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Fast-moving downtownATL editorial updates and city momentum coverage.
The annual ABL CEO Awards Luncheon recognized Centennial Yards president Brian McGowan as CEO of the Year, alongside Gathering Spot co-founders and former WNBA president Lisa Borders.
Atlanta's Department of Watershed Management lifted a boil water advisory affecting approximately 50,000 customers Saturday morning, after an internal power failure at the Hemphill Water Treatment Plant triggered the precautionary measure the day before. Testing confirmed no contamination was detected and water met EPA standards.
As South Downtown's 16-acre revitalization draws World Cup visitors, nonprofit CEO Brianna Jackson is working to ensure longtime residents and small businesses share in the neighborhood's transformation.
Bottle Rocket bar opens on Mitchell Street. Seventeen new foot-beat officers deploy to Zone 5. The MARTA A-Line is operational. Founders Green is under construction with trees, lights, and climbing mounds going in. And SoDo Atlanta wins Best in Atlanta Real Estate.
With 54 days before FIFA World Cup matches arrive, Atlanta officials tout security and hospitality preparations, while community advocates raise concerns about housing, homelessness, and public safety.
Atlanta's first open container district takes effect April 15. Smorgasburg draws 5,000+ every Saturday. El Tesoro and Glide Pizza confirmed opening before the World Cup. And historic streetcar #269, built in 1921, returns to downtown after nearly 80 years.
A.J. Robinson, the hat-wearing president and CEO of Central Atlanta Progress, announced his departure after 23 years leading downtown's most influential civic organization — just as the city enters a historic development boom.
A decade after voters approved a special sales tax for BeltLine rail transit, no tracks have been laid. In 2026, city leaders and transit advocates are split on whether the 22-mile loop needs trains — or whether its success as a trail is enough.
On March 11, 2026, Central Atlanta Progress and the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District unveiled their new shared identity, Downtown Atlanta Inc., before 850 people at the Georgia Aquarium - the largest annual meeting in the organization's history.
Atlanta's World Cup Host Committee expressed confidence in the city's preparation 95 days before the tournament, highlighting infrastructure upgrades, MARTA expansions, and the FIFA Fan Festival at Centennial Olympic Park.
Atlanta business and civic leaders are drawing on lessons from the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games as the city prepares to host eight World Cup matches, expecting over 300,000 international visitors this summer.
Atlanta cleared the Bell Street homeless encampment near Grady Memorial Hospital as part of its "Downtown Rising" initiative, aiming to house hundreds of people ahead of the June FIFA World Cup. The effort has drawn both praise for its housing-first approach and criticism as a temporary fix to a deeper regional crisis.
Less than 100 days to the World Cup. The Junction sandwich shop returns after 30 years, Smorgasburg Atlanta debuts with 40+ vendors every Saturday, Founders Green takes shape, and crews unearth a 1910s Jacobs' Pharmacy bottle on Mitchell Street.
Between late 2024 and early 2026, three overlapping planning efforts asked Atlantans how they want to get around: MARTA's once-in-a-generation bus redesign, the city's first Comprehensive Transportation Plan since ATLDOT was created, and a feasibility study for a new docked bikeshare system.
Seven general contractors and hundreds of workers are building six days a week across South Downtown. 85 Peachtree apartments launch leasing this spring, Estrellita relocates to 115 Broad Street, and the ATL Global Innovation Weekend brings builders together.
