Global insurer MetLife plans to redevelop a prime piece of real estate near the 17th Street bridge in Midtown, according to a report from the AJC. On Monday, real estate services giant JLL said it has been selected as the master development manager for the 8.5-acre Midtown Heights parcel, which is currently home to a 1960s-era office building. Few details were released about what will actually be on the property, but MetLife started assembling the property for redevelopment back in 2006 and the development cycle could last a decade. Before the recession, MetLife had planned to build a high-rise, mixed-use development on the site.
Cassandra King Conroy, Rick Bragg, Melissa Conroy, Ron Rash and Bronwen Dickey will pay tribute to bestselling and beloved author Pat Conroy as the keynote event at the 2016 Decatur Book Festival on Sept. 2-4. Also at this year’s festival, award-winning author Alexander Chee will choose a track of readings and panels, while the featured “kid note author” will be Dav Pilkey, author of the Captain Underpants and Dumb Bunnies series. For more information, visit decaturbookfestival.com.
Grassroots advocacy group MARTA Army will host a panel discussion with representatives from the City of Atlanta, MARTA, the Atlanta BeltLine and Georgia Tech to discuss the public transportation system’s expansion project list and the upcoming sales tax vote in November that would fund it. The event is June 30 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Hyatt Atlanta Midtown, 125 10th Street. The event is free to attend, but register your interest at this link.