From the Show Versus Tell newsletter by Jon Birdsong, CEO of SoDo Atlanta — Volume 3, Month 1 (February 2026)
Seven different general contractors and hundreds of construction workers are operating six days a week across South Downtown, coordinated from the office at 235 Mitchell Street. The Broad Street transformation is well underway, with dramatic before-and-after progress visible along the corridor.
For context, Central Atlanta Progress defines the downtown boundaries as covering 640 city blocks — approximately one-third of Manhattan's area.
History
Nearly 65 years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and 55 students from the Atlanta University Center began sit-ins across the neighborhood, starting at Rich's department store — a pivotal moment in American civil rights history.
Safety & Security
Twenty-five law enforcement officers and downtown stakeholders convened at Atlanta Tech Village - Sylvan to discuss Five Points MARTA Station. Participants included APD, MARTA PD, GSU PD, Centennial Yards, AMBSE, Selig, Underground, and South Downtown representatives. Crime in downtown has statistically decreased more than any other area in the city, though perception gaps remain. New surveillance cameras have been installed throughout Five Points station. One challenge: six different property owners across Broad Street Plaza complicate coordinated safety efforts.
Community
Terminus Hub — A new creative workspace featuring green screens, podcast studios, huddle rooms, and targeted programming has opened for co-working creatives.
Estrellita — The beloved business is relocating from Grant Park to a larger location at 115 Broad Street. Owners Hope Webb and Walter Cortado are expanding into the heart of South Downtown.
Community Tours — Paid hardhat tours have begun for 82 Peachtree, the former department store that originally contained Rich's in 1907 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
ATL Global Innovation Weekend — Heart of South Downtown is hosting a weekend-long civic hackathon on Friday, February 20th, with a registration deadline of February 6th.
Development
85 Peachtree — 26 apartments ranging from studios to 2-bedroom units will launch leasing this spring. The historic brick exterior is being revealed as scaffolding comes down, and interior orange steel reinforcement — added after MARTA tunnels were dug under Broad Street — gives the spaces a distinctive industrial character.
127 days until the World Cup. The full-out sprint to the finish line has started.
Source: Show Versus Tell Newsletter