This week we have a Holiday Fun Guide to help you plan your calendar for December, and updates on McAuley Station in Sweet Auburn – a development that will add nearly 100 affordable apartments for adults 55 and older. Plus, there’s more from Georgia Public Broadcasting on the long-term environmental impacts of data centers in Metro Atlanta.
And, take a moment to help shape the future of Rough Draft. Share your feedback in our annual reader survey below.
And now for a few headlines:
Polls are open today until 7 p.m. (8 p.m. for City of Atlanta) for runoff elections in Sandy Springs (Mayor, City Council), East Point (Mayor), South Fulton (Mayor, City Council), Roswell (Mayor), Stonecrest (City Council), and Atlanta (City Council, Board of Education). Find your voting location here.
During its final meeting of 2025, the Atlanta City Council approved legislation for the development of affordable housing and infrastructure improvements in Buckhead, Old Fourth Ward, and southwest Atlanta.
• Sweet Auburn senior housing • Holiday Fun Guide • Reader survey • Data center dangers AND • Stories of Atlanta | Lance Russell
Photo via Penrose Companies
McAuley Station second phase to add nearly 100 affordable apartments for seniors
Pennrose and Mercy Care recently broke ground on McAuley Station Phase II, the next step in a new mixed-use, mixed-income property being constructed in Atlanta.
Located in the neighborhood of Sweet Auburn, McAuley Station’s second phase will create 97 affordable apartments (95 one-bedrooms and two studio apartments) for adults 55 and older.
According to a press release, the aim of McAuley Station is to assist seniors (particularly those living on fixed incomes) amidst rising housing and healthcare costs.
Located steps from Mercy Care (Atlanta’s only federally qualified health center dedicated to serving unhoused individuals), the development will give residents direct access to healthcare services, in addition to being located in close proximity to transit and the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation and Aquatic Center.
After multiple rounds of chemotherapy, Ammy lost feeling in her fingers, and cooking became dangerous. “Everything tasted like paper,” she said. “The first thing I could taste again? Open Hand. I’ll never forget.”
Living with multiple cancers, Ammy depends on Open Hand’s meals to stay nourished and strong. But as grocery costs rise, so does the number of Georgians in need.
Reach out an Open Hand—and help us deliver 100,000 meals to neighbors in need like Ammy by the end of this year.
Holiday Fun Guide: Make merry around the Metro with these festive events
December is here, which means festive theatre, music, and celebrations are happening all month long.
From traditions like the Atlanta Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” and the Alliance Theatre’s “A Christmas Carol” to Voices of Note concerts and Winterfest in Virginia-Highland, there’s something for everyone this season.
Influx of data centers threatens air quality, public health in Atlanta, environmental activists say
Clean air advocates say unchecked growth in Georgia’s data center industry could harm public health, especially for people in Metro Atlanta where air quality has worsened.
Five data center projects are ongoing, and more are proposed — all in the city of South Fulton. They are being built in anticipation of growth in artificial intelligence.
“We need to connect the dots between industrial development, environmental pollution, and our right to breathe clean air,” said Kiya Stanford with the advocacy group Moms Clean Air Force in Georgia, adding that residents should attend local government meetings to share their concerns.
A large data center project backed by Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who is also running for governor, could be coming to Butts County.
‘Community Standards’: Stories of Atlanta by Lance Russell
VIA SAPORTAREPORT
Shakespeare had it right, “the play’s the thing.” And that was especially true of Atlanta in the 1890s. The theater was the dominant form of entertainment and, as you would expect, it was an industry that gave many people a chance to make money.
One such Atlantan was Martin J. Dooley, who made a nice living in the theater advertising business – that is until he crossed the Women’s Christian Temperance Union.
