Our district has two new restaurants that recently opened in Hugh Howell Marketplace. The long-awaited Antico Pizza and The Bite of Korea have opened their doors to feed our community gourmet Italian pizza and fusion Korean cuisine.

By joining the Tucker community, the new Antico Pizza adds to its West Midtown and Avalon locations offering its famous San Gennaro pizza, which was voted as one of the top 10 pizzas in the United States by the Food Network. View the ribbon-cutting video here.

After two years of dishing out its menu at pop-up events around Atlanta, The Bite of Korea, has established its roots in its first brick-and-mortar location. The restaurant’s name was auspiciously chosen as the acronym “BOK” not only means “fortune” in Korean, but also expresses how everything will “be okay.” View the BOK ribbon-cutting video here.

The City of Tucker was pleased to host another Tucker Manufacturing Day on Wednesday, October 12 at Tucker High School. This event educated students about the various manufacturing industry careers available in our community.

Nearly 400 students attended to hear representatives from Rise Baking, Pepsico, International Paper, Sugar Bowl Bakery and Ruco/Southern Wall Products discuss Careers and a Future in Manufacturing and Advanced Manufacturing and Technology.

Many other companies from Tucker and the surrounding area had booths to share information about their business with the students, including American Tables & Seating, Mfg., DeKalb Tool & Die, Inc., Hormel Foods, Steelmart and more.

Congratulations to Branch Properties for Hugh Howell Marketplace being a finalist for Largest Redevelopment in Partnership Gwinnett’s Metro Atlanta Redevelopment Summit (MARS) Awards.

“Community redevelopment creates a sense of place, enriching and supporting the entire region,” said Partnership Gwinnett Vice President Andrew Carnes. “We congratulate the award winners and finalists and appreciate their dedication to driving economic prosperity in metro Atlanta.”

Exciting things are happening as our district grows and continues to thrive!

DeKalb County District 7 Commissioner Lorraine Cochran-Johnson is celebrating the 200th Anniversary of DeKalb County on October 22 at the Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve at 10 a.m. Join in the quest to find 200 one-of-a-kind, hand-blown and engraved glass orbs to celebrate!

DeKalb County District 4 Commissioner Steve Bradshaw will be hosting the last quarterly Community Breakfast Meeting at 9 a.m. on October 22 at Tobie Grant Recreation Center (or join the meeting virtually here). Director of Community Development Allen Mitchell will provide updates on the Community & Senior Center opening next spring.

Early voting begins next Monday, October 17, ending on Friday, November 4, with election day falling on Tuesday, November 8. Make sure your voice is heard and get out to vote. Check your early voting and polling locations on the DeKalb County website.

An important issue on the ballot that concerns our district regards the possible adoption of the Public Works Referendum that would transition current public works services from DeKalb County to the City of Tucker. The differences would improve responsiveness to urgent repair needs and maintenance issues, better align improvements to maximize project delivery, reduce public impact and maintain landscaping and appeal, while also providing high-quality public work services with minimal financial impact to Tucker residents.

The City of Tucker already makes a significant annual investment in repaving, sidewalks and trails. The addition of Public Works will allow the City to provide a level of service that will enhance and protect our community’s infrastructure, while at least cutting in half repair time for pot holes, road patching and stormwater catch basins.

In preparation, the City is making every effort to ensure residents are fully informed by hosting meetings on:

Meetings will be held in-person at 1975 Lakeside Parkway, Suite 350B or via livestream at: tuckerga.gov/pwmeeting.

Learn more and Get Familiar with Tucker’s Public Works Referendum.

Neighboring city, Stone Mountain, has existed since 1839, and is best known for its attraction, Stone Mountain Park, which has a complex history with the confederacy. The new Mayor Beverly Jones, the first Black woman to fill the role and lead 6,700 residents, is looking to change the perception.

The downtown area, known as Stone Mountain Village, made up of historic storefronts and shops, is experiencing a new awakening with upscale and trendy restaurants and bars. A Master Plan was approved in late 2020 that entailed creating a new identity that separates the City from Stone Mountain Park, while still fostering transit between the two.

The Stone Mountain Downtown Development Authority seeks to create a home that is diverse and energetic, where people live, create, learn, play and prosper together.

TSCID continues to make repairs to the roads, curbs, radii, catch basins and sidewalks along the Mountain Industrial Boulevard corridor.

We thank you for your patience as we make these infrastructure improvements to increase the value and image of our district.

Make sure your planned signage and architectural structures are within regulations! Review the Tucker Overlay District Regulations on our website.