved a contrived aesthetic that conveyed ‘Our children are as tidy as they are scholarly!’ Walt Disney and Ronald McDonald themselves would approve.
The TV People examined various rooms, assessed the lighting and logistics, and were quite complimentary. They loved the house. Only Kristen thinks she overheard them say that for this particular commercial, they needed something a bit more modest, messy even. If only there was a bit more stuff scattered around. We may not be cut out for show business, but we’ll keep auditioning.
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Saving wild species
land, but graceful in the air. I’ll never forget the thrill of seeing them.
That paddle trip took place in the late 1980s, decades after the storks began disappearing and five years after the bird was added to the federal endangered species list. They had been declining at a rate of 5 percent per year, a trend that would have wiped them out by 2000 without intervention. The draining and development of wetlands, particularly in Florida where the majority of the birds lived then, resulted in their near extinction.
In 2014, U.S. Secretary of Interior Sally Jewell traveled to Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge on Georgia’s coast to announce the wood stork would be downlisted from endangered to threatened; the number of nesting pairs had significantly increased. At Harris Neck and on other land, investments in wetlands restoration over decades helped ensure the bird’s survival.
Other wildlife populations in Georgia have benefited from strong conservation programs, including the white-tailed deer (nearly extinct in the early 1900s), wild turkeys (also nearly extinct a century ago), red-cockaded woodpeckers (federally-listed as endangered species for fifty years, recently downlisted), and the gopher tortoise, among others.
I was just beginning to open my eyes early one morning in August when I heard mewing and chirping sounds outside my tent; otherwise, the campground in the Hoh Rain Forest was quiet. Unzipping the tent door and peering outside, I saw my friend Andrea quietly walking toward a herd of Roosevelt elk, all cows, and calves—the source of the chirping.
into the forest of moss-covered Sitka spruce, western hemlock, and bigleaf maple. One bull cohabits with this non-migratory elk herd, but he was nowhere to be seen. The evening before I had admired him and his harem from a distance, as the group rested on a gravel bar beside the glacial Hoh River, sparkling in the setting sun.
Visionary leadership
ABOVE THE WATER LINE
Sally Bethea
As a campground host, she had been trained to make certain gestures and sounds to move the huge animals away from the camping area and toward the nearby Hoh River. Keeping them outside the campground would be especially important in early fall, when rutting and bugling bulls, some weighing more than a thousand pounds, could become dangerous.
Scrambling into clothes and shoes, I followed Andrea and her co-hosts Julie and David toward the beautiful animals with dark brown heads, pale brown bodies, and cream-colored rumps; they were feeding on grasses, ferns, and shrubs. Eventually, they moved away from the campers and deeper
How bereft our spiritual lives would be without the beauty and diversity of life that has evolved on this planet—if we were not able to at least occasionally “come into the peace of wild things,” as Wendell Berry wrote in his beloved poem. Natural beauty makes living worthwhile. Safeguarding wild things in the remaining wild places is a moral act. That visitors to Olympic National Park and other protected areas can still experience the sight of Roosevelt elk is an important conservation success story. Thanks to visionary leaders, there are other, similar stories to tell, but not nearly enough, as species extinction rates accelerate.
The second largest member of the deer family behind moose, the Roosevelt elk was named for the great conservationist Teddy Roosevelt. That same year, thenpresident Grover Cleveland created the Olympic Forest Preserve to protect the
ecosystem from the intensive logging that was deforesting Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. Twelve years later, when he was president, Teddy established Mount Olympus National Monument, primarily to protect the elk and their habitat. The animals had been hunted nearly to extinction; at the time, upper canine elk teeth were in vogue as watch fobs for members of the Elks Lodge.
Three decades later, President Franklin D. Roosevelt toured the Olympic region and saw the elk named after his distant cousin—as well as the devastation caused by (often illegal) activities of the timber industry. In 1938, Franklin redesignated the federal land to receive greater protection as a national park. Today, Olympic National Park is a World Heritage site with nearly 5,000 Roosevelt elk: the largest, unmanaged herd in the Pacific Northwest.
Wildlife conservation in Georgia
As we paddled through wetlands in south Georgia’s Grand Bay Wildlife Management Area, a dozen or more wood storks circled high above our kayaks, gliding with the thermals: the upward convection of warm, rising air. It was my first viewing of these tall, white-and-black birds with bald heads, small eyes, and large bills—gawky on
Considered a keystone species, the gopher tortoise is linked to the survival of more than 350 other wildlife species that benefit from their spacious burrows in longleaf pine forests across the Southeast. Development, agriculture, climate change, invasive species, and other issues have resulted in serious habitat loss and a federally threatened species listing in some states. In Georgia, a collaborative initiative with private landowners has succeeded in permanently protecting nearly 65 viable gopher tortoise populations.
Right whales need help
Efforts to protect the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale, whose winter calving grounds include Georgia’s coast, are not going so well; fewer than 350 exist. Hunted to near extinction, listed as an endangered species fifty years ago, and now “in crisis,” this whale faces familiar enemies: human greed and ignorance.
Georgia Congressman Buddy Carter (R-Savannah) and others are fighting a proposed revision to the federal rule governing speeds for boats over thirty-five feet in length. Imposed only during winter months, the speed reduction would help minimize vessel collisions with whales. Carter has stated, without proof, that the shipping industry and jobs will be negatively impacted. Will we allow yet another wild species to become extinct on our watch?
22 | SEPTEMBER 2023 RoughDraftAtlanta.com
SUSTAINABLITY
Roosevelt Elk (Courtesy National Park Service)
Wood Stork (Courtesy National Audubon Society)
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A Sunday visit to Limoges Cellars
world where he took in all he could with the dreams of starting their own project.
He began making wine in his Avondale house while working with the University of Georgia viticultural program and searching for land throughout North Georgia. The pandemic obviously slowed this process, but they settled on land in Ellijay near Engelheim Cellars, but were unsuccessful with securing neighbor support, so they started over.
A day trip to a local winery is a perfect way to spend a weekend. In less than two hours from Atlanta, there are over 40 wineries and our very own AVA (American Viticultural Appellation) Dahlonega Plateau.
This region was established in 2018 and encompasses 344 square miles, including Lumpkin, Dawson, White, Pickens and Cherokee counties. The viticultural
portion is approximately 133 square miles, encompassing most of Lumpkin County and part of White County.
Georgia has a long history of winemaking and it was actually the sixth largest wine growing region in the U.S. when Prohibition passed. It wasn’t until the 1980s that the industry was reborn.
Each unique winery in Georgia is creating wines from grapes that are not only locally planted but also sourced from other states. The continental climate that sits in the shadows of the Blue Ridge Mountains brings its own set of challenges, especially our wretched humidity. Every establishment has had to adapt and create their own identity and we love visiting and seeing what is new.
On a recent Sunday afternoon, we
ventured up to the newest established winery, Limoges Cellars (limogescellars. com). Located on a quiet country road outside of Cleveland, it sits adjacent to the Dahlonega Plateau. The entrance is marked by a stone gate that gives way to a gravel road which winds up at a a hillside surrounded by neat vines.
The first building you notice is a sleek, black A-frame style house where owners Kristina and Daniel Limoges live with their nearly year old daughter. Further up the lane, lies the winery. Constructed as a modern barn, the building is country cool with a welcoming side porch that overlooks the vines.
Once inside, shelves behind a tasting counter hold the winery's current offerings. The labels are simple and neat which adds to the modern aesthetic. An unfinished loft creates high ceilings that give the building a dramatic feel. There are several tables for seating and meats and cheeses available in a small cooler.
Located behind a secret wall is their small winery – a room filled with boxes of bottles, fermentation tanks, a destemmer, a small bottling machine, a freezer that Dan uses for disgorgement and one barrel that is aging last year's wine. As we entered the winery, we were greeted by Dan and Kristina, who sat with us and shared their journey from corporate life in Avondale Estates to farm life in north Georgia.
The founding of Limoges Cellars is a passion project that began when Dan spent time working in Austria. After spending a month in Italy with Kristina and staying at a winery, he found his calling. Kristina described Dan as someone who fully immerses himself in something and can remember every detail.
They decided to deep dive into wine by going to local shops and trying as much wine as they could. With friends, the couple would blind taste complete selections of varietals from around the world. In his spare time, Dan began taking winemaking classes and traveling to California and around the
The property they found sat on a slope perfect for planting vines. With sun drenched slopes and space to build, Dan and Kristina purchased 37 acres and went to work. Dan continued to work in his corporate role and commuted to Norcross while spending any spare time planting and building. Eventually, the winery took precedence and, in 2022, they officially opened.
The focus for the plantings includes varietals that they fell in love with through their tasting regimen and in 2021 planted Vidal Blanc, Albariño, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Teroldego, Tannat, Nebbiolo. Their second vineyard was planted last spring with Chambourcin, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese, Grüner Veltliner. Each varietal has posed it’s own set of challenges and Dan and Kristina are finding out quickly what is working and how to adapt.
Currently they are offering an apple wine, two whites from grapes they have grown and two reds made from sourced Virginia grapes. The first offering is a sparkling apple wine made from local Mercier Apples. It is made by traditional Champagne method and is surprisingly dry and fresh with soft bubbles and an extremely clean finish. Their Cheval is made from the estate Vidal Blanc. The wine is light with notes of citrus and white peach and refreshing acidity.
The second estate wine is the Femme Sallee. This “salty girl” is made from estate Albariño (a nod to Kristina’s Spanish heritage) and has floral notes and a definite saline element. While their estate red grapes are maturing and going through their growing pains, Dan is using grapes from Virginia. The Cabernet Franc is unlike any in North Georgia. This wine is made in a style that Dan wanted to represent wines he loves. It is light and fresh with dark fruits and unmistakable Cab Franc spice. The Petite Verdot is more classic with darker ripe fruits and savory herbs.
A day trip to North Georgia is always a welcome reprieve from the city and we are lucky that the Limoges family has found its home here. These wines will redefine what is being produced in this evolving landscape.
24 | SEPTEMBER 2023 RoughDraftAtlanta.com
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26 | SEPTEMBER 2023 RoughDraftAtlanta.com
Announcing ELEVATE 2023: Roots, Renaissance, and Renegades celebrating our Hip Hop history and future with curator, Melissa Alexander
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Event Spotlight: The World Famous Mic Club
In 2002, less than a decade after relocating to Atlanta, D.R.E.S. The Beatnik launched The World Famous Mic Club at Apache Cafe. The renowned host - who has held court on the most coveted stages in the city - will be the first to admit that the concept behind Mic Club was far from innovative: rap battles have been a part of Hip-Hop culture for practically its entire 50 year history. But this particular event stood out for two reasons: the way in which the battles were conducted and the motivation behind them.
The World Famous Mic Club has been never about competition for competition’s sake. Upon reviving the event in 2013 after a five year hiatus, D.R.E.S. told Creative Loafing that his primary motivation was to help foster a better underground Hip-Hop scene in Atlanta by creating a platform to help artists, producers and DJs hone their skills. To achieve that goal over the years, he’s enlisted the support of some of the biggest and most respected names in Hip-Hop, including QTip (from A Tribe Called Quest), Little Brother and Grammy Award winning producer Diamond D, whose discography includes songs by Fat Joe, The Fugees, and Outkast. To keep the focus on true skill building, The World Famous Mic Club also abandoned the idea of a cash prize for its winning contestants; and that WAS a revolutionary move at the time of its launch. Experts and fans judged the
competition, and the winning M.C. walked away with the most coveted cultural currency in Hip-Hop: respect.
Over the course of its 21 year history, The World Famous Mic Club’s 21 has contributed to the history of some of Atlanta’s most beloved Hip-Hop venues and talent, thus becoming an indelible part of the culture’s history in the city.
There’s No Hip-Hop In The A Without The DJ
By DJ Sean Falyon
The day I moved to Atlanta - June 4th, 2004 - Baby D and Lil C took me to the Big Oomp Record Store in the West End, and DJ Jelly was in the back making a mixtape. I had already heard about him and the mixtape scene in Atlanta, but this was my official introduction. And for the next few weeks, Jelly and the Oomp Camp were showing me around the city and introducing me to so many people I needed to know as an up-and-coming artist, which I was at the time. I had no idea I was getting inducted into Atlanta royalty.
The things Jelly was doing professionally at the time helped expand my perception of what success in music could look like. He was one of the first people I really saw creating his own remixes, mixing videos and actively monetizing his skills as a DJ beyond being the guy setting the tone at a party. That helped me realize that I could do other things with my passion; and that was what allowed me to expand my career to curating events, DJing and even producing myself.
My introduction to DJ Toomp was similar: I knew of him from his original career as an actual DJ for JT Money and the Poison Clan in Florida. By the time he and I met in person, through my relationship with Bonecrusher, he was already this multi-platinum, world renowned producer. He played us “What You Know” by T.I. before it was released and what has stood out about Toomp’s production from that day on is how cinematic his music always sounds. Years later, he was one of the featured DJs at my All Vinyl Everything event, and he was still as sharp as he was in the 90s in terms of his technical skills. A lot of people don’t even realize that about him because they only know DJ Toomp, the producer.
Both DJ Jelly and DJ Toomp played a major role in my life. But even if I didn’t know them personally, it would be almost impossible for me to do what I do in Atlanta without their influence. People may not realize it but DJs played just as huge of a role in laying the foundation for Hip-Hop culture here as they did in New York. Guys like Toomp, Jelly and Kizzy Roc dominated the culture so crazily that I don’t even think they realize that they are true pillars in this city. But if we’re honest: these guys were instrumental in shaping the Atlanta sound. The city might not mean what it does to Hip-Hop today if it weren’t for these pioneers.
28 | SEPTEMBER 2023 RoughDraftAtlanta.com
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DINING
Atlanta Food & Wine Festival returns Sept. 20-24
By Sammie Purcell
The Atlanta Food & Wine Festival has announced its chef lineup for its tasting tents and gourmet gatherings.
The festival takes place Sept. 20-24 in Historic Fourth Ward Park, according to a press release. The festival’s tasting tents are its signature event, offering unlimited food, wine, and cocktails as well as live chef demonstrations and interactive experiences. The festival’s “gourmet gatherings” will be a series of intimate in-restaurant experiences ranging from brunch to dinner, and will be hosted throughout the city.
Friday, Sept. 22, 7-10 p.m.
Day one’s tasting tent experience includes a new addition called “Atlanta After Dark.” This event will offer a selection of drinks from Atlanta’s best mixologists, cocktail bars, and liquor brands. Friday talent also includes Katsuji Tanabe of Cary, North Carolina’s a’Verde Cocina + Tequila Library, Trader Vic’s, Hattie B’s Hot Chicken, Hero Doughnuts & Buns, Superica, Foundation Social Eatery, and more.
Saturday, Sept. 23, 4-8 p.m.
Day two’s tasting tent experience includes DAS BBQ, Delbar, Hattie B’s Hot Chicken, Ladybird, Tiny Lou’s, TWO Urban Licks, Alon’s Bakery, The Southern Gentleman, and more.
Sunday, Sept. 24, 1-5 p.m.
The final day of tasting tents includes the likes of DAS BBQ, Delbar, Hattie B’s Hot Chicken, Le Bon Nosh, One Flew South, and more. Tickets for gourmet gatherings can be purchased online, and the full lineup can be found below.
Wednesday, Sept. 20
Chef Josue Peña of the Iberian Pig and Chef Liron Eisenberg of Stateside Kitchen at the Dream Hotel in Nashville are teaming up for a dinner experience at The Iberian Pig in Buckhead.
Chef Santiago Gomez of Palo Santo and Chef Parnass Savang of Talat Market will come
together for a meal that blends Mexican cuisine and Thai street food at Palo Santo.
Thursday, Sept. 21
Chefs Aaron Phillips of Lazy Betty and Freddy Money of Atlas are joining forces at Lazy Betty to celebrate the best of both of their establishments.
Friday, Sept. 22
The Sound of Food, Taste of Music at Trolley Barn: Anthony Saunders of The Atlanta Breakfast Club is teaming up with Chefs John Thomas, Briana Riddock, Andre Gomez, George Lopez, and Christan Willis for a multi-course meal that includes live musical performances.
Western Europe Meets the South: Chef Jared Hucks of The Alden and Pat Pascarella of The Porchetta Group will join forces at The Alden to offer up delicious Southern flavor with a twist.
Rough Draft Presents: A Delicious Harvest Harmony: In partnership with Atlanta Food & Wine Festival, Rough Draft will present a culinary collaboration between two of Atlanta’s most innovative chefs, Jarrett Stieber of Little Bear and Olivia McCoy of Daily Chew.
Saturday, Sept. 23
Not Your Average Southern Dinner: Chef Robert Butts of Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours and Michael Straniewicz of Wrecking Bar Brewpub will introduce you to innovative soul food creations and libations.
A Night at the Americano: Chef Scott Conant of The Americano and a surprise guest chef present an Italian meal combined with the storytelling power of food.
Sunday, Sept. 24
Sunday Slice of Humble Pie: Enjoy a Sunday brunch at Humble Pie with a delicious menu from Chefs Ron Hsu, Lorien Vilchez and Megan Allen of 7acre.
Get tickets and more details about the festival at atlfoodandwinefestival.com.
30 | SEPTEMBER 2023 RoughDraftAtlanta.com
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Christopher Escobar on the challenges of reopening the Tara
1 TEAM
By Sammie Purcell
When the Tara Theatre reopened in late May, the initial response was electric.
“The first weekend was tremendous,” said Christopher Escobar, executive director of the Atlanta Film Society. Escobar took over operations at the Tara after Regal Cinemas closed the theater in 2022 after more than 50 years in service.
“We had a lot of the diehards who were incredibly excited – probably had the most people in the building that the Tara had seen in a few years,” Escobar said.
But after that initial weekend, business started to slow down a bit. These past couple of months have come with their own set of challenges for Escobar and the rest of the team working to keep the Tara open. Escobar said business has picked up periodically – particularly over the
weekend of July 21 when both “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” debuted – but other than that, business has been in a sort of middle, gray area.
“Up until [“Barbie” and “Oppenheimer”], it was interesting, because it was neither going so great that I was like, ok we’re totally set, but it also wasn’t going so poorly that I was panicking,” Escobar said.
Escobar said it helps that Halpern Enterprises, which owns the Cheshire Square shopping center where the cinema is located, agreed to not charge full rent for the first year of the theater’s reopening. Escobar reopened the Tara with the help of Atlanta Jewish Film Festival Executive Director Kenny Blank, who has a relationship with the Halpern family and helped facilitate those conversations.
According to Escobar, the Tara is doing
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Christopher Escobar (Photo courtesy Maria Saporta/Saporta Report)
double the numbers now that it was at the same time last year. However, it’s only doing 80% of the numbers it was doing at the same time in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic has obviously played a role in the number of people going to movie theaters over the past three years, but the Plaza Theatre – the other independent movie theater Escobar owns – is doing better business now than it was prepandemic, Escobar said.
“We’re doing good,” Escobar said of business at the Tara. “But we need to be doing better by this time next year. And I think we’re heading that way.”
While Escobar expected many of the challenges that come with opening a movie theater in 2023, there were still a few surprises. He said over the past two months, the Tara has experienced four power outages that have lasted more than an hour.
“When we have these projectors with
to the demographics of each theaters’ audience. Escobar didn’t want to overgeneralize but said that there does tend to be an older crowd at the Tara. That age difference translates to movie times as well – at the Tara, movies should rarely start after 9 p.m. while at the Plaza, movies shouldn’t play before 3 p.m. except for maybe on a weekend.
Escobar said that because so many tickets sold at the Tara are senior or matinee tickets, the Tara often has to sell a lot more tickets than the Plaza would for a similar film to make the same amount of money. Concessions also tend to be more popular at the Plaza, which sells liquor, beer, and wine in addition to popcorn and candy (the Tara does not have a bar, but Escobar said one is in the works). However, Escobar also said that the people who do buy tickets online for movies at the Tara are far more likely to add a donation to that ticket price than their Plaza counterparts. The reopening of the Tara was accompanied by a fundraising campaign that raised over $50,000 in seven weeks.
In the near future, the Tara will have a Wes Anderson and Christopher Nolan retrospective, as well as an Alfred Hitchcock series.
6,000-watt bulbs and nine air conditioners cooling the building, it would be impossible for us to have a battery backup for that much power,” Escobar said.
But despite some challenges, Escobar said he has felt validated in the business plan set forth for the Tara. Before the cinema’s reopening, it was announced that there would be screenings of older films as well as new releases. With the exception of the joint “Barbenheimer” weekend, the majority of the cinema’s ticket sales – nearly 60% – have been for older films rather than new ones.
The Plaza also plays a healthy mix of old and new movies, but the differences between the two theaters have been eyeopening, Escobar said. At the Plaza, most people who come in have bought a ticket online. At the Tara, there are a lot more people walking up and deciding on the spot what they’d like to see that day.
“Because of that, it’s really hard to have a sense of how many people we’re going to have ultimately, because so much of it is walk-up sales as opposed to tickets in advance,” Escobar said. “That makes it kind of difficult to make sure we have the right amount of staff on hand and that sort of thing.”
This difference could be chalked up
Escobar also said the Tara is looking to forge more community partnerships such as the Plaza’s ongoing relationships with organizations like Videodrome and Wussy Magazine.
“I think the Tara will also have its own unique programming partners from the community,” Escobar said. “That’s also going to be an important part of its success.”
He said no partners are firmed up right now, but he’s hoping to link up with organizations like the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival and The Atlanta Opera. He also said there are plans to cycle through different decor in the Tara lobby, which includes the antique film equipment on display. On occasion, there will also be special exhibits.
Escobar said throughout the reopening, he’s heard a lot of Plaza regulars say they’re going to make it a point to also visit the Tara, and vice versa. He said he hopes the Tara’s resurgence will remind moviegoers not to take independent theaters for granted.
“People realize, oh yeah – these places don’t just exist regardless of me,” he said. “They can only continue to exist because I go to them and support them.”
Check out the current movie lineup and buy tickets at taraatlanta.com.
SEPTEMBER 2023 | 33 RoughDraftAtlanta.com 628
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Newport RE sells South Downtown portfolio to Braden Fellman
By Dyana Bagby
German real estate company Newport RE will not be able to fulfill its dreams to revitalize about 10 blocks of South Downtown Atlanta after investor funding dried up, forcing the company to sell its entire portfolio.
Newport announced in July it would be selling its portfolio for its massive project, named South DWNTN, to Atlanta-based Braden Fellman Group.
Braden Fellman is known for adaptive reuse projects throughout the city. Last year, the company helped transform the former headquarters of the North Georgia Methodist Conference at 159 Ralph McGill Blvd. in Downtown into the Revival Lofts. Braden Fellman also developed the Mattress Factory Lofts in Grant Park.
The Newport portfolio includes 53 buildings and six acres of parking lots, including Historic Hotel Row, South Broad Street properties, the M. Rich Building, and the HL Green Co building. The project’s centerpiece, 222 Mitchell, is also being sold as part of the deal.
company’s $500 million vision over 10 years was to create a thriving neighborhood with retail, restaurants, office, hotels, and residential spaces.
But market changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s war on Ukraine and rising interest rates led investors in South Downtown to decide to back out, according to Newport.
“We believe in this neighborhood wholeheartedly; our vision was right, but our timing was off, and we have the highest hopes that South Downtown will continue becoming a cool, historic, downtown neighborhood that Atlanta deserves,” said Newport CEO Olaf Kunkat in the news release.
“Simply put, the market changes coming out of COVID, prolonged war in Europe, and recent rise in interest rates led Newport and our South Downtown investors needing to reprioritize capital investments,” Kunkat said Going forward Kunkat said Newport will only focus on investment and development opportunities in its primary German market.
“As for South Downtown, this decision is incredibly hard and disappointing. We are convinced that the project needs to continue under a U.S. developer and are grateful to have found a uniquely qualified team with deep history in Atlanta to assume the entire portfolio with Braden Fellman,” Kunkat said.
Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Braden Fellman is set to close on the South Downtown portfolio in the fourth quarter of this year, according to a Newport news release.
Newport began buying properties in South Downtown in 2016, amassing dozens of historic buildings for adaptive reuse. The
Historic Hotel Row is the only phase of South Downtown that is complete, and retail openings and signings will continue throughout the year, according to Newport. TydeTate Kitchen opened in April, and Spiller Park Coffee plans to open its fourth location later this year.
Newport’s plans to adapt 222 Mitchell, a former bank headquarter that spans an
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Mitchell Street is the heart of the South Downtown project.
(Photo by Isadora Pennington)
A rendering of the revamped 222 Mitchell building.
entire block, into a major office and retail building will change under Braden Fellman’s ownership.
According to the news release, immediate plans include continuing to ensure successful openings for Hotel Row’s retail and restaurant tenants and resuming construction at 222 Mitchell “to deliver much-needed residential units and a similar robust retail experience to the original plans.”
More announcements are expected to come soon.
“We’re extremely proud of the work we’ve done restoring Historic Hotel Row and setting the stage for South Downtown to be a sought-after destination in our city,” said April Stammel, senior vice president of Marketing, Leasing, & Community at Newport, in the release.
“As part of Newport’s local team that has worked on the ground for the past six years, this is incredibly bittersweet,” she said.
“We’ve assembled an amazing portfolio of contiguous historic buildings and vacant land, and I am fully confident this next chapter with Braden Fellman will inject the stability needed to continue pushing the neighborhood forward.”
Andrew Braden, principal at Braden Fellman, said in the news release that his company’s “focus has been reviving historic structures through preservation and enhancing communities, so the opportunity to work alongside Newport’s Atlanta-based team and execute on a similar vision is a natural fit.”
“It’s early in the process but we’re excited about the opportunity to leverage our track record in historic preservation and are inspired by the work Newport started to maintain the rich history of the buildings in South Downtown,” Braden said.
Ground broken for city’s 5th tallest tower
Development company Rockefeller Group has broken ground at 1072 West Peachtree Street in Midtown for a 60-story tower that will become Atlanta’s fifth tallest building
The 730-foot tall, mixed-use tower will offer 350 apartments, 224,000 square feet of office space, and 6,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space.
For perspective, the building will be taller than the Westin Peachtree Plaza.
Rockefeller Group purchased the 1-acre property for $25 million in 2020 and originally presented the project as a 61-story building in a 2021 Midtown Development Review Committee meeting.
The property on West Peachtree is the former site of a U.S. Postal Service branch.
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B u i l d e r : L a d i s i c F i n e H o m e s | I n t e r i o r D e s i g n : B r i a n W a t f o r d I n t e r i o r s | A r c h i t e c t u r e : C a s t r o D e s i g n S t u d i o C a b i n e t s : M a r i o n & B o n d M i l l w o r k | P h o t o g r a p h e r : R u s t i c W h i t e I n t e r i o r s
Collin Kelley
Great designs for Atlanta communities
During these uncertain times, HammerSmith is here for you and your family. We provide safe, essential services, architectural designs and home renovations. Start planning today for how to live better in a changed world.
HammerSmith is here for you and your family. We provide exceptional architectural designs and home renovations. Start planning today for how to live better in an ever-changing world.
PERSPECTIVES IN ARCHITECTURE
Undeterred by waning demand for architectural services due to the 2008 Great Recession, Architect Jordache Avery started
XMETRICAL (pronounced za-metrical) as a modern design-focused firm in 2009. Owning a thriving design firm can be quite an achievement for an enterprising architect. Self-employed architects have more creative freedom and flexibility with selected projects. They also face the challenges of finding clients and generating referrals from completed projects.
A lover of architecture by Frank Lloyd Wright and Mies Van De Rohe, Avery saw a growing interest in Atlanta for modern home design with open floor plans, streamlined detailing, and an abundance of natural light. He slowly built a portfolio of traditional residential additions and renovations. By 2014, the Florida A&M Architecture School graduate completed the construction of his personal residence as his first modern home. He placed the project on the Modern Atlanta Home Tour to help boost his clientele for modern design and to gain creative independence from Atlanta’s traditional housing market.
Brilliant designs, such as the Sanders Modern home in 2016, created a buzz during the tour. The architect blurred the boundaries between interior and exterior spaces for the 1785-square-foot residence on a small lot in Southeast Atlanta. Floor-to-ceiling windows, oversized sliding doors, and the use of dark hardwoods on the exterior and interior extended living and entertainment spaces outdoors. Omission of floor base trim and ornamental detailing generated heightened interior spaces. XMETRICAL homes have become an
annual staple for the tour with subsequent projects including Overbrook, Antone, and Spring Valley.
While Black architects comprise only 3% of the field, Avery has triumphed over the challenges as a new firm and occasional biases from prospective clients. In 2021, Atlanta magazine named him as one of the most powerful leaders in Atlanta. XMETRICAL has grown to be one of the most in-demand modern home design firms in Atlanta. His portfolio has expanded to
feature affordable housing, entertainment, and commercial office projects.
Recently, XMETRICAL earned a Merit Design Award from the Georgia Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA Georgia) for urban design, transit station
36 | SEPTEMBER 2023 RoughDraftAtlanta.com
Melody Harclerode
Ten5 Townhomes
1081 Sanders
8
Interior at Ashley Point
SEPTEMBER 2023 | 37 RoughDraftAtlanta.com THE INTOWN OFFICE | 1518 MONROE DR NE, STE. E | ATLANTA, GA 30324 | 404-897-5558 | HARRYNORMAN.COM/INTOWN Information is believed to be accurate, but is not warranted. Offers subject to errors, changes, omissions, prior sales, and withdrawals without notice. HARRY NORMAN, REALTORS®
INTOWN OFFICE ATLANTA’S FIRST IN LUXURY featured listing ANDRENE ESCOFFERY REALTOR ® #1 IN CLOSED TRANSACTIONS THE INTOWN OFFICE C: 678-525-4388 | O: 404-897-5558 AndreneEscoffery.HarryNorman.com 681 QUILLIAN AVE. DECATUR, GA. 30032 NEW MODERN FARMHOUSE Listed at $819,000 4 BEDROOMS | 3 FULL BATH 1 HALF BATH PAULA HEER REALTOR ® C: 678-427-7194 | O: 404-897-5558 Paula@ATLmyhome.com 95 VANNOY STREET ATLANTA, GA 30317 SOLD MULTIPLE OFFERS UNDER CONTRACT IN 5 DAYS SOLD FOR 106% OF LIST PRICE! 2745 EATON PLACE CHAMBLEE, GA 30341 SOLD MULTIPLE OFFERS UNDER CONTRACT IN 3 DAYS SOLD FOR 102% OF LIST PRICE! MULTIPLE OFFERS ARE STILL HAPPENING WITH THE RIGHT AGENT AND THE RIGHT PLAN! ACTIVE you will be proud to call this home!
THE
design, and analysis with the Campbellton Road Community Investment Corridor project. The Ten5 townhome development in the Summerhill community taps into Avery’s multi-family project experience. Self-Made Studios, a soundstage and music studio project, is under construction in Castleberry Hills.
With a talented team of designers on staff, Avery is intent for XMETRICAL to create exhibits of great design for
generations to come. “Architecture has the capacity to express the dynamic stories of our clients, unique sites, and culture. We enjoy the opportunity to work with our clients to shape these stories.”
For more information about Jordache Avery and XMETRICAL, tune into the Uplifting Places podcast hosted by Melody Harclerode on Spotify.
38 | SEPTEMBER 2023 RoughDraftAtlanta.com
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Interior at 1081 Sanders
SEPTEMBER 2023 | 39 RoughDraftAtlanta.com Northside Family Medicine & Urgent Care 1110 W Peachtree St. NW Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30309 404-575-2000 northsideurgentcare.com Northside Hospital Orthopedic InstituteSports MedicineSandy Springs 960 Johnson Ferry Rd. NE Suite 415 Atlanta, GA 30342 404-847-4380 sportsmedicine.northside.com Complete Cardiology, P.C. Dr. Steven J. Eisenberg 1100 Johnson Ferry Rd. Center Pointe 2 Suite 450 Atlanta, GA 30342 404-939-9200 ccatlanta.com We’re proud to be your community of care. Our top experts use innovative methods guided by compassionate care and personalized treatment for every patient. Northside is leading the way to healthier lives in Midtown. Ask your doctor for more information or visit northside.com/Midtown-locations A Community of Care. Close to Home.
Bringing the Dream of Home Ownership to Atlanta for Over a Decade The “People’s Realtor!”
Associate Broker Rob Hall recently celebrated his 11th year anniversary by adding a seventh professional designation behind his name. Achieving the coveted "Luxury Home Real Estate Professional" Designation in June. In a recent interview Rob was asked; "Why do you think families continue to choose you?" We feel his candid answer speaks for itself; "Most people get into real estate, but Real Estate got into me. I am "The People's Realtor!" I was made for this." His ability to consistently collect 5-Star Google Reviews reflect his dedication to the service he provides. Check out what two recent clients had to say:
“Rob is very competent & protective of his clients. Highly recommend that you use Rob when you list or buy your next property!” Peterson Peak Investments
“Working with Rob is an absolute game changer in our real estate journey! We couldn’t have asked for a better advocate by our side.”
M. Pouncy
Since launching, The Rob Hall Realty Group, Rob has consistently placed among the top 5% in the real estate industry.
ROB HALL
ASSOCIATE BROKER
Top 5% Producer, Atlanta REALTOR® Assn - 2018-2022 C: 678.631-6731 0: 404.266.8100
E: Rob.Hall@bhhsgeorgia.com www.realtorrobsells.com
Seller Representative Specialist • Certified Negotiation Expert • Luxury Home RE Professional • Accredited Buyer Representative • Relocation Specialist • Military Relocation Professional • Short Sales & Foreclosure Resource A member of the franchise system of BHH Affiliates, LLC