From MeloMom, straight off the Atlanta Cuisine Restaurant Talk Forum (which seems to get more and more of its info off DM!)…

We also heard a little more about the new location in the Rue de Leon space. They have signed a lease (I heard about this on the Decatur Metro blog) and Mike says they may be open by November. He finds the Decatur people a lot easier to work with than the Atlanta folks (big surprise). As we’ve heard previously, it will be menu-driven, still with great beers, but not really pub food. They will still keep an eye on prices to keep things reasonable. There is an unused courtyard behind this space that I think might join up with their current location, and Mike said he would love to have the use of that for an outdoor “beer garden.” Me, too!

Though I’m pretty sure these two properties aren’t adjacent (this tax map [pdf] clearly shows it), an outdoor beer garden sounds great!

Get ready everyone…cause it sounds like the 315 W. Ponce developers are going to the planning commission for approval in August. This date is based on rumblings that I’ve personally heard and from a recent note by Wardell on the Oakhurst Message Board.

That same note also asks (with a few too many CAPS in my opinion) residents to sign a petition that opposes the current development plan for the site. 34 people have signed the online version thus far.

Here it is in full…

We the undersigned hereby petition the Decatur City Commission, the Decatur Planning Commission, and the Decatur Zoning Board of Appeals as follows:

1) That the current proposed development of dwelling units abutting and adjacent to this R-60 neighborhood not be permitted on this C-2 Site.

2) That any other residential development on this site be approved only if it will not have adverse effects on the density, traffic, public services, or schools of the existing R-60 site.

3) That any development be required to meet all current zoning requirements as to parking for this site.

So I guess this means the neighborhood isn’t really working on a compromise, huh?

And I have just one question at the moment about this petition…how does one measure and/or determine any potential “adverse effects”? I think there are lots of assumptions being made here that have yet to be proven.

For those new to this issue, I highly recommend this post to get up to speed on the arguments of both sides.

As you may recall, I wrote an open letter to Atlantic Station a few weeks back about its oh-so-lovely Millennium Arch.  We then had a lively debate about it…”Does it reflect Roman ideals or Atlanta’s identity crisis?”  We kicked a few butts, wrote down a couple names, and then moved on.

But surprisingly, despite our learned discussion, the Arch still stands!  In fact, its undeniable strangeness is even beginning to get national attention.  The Christian Science Monitor actually attended the opening of the arch and asked locals and its creator for their opinions.  (There’s even an accompanying video, in case you’ve got time to kill and you like videos that make you feel slightly awkward.)

Though the article gives its creator some air time, its hard to ignore the general undertone of skepticism by the author towards the project.  A quote is even pulled from a critic on the Skyscraperpage.com forum that calls the Arch “a kitschy McMonument that bespeaks a cultural inferiority complex.”

So just add this article to the pile that frames Atlanta on the national stage, as a city that lacks identity.

But take heart!  Even at Atlantic Station there are efforts to tie the development to the city and its site.  Take this great piece of factory equipment from the old Atlantic Steel Mill that now serves as a statue in one of the development’s parks.

Unfortunately, these pieces don’t get the same kinda press as the silly Arch.

[h/t: Fresh Loaf]

(photo courtesy of Wikipedia)

Are you a diehard Oakhurst resident? Do you like to support good causes and find yourself drinking out of glasses?

Then Taste might have just the thing for you!

Due to the popularity of the City of Decatur Tervis Tumblers that supported the city’s Youth Fund for Sports, Taste has brought back the glass, this time with an Oakhurst logo. Steve at Taste reports that 20% of the proceeds will go back to ONA to provide property tax relief for the elderly.

Tumblers range between $11 and $15 depending on size.

Here’s an example of what a Tervis Tumbler looks like, albeit with a different logo. UPDATE: Steve at Taste has provided the logo that will appear on the glass.  See below.