The City of Avondale Estates is one of six recipients of the Atlanta Regional Commission’s (ARC) Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) grants, which aim to help communities in metro Atlanta transform into more walkable, bikeable and live-work-play environments.  

The city was awarded $160,000 to update its Downtown Master Plan, which was last developed in 2014. The 2025 Downtown Master Plan update will build on the success of the 2014 plan by incorporating recommendations from supplemental studies and policies established over the past decade, providing a clear vision for the future in collaboration with residents, businesses, developers, city organizations and regional agencies. This updated plan will include an urban design framework that outlines land uses, design standards and actionable recommendations for policies, programs and partnerships to achieve broader goals. The plan will specifically focus on four areas:

• A multimodal transportation network with pedestrian, bicycle and transit connections through downtown and to regional facilities, along with a parking strategy.
• Housing strategies that build on momentum, ensuring current projects—encompassing more than 1,000 new multifamily units—are high-quality developments integrated into the walkable fabric of downtown, featuring both affordable and market-rate units.
• A sustainability plan incorporating a "green lens" into city policies, enhancing stormwater management, increasing the tree canopy, promoting energy conservation and recycling.
• A placemaking and public art plan that crowdsources ideas, creates whimsical experiences, identifies public art locations, and establishes a process for decision-making.

“The city has really used the 2014 Master Plan as a roadmap for developing our downtown. Updating the 2014 plan is essential to advancing the city’s revitalization efforts. Transforming downtown is key to balancing commercial development and improving residents' quality of life," said Mayor Jonathan Elmore.

Public engagement will be an essential part of the plan’s development process to ensure it accurately represents the community’s will. The process will utilize a variety of meeting times, places, and communication methods to encourage community participation. The process will include online surveys, a project website, stakeholder interviews, workshops and pop-up events.   

“In the past decade, artist studios and locally owned businesses, like bakeries and restaurants, have grown in downtown, adding to the city’s unique character. As development pressures increase, the city must explore strategies that continue to foster the growth of new businesses while supporting established businesses that have invested in our community. We look forward to discussing solutions to these challenges as part of the plan process,” said Dave Deiters, chair of the Avondale Estates Downtown Development Authority. 

Now in its 26th year, the LCI program helps reduce vehicle miles traveled and improve air quality by creating vibrant, mixed-use developments that encourage walking or other alternate modes of transportation. The Livable Cities Initiatives program awarded six grants totaling $1,040,000. Other grant recipients include the City of Atlanta’s Ashby MARTA Station Connectivity Study, DeKalb County’s Kensington Area Master Plan Update, the City of Kennesaw’s Cobb Parkway Gateway and Connectivity Study, the City of Conyers’ Olde Town Conyers Master Plan Update, and the Tucker-Northlake Community Improvement Districts’ One Northlake project. Once studies are completed, grant recipients become eligible to apply for federal transportation funding to bring their visions to life.

 Learn more about these programs and the entire LCI program.

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The Avondale Estates Downtown Development Authority is the Main Street Board for the City of Avondale Estates, an Affiliate Main Street America community. 

 The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) is the official planning agency for the 11-county Atlanta Region, including Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, and Rockdale counties as well as the City of Atlanta and 75 other cities. The Atlanta Regional Commission’s mission is to foster thriving communities for all within the Atlanta region through collaborative, data-informed planning and investments.

DeKalb County’s first free Shakespeare series is fittingly coming to Avondale Estates, a city whose Tudor-Revival style architecture is inspired by the playwright’s birthplace. 

A three-part, family-friendly series, “A Shakespeare Happening | Avondale Estates Town Green,” will take place rain or shine on September 13, October 11 and November 15, with each event beginning at 2 p.m. 

Audiences can look forward to Shakespeare events for kids, live music and sneak peeks of upcoming shows from the Atlanta Shakespeare Company, which performs at The Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse. The events will take place at the Town Green and are free and open to the public. No tickets are required. 

The series is produced by Bard x Sage PR in partnership with the Atlanta Shakespeare Company, DeKalb County Commissioner Ted Terry (Super District 6), and the City of Avondale Estates. 

Nicole Sage, a longtime DeKalb County resident and founder of Sage PR Consulting, developed the initiative under her creative moniker, Bard x Sage PR. She pitched the concept to Commissioner Terry with a goal of bringing more educational enrichment and accessible cultural programs to DeKalb County. 

She recalled her mother taking her to the Shakespeare Tavern several times when she was in high school, a special experience she wanted to share with more people. 

“My mother was a diehard champion of (Atlanta Shakespeare Company) Artistic Director Jeff Watkins. Watching his Shakespeare performances with my mother is a memory I will cherish forever,” said Sage. “Commissioner Terry and I wanted to create something welcoming for all. Whether it’s your first Shakespeare play or your 50th, this is a space where families and children can experience the magic of Shakespeare together—outside and for free.” 

Terry also expressed enthusiasm for showcasing live Shakespeare at the Town Green. “Bringing Shakespeare to the Town Green is about more than theatre—it’s about building community and ensuring that art and culture are accessible to everyone, regardless of zip code or income,” said Terry. “I’m proud to support initiatives like this that uplift our shared spaces, celebrate creativity, and offer meaningful enrichment for families across DeKalb.” 

The connection between Avondale Estates and Shakespeare goes back to its beginnings. The City of Avondale Estates’ founder George Francis Willis was inspired by a trip he and his wife Lottie had taken to Stratford-upon-Avon, England. He wanted to recreate the majestic Tudor-Revival style architecture found at the birthplace of William Shakespeare. 

This is not the first time Avondale Estates has hosted a Shakespeare-inspired event. The city hosted a one-day Shakespeare festival in 2017. 

City Manager Patrick Bryant said the City of Avondale Estates was proud to host this free Shakespeare series. “It’s a fun nod to our Stratford-on-Avon roots,” said Bryant. “It’s a unique cultural experience not offered anywhere else in metro Atlanta.” 

WHAT TO BRING: 

People are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, blankets and picnics for an afternoon of theater on the green. 

Here’s a look at the upcoming performances: 

Saturday, Sept. 13, 2 to 5 p.m. 

• Tempest, Jr., a Shakespeare performance for young audiences 
• Live music by the Atlanta Shakespeare Company 
• Sneak Peek of “Macbeth” 

Saturday, Oct. 11, 2 to 5 p.m. 

• Shakespeare Shorts: a fast-paced comedy performed by two actors with one unsuspecting audience member turned co-star (geared toward children) 
• Live music by the Atlanta Shakespeare Company 
• Sneak Peek of “Hamlet” 

Saturday, Nov. 15, 2 to 5:30 p.m. 

• Atlanta Shakespeare Company’s signature educational workshop for young audiences: a play shop in performance featuring “Much Ado About Nothing” 
• Live music by the Atlanta Shakespeare Company 
• Sneak peek of “Much Ado About Nothing” 

The City of Avondale Estates is honored to announce the receipt of an extraordinary anonymous gift in the amount of $1 million. 

The donors shared that the gift was made possible “thanks to Waffle House—serving Avondale since 1955.” 

On Labor Day 1955, Avondale Estates neighbors Joe Rogers Sr. and Tom Forkner opened the first Waffle House restaurant on East College Avenue. From the beginning, the restaurant focused on fast-food speed, round-the-clock service and making people feel at home. Today, the company includes more than 2,000 locations spanning the United States and has become an American cultural icon. The original restaurant in Avondale Estates now serves as the Waffle House Museum. 

The City will have flexibility to direct the gift toward priorities that best serve the community, including infrastructure improvements, parks and public spaces, public safety, and other initiatives that enhance quality of life for residents. 

Mayor Jonathan Elmore expressed deep appreciation for the generosity behind the gift. “This remarkable act of kindness speaks volumes about the spirit of our community,” said Mayor Elmore. “For someone to honor a hometown story that began right here in Avondale Estates, and to do so in a way that benefits our city, is profoundly generous. On behalf of the Board of Mayor and Commissioners and our community, we are incredibly grateful.” 

City Manager Patrick Bryant echoed those sentiments. “This gift provides the City with a rare and valuable opportunity, allowing us to respond strategically to current and future needs while celebrating a business whose roots are right here in Avondale Estates,” said Bryant. “We are thankful for the donors’ confidence in the City and their enduring love for this community.” The Waffle House story stands as a powerful example of how entrepreneurship thrives in Avondale Estates and how local ideas can grow into American icons.The City of Avondale Estates extends its sincere gratitude to the anonymous donors for their generosity and to Waffle House for its lasting role in shaping both the local story and a uniquely American one. 

Visitors who’d like to step back in time can visit the Waffle House Museum. The original interior has been carefully recreated to capture the look and feel of the original 1955 restaurant, preserving a piece of local and national history. The museum is currently open by appointment only for guided tours offered on Wednesdays at 11 a.m. Open Houses are held four times a year on select Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with the next Open House scheduled for March 7. 

*Photo courtesy of Waffle House Archives. 

For the 42nd consecutive year, the City of Avondale Estates has been named a Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation. The City also received its sixteenth Tree City USA Growth Award for its commitment to effective urban forest management. There are 133 Tree Cities in Georgia and more than 3,500 in the country. Avondale Estates is one of the three oldest tree cities in the state.

The Tree City USA program, administered by the Arbor Day Foundation in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters, provides the framework for community forestry management for cities across America that meet specific requirements. The city achieved Tree City USA recognition by meeting the program’s four requirements: a tree board or department, a tree-care ordinance, an annual community forestry budget of at least $2 per capita and an Arbor Day observance and proclamation.

The Growth Award is granted to Tree City USA communities actively engaged in enhancing tree care and community involvement throughout the year. This year, the city qualified by adding Roots Down as a regenerative landscape consultant to assist with hands-on training for the City’s greenspace team and invasive removal. Additionally, the City commissioned a study to monitor trends in the tree canopy and worked with an arborist to treat trees deemed in fair or poor condition. The Georgia Forestry Commission defines cities that receive this award as going "...above and beyond the requirements for urban forestry programs."

To celebrate Georgia’s Arbor Day on February 20, the community is invited to join city staff and the Avondale Estates Garden Club as they plant an American hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana) at Lanier Gardens at 2 p.m.The American hornbeam is native to Georgia and often called musclewood or ironwood. It is an excellent, low-maintenance understory tree for local landscapes, offering striking fall color (yellow, orange, scarlet) and unique smooth, gray, fluted bark. It thrives in partial shade to full sun, stabilizes soil with a robust root system, and provides essential wildlife food for birds and mammals. The American hornbeam is an approved tree on the City’s tree ordinance.

Winter is the perfect time to plant a tree in the yard – consider adding a tree from the city’s tree list to the city's tree canopy. Trees are assets to a community when properly planted and maintained. They help to improve the visual appeal of a neighborhood, increase property values, reduce home cooling costs, remove air pollutants and provide wildlife habitat, among many other benefits.

After two years of dedicated work, the City of Avondale Estates earned bronze certification in the Atlanta Regional Commission’s (ARC) Green Communities Program. Among the 24 local governments in the greater metro Atlanta region certified under ARC’s Green Communities Program, Avondale Estates stands out as the smallest city to achieve this designation, proving that size proved no barrier for it to become a sustainability leader.

ARC’s Green Communities Program is a voluntary certification that recognizes local governments that lead by implementing policies and practices that deliver measurable, high-impact actions that reduce environmental impact and promote long-term sustainability. 

In 2023, the Board of Mayor and Commissioners (BOMC) voted to pursue certification.

With eighty measures across ten categories, certification requires significant, ongoing commitment. Communities can pursue bronze, silver, gold and platinum certifications, with each level typically taking multiple years to achieve.

Crystal Jackson, ARC Planning Manager of Climate and Sustainability, presented the award to the City at the BOMC regular meeting on January 28. “It’s not an easy program to get certified in,” stated Jackson. “It’s a long process, and you have a small and mighty staff to do it with. We recognize that. Avondale Estates has been doing a lot of great work.”

All communities earned certification points for sustainable measures implemented. Avondale went well beyond the 175 points required for bronze certification, receiving 215 points. 

Some measures that earned Avondale Estates recognition include:  

• Requiring new developments to meet a variety of environmental resiliency requirements, 
• Providing a year-round weekly farmers market at its Town Green Market Pavilion that focuses on local agriculture and businesses, 
• Offering several opportunities for recycling and reuse, including a community workshop that turned outdated vinyl city banners into reusable tote bags, 
• Reducing waste sent to the landfill through a free and convenient curbside compost pilot program, keeping over 14,000 pounds of methane from entering the atmosphere, and providing finished compost to community gardens, and 
• Building rain gardens in the North Woods adjacent to Lake Avondale, which turned a public hazard into an ADA-accessible nature trail and a sedimentation control area furnished with native vegetation. 

Mayor Jonathan Elmore thanked the ARC for the award, “It does mean a lot to us. I’d like to think we’re holistically building a more sustainable community in every way.  The more that we can do locally, especially in the large metro areas like this, I think that is great.”

ARC developed the Green Communities Program in 2009 to recognize local governments that invest in programs and policies that lead to a more sustainable region. The nationally recognized program showcases the many ways that local governments can reduce their environmental footprint.  

"For jurisdictions to voluntarily submit to certify as Green Communities by lightening their environmental footprint is a testament to their commitment to fostering greener, healthier, and more livable communities," said Anna Roach, ARC Executive Director and CEO. 

"Congratulations to all those receiving certifications and increasing the quality of life for their community." 

More information about ARC’s Green Communities certification program is available at atlantaregional.org/greencommunities.