The future’s so bright
Wednesday, May 6 — It’s Cathy from Rough Draft with my weekly newsletter on Dunwoody. I just returned from a love fest about the future of the Perimeter area. Apparently, the area is delivering a real beat-down on other business areas in Georgia and the nation. I’ve never seen so many happy people in a business setting in, well, ever. More on that below.
⚠️ Here’s another reason to take the long way home: the water main replacement project will see the closure of Roberts Road between Dunwoody Park Drive and Wyntercreek Road through May 8, barring any weather delays. According to DeKalb County Watershed, the closure will take place between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding major holidays.
＄Things I can’t do and will never win an award for doing: The city of Dunwoody has received two top national honors from the Government Finance Officers Association. Remember the days when we had to balance our checking accounts on paper? The worst five hours of my week.
🎋 Our May print cover story focuses on community gardens and their contributions to food banks. Dunwoody was prominently mentioned. Read Logan C. Ritchie’s excellent story here or the entire May issue here.
😎 Have a great Wednesday,
Cathy
🏡 Located in Suwanee, this five-bedroom home spans 7,500± square feet and is offered under $3 million with Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty. The resort-style backyard showcases a heated pool, a spa, an outdoor kitchen and a covered veranda. Inside, a flowing layout features a main-level primary suite and a finished terrace level. SPONSOR MESSAGE
Student Assignment Project gets a take-home test
🖍️ After months of feedback, protests, and angst regarding DeKalb County’s Student Assignment Plan, which proposed closing dozens of schools and repurposing others, the school district announced on May 5 that it is shifting to a more community-focused analysis.
According to an emailed announcement and an online video, DCSD officials said they heard that the information gathering process “felt too top-down, scenarios appeared predetermined, conversations separated buildings, boundaries, and programs in ways that did not reflect how communities experience schools.”
High-performing schools like Ashford Park and Vanderlyn (pictured) were on the closure list, and parents made it abundantly clear they weren’t jazzed about it.
“We take this feedback seriously, and it is shaping how this work moves forward,” the statement said. “Simply put, the process is evolving.”
⏎ Here are details about the shift.
An Evening of Purpose, Impact, and Hope
SPONSORED BY CHRIS 180
❤️ Join CHRIS 180 for the 2026 CHRIStal Ball, Sat., Aug. 15 at Curate. This elegant garden-party-inspired evening will celebrate healing, resilience and brighter futures while raising critical funds to expand access to mental health care for children, youth and families across Metro Atlanta.
The gala will also honor Equifax’s Julia Houston and Georgia Power for their leadership, service and commitment to strengthening the Atlanta community.
Help CHRIS 180 bring healing, hope and life-changing support to more families across our community.
🎫 Tickets are on sale now, with sponsorship opportunities available.
Envision Perimeter looks to the future
🛣️ More than 400 attendees at the Envision Perimeter 2026 State of the District meeting yesterday heard updates about massive highway infrastructure projects and the general health of the Central Perimeter market.
This year’s event, held at the Perimeter Summit 2002 building, featured two panels discussing improvements to the area’s major roadways and what these improvements mean for long-term real estate value and competitiveness in the market.
The meeting opened with a presentation by Ann Hanlon, the executive director of the Perimeter CIDs, who reiterated a May 4 announcement that Infor, a business cloud software company, is moving its headquarters from New York City to Dunwoody, bringing 500 employees to an 80,000 square-foot space at Campus 244.
👷🏽♀️ Read more about the meeting here.
Pongs and pink partners
💝 More than 100 women, armed with tiles, dice, racks, and 2026 cards, converged on Dunwoody United Methodist Church on April 30 for a dual purpose – to engage in a few friendly games of mahjong and support women diagnosed with breast cancer.
The organization, Pink Box Partners Inc., – “born from the hearts of 11 women who each shared a deeply personal connection to breast cancer,” – held the event, called “Mahjong for a Mission.”
The proceeds from the fundraiser will help purchase pink boxes filled with beauty and self-care items, cozy blankets, and handwritten notes of encouragement to be delivered to women fighting breast cancer, either during diagnosis or post-surgery.
🀤Read more about the event here.
🏡 Located in Suwanee, this five-bedroom home spans 7,500± square feet and is offered under $3 million with Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty. The resort-style backyard showcases a heated pool, a spa, an outdoor kitchen and a covered veranda. Inside, a flowing layout features a main-level primary suite and a finished terrace level. SPONSOR MESSAGE
Picture this: Storefront winners
🎨 Rosemary Watts, executive director of Create Dunwoody, and Tom Bass, Dunwoody High School’s principal and its biggest cheerleader, announced the winners of the 5th Annual Storefront Art Exhibit, which turns business windows in Dunwoody Village into a walkable gallery featuring the work of Dunwoody High School student artists.
😉 Who knew Coach Bass was such a good artist?
