5 stories · Inside The Perimeter, Atlanta
Meeples Games and Goods will open at The Beacon this summer with a game library, coffee, beer, wine, and baked goods. Owner Inez Falcon-Haus wants to build community through play.
GSU wants to transform the area around Center Parc Stadium into a cohesive sports campus. New softball, beach volleyball, and football practice facilities are planned for the next three to five years, all within walking distance of Georgia Avenue.
Ed McBrayer spent 35 years at PATH Foundation connecting Atlanta with trails. His vision helped shape the BeltLine, Silver Comet, and countless other paths we take for granted.
The trendy Beltline warehouse complex that thrived during COVID is now seeing major vacancy issues. A local resident estimates only 35% of retail space is occupied, a dramatic drop for what was once a weekend hotspot. The Beacon's struggles highlight broader challenges for Beltline developments as the novelty wears off and economic pressures mount.
The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passed bipartisan legislation with a Warnock-backed provision that would ban large corporations from owning more than 350 single-family homes. The 89-10 vote shows rare bipartisan agreement on tackling housing affordability by limiting institutional investors who have been gobbling up homes across Atlanta and other hot markets.
Grant Park is one of Atlanta's oldest neighborhoods, centered around the 131-acre park of the same name that also houses Zoo Atlanta. It sits southeast of Downtown, bounded roughly by Boulevard to the west, I-20 to the north, Bill Kennedy Way to the east, and Confederate Avenue (recently renamed United Avenue) to the south. The neighborhood has a strong residential identity, with tree-lined streets, front-porch culture, and a tight-knit community that actually shows up to neighborhood association meetings.
The food scene in Grant Park has quietly become one of the best in the city. You have Ria's Bluebird for brunch (a genuine Atlanta institution), Gunshow for the prix fixe cart service experience, and a stretch of restaurants and bars along Memorial Drive that keeps growing. Saturday mornings bring the Grant Park Farmers Market, one of the better ones in the city. The neighborhood is close to the BeltLine's Southside Trail, which is still being developed but is already changing real estate patterns on this side of town.
Grant Park housing is dominated by Victorian-era homes and Craftsman bungalows, many of which have been lovingly restored. It's a designated historic district, so there are rules about what you can do with the exterior of your home. Prices have climbed significantly, but it still feels more neighborhood-y and less scene-y than some of the trendier ITP spots. Families love it here. Dog owners love it here. People who want a real front yard and a short drive to Downtown love it here.