Decatur is one of 11 finalists for this year’s Atlanta Magazine “Groundbreaker of the Year” Award.  According to the mag’s website, the program was launched in 2012 ” with the goal of honoring people and projects that make Atlanta a better place to live, emphasizing innovation and new ideas.”

The magazine’s theme for this year is “Building (and Rebuilding) a Better Place to Live.” “They explain, “We sought out smart work not only in development, but in preservation, parks, public art, and environmental stewardship. The 11 members of the 2015 class range from an urbanist project in the suburbs to a passionate advocate of public arts to a transformative reimagining of highway right-of-way.”

In its blurb, Decatur is recognized for its ongoing “environmental work” and it’s ARC Green Communities “platinum” status. The city’s current work with its “Better Together” diversity initiative, zoning changes to allow smaller housing options, the Lifelong Community Advisory Board and the MLK Service Program also all received a mention.

Decatur is up against a field of 10 worthy challengers, including a mixed use project in Alpharetta, Clark Howard’s involvement in Habitat for Humanity, MARTA CEO Keith Parker, Arts non-profit WonderRoot, PATH400 and others.

Take a look at all the candidates, and if you think Decatur is deserving of the award, you can vote for it HERE!

Photo courtesy of McVeigh Mangum

Catching up from last week, but this is still certainly worth mentioning.

Atlanta Magazine reported a lot of interesting new facts about the future of Suburban Lanes in Suburban Plaza.

First things first, the alley will be renamed “Comet Pub & Lanes”.  (You can check out their Facebook page here)  Co-Owner Ethan Wurtzel tells Atlanta Magazine that the new space will have a “funkier, vintage” vibe to it.  The magazine elaborates…

The venue will have 32 lanes and vintage arcade games like pinball, plus shuffleboard and pool tables. About 90 percent of the space will be remodeled to include reclaimed church pews as on-lane seating, couches, and a bar made from a reclaimed bowling alley.

They’ll also be adding a full kitchen and bar with 15-20 beers on draft and wine by the glass or bottle, along with cocktail offerings.

In its September issue, Atlanta Magazine goes deep into the success story of Pete the Cat and considers the franchise and authors’ future.  Here’s the first paragraph to get you started…

It’s the first day of daycare and my two-year-old daughter, Lola, is getting nervous in the backseat. “Why you’ll have to leave, Daddy?” she asks. At an intersection, we stop behind a Honda minivan. On its rear window, Lola spots a reassuring sticker. “Look—it’s Pete the Cat!” In Lola’s pantheon of children’s book characters, Pete is second only to Disney princesses. She sleeps near a stack of Pete books and a worn Pete doll. From my perspective, the unflappable feline is a positive influence—and compared to those formulaictales about Disney royalty, Pete books might as well be Rolling Stone.

Remember when we reported back in late July that an “ice cream store” would be opening in the old Froyolo location on Decatur Square next to Best Time (545 N. McDonough)?

Well, Atlanta Magazine reports that Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams will be opening up in the space by late October.  A bit more…

Both locations will serve grass-grazed ice creams, frozen yogurts, and sorbet, often made with local ingredients. Signature Jeni’s flavors include Coffee with Cream & Sugar ice cream made with Batdorf & Bronson coffee and Sweet Cream Biscuits & Peach Jam made with fresh Georgia peaches from the Peach Truck. Flavors change seasonally but favorites include Brown Butter Almond Brittle, Brambleberry Crisp, and Goat Cheese with Red Cherries.

In Decatur, Jeni’s will also serve Batsdorf & Bronson coffee. The Krog Street location will not.

A free ice cream party will be held to celebrate the Decatur location’s opening. The date has not been announced.

A new Q&A on Atlanta Magazine’s Covered Dish blog gives us the most information to-date about Makan, the Asian comfort food restaurant opening in the Courtyard by Marriott – including an opening date!  Wednesday, July 23rd.  Here’s the intro.  Click over to Atlanta Mag for more detail on the concept, the menu, the space, the bar list, etc.

Come mid-July, Atlantans will be able to order Asian street food in Decatur with the opening of Makan in the Courtyard Marriott at 130 Clairemont Avenue. Executive chef George Yu, formerly of Ecco, says he’ll serve small plates, noodle bowls, and family-style meals for lunch and dinner—and likely late night.

Yu and his business partner Michael Lo have been connecting with local farmers and purveyors to source ingredients, as well as doing test runs at a series of pop-ups at Parker’s on Ponce. “It’s been great. We’ve sold out every one,” Yu says.

We spoke with the duo about their menu and their bar program.

We report on an Atlanta Magazine report on a new report released by Smart Growth America …

It often seems that every week brings a new report underscoring metro Atlanta’s woeful sprawl and its host of associated ills. Well, here’s a bit of better news. A report to be released today ranks the growth of walkable areas in the country’s 30 largest areas, and here’s the stunner: Atlanta comes in eighth place. And that’s not all. Our region is ranked No. 5 for future walkability, indicating a demand for denser development and redevelopment both intown and in the suburbs.

…In Atlanta, for example, 50 percent of the hotel, retail, office, and apartment space developed between 2009 and 2013 was in walkable areas, whether intown redevelopment or infill construction adjacent to the Atlanta BeltLine or newer developments such as Atlantic Station. “Despite its sprawling history, the strength of Atlanta’s walkable urban places, relative to its peers, appears to be real,” write the researchers. “This real estate cycle, starting in 2009, represents a major shift for Atlanta.” Mushrooming apartments along the BeltLine and suburban projects like Avalon, the wired and walkable development coming to Alpharetta, contribute to our projected surge in walkability.

Atlanta ranks behind Portland and ahead of Pittsburgh in the current large cities walkability list.  What’s really sorta shocking is the future Top 10 list…

Projected Future Rankings for Walkable Urbanism 
1. Boston 
2. Washington D.C. 
3. New York 
4. Miami 
5. Atlanta 
6. Seattle 
7. San Francisco 
8. Detroit 
9. Denver 
10. Tampa

Token pic of the Beltline courtesy of FunkBrothers via Flickr

It’s a bit west of Decatur, but I know many folks frequented the old Arizona Pub. Mike points to this post on the Atlanta Magazine website…

Andy Minchow, founding partner of Holeman & Finch and an acclaimed mixologist, will open Ration & Dram, located at 130 Arizona Avenue, in late August or early September. The dual-level restaurant and bar is named after the military term for a portion—usually of food—(ration) and the nautical term for a unit—often mentioned with whiskey—(dram).

Lots more info about the menu, etc in the post!

Photo courtesy of Google Maps