Hapeville transformation; Johns Creek squabble; MARTA performance

HAPEVILLE–A sizable building on Hapeville’s main drag is prepping for a splashy new use. 

Where auto shop Woodco Transmission closed about two years ago at 641 N. Central Ave., the south ITP city’s main commercial thoroughfare, adaptive-reuse work on a swim school facility has begun.  

Swimmerman Swim School plans to open its indoor facilities for all skill levels and ages in 2026, marking the company’s third location. Others operate today on Amsterdam Avenue in Atlanta and in Henry County. 

Swimmerman bought the property following the previous owner’s death, and the deal continues a trend of family-owned auto shops in downtown areas closing or transitioning to other uses (see also: the former Reid’s Body Shop site in Reynoldstown) as dealer service centers and auto-repair chains gain market dominance, according to a Hapeville source. 

Here's a quick primer on what's bound for growing Hapeville now: 

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JOHNS CREEK—Up in tony Johns Creek, things got heated at a recent city council meeting regarding a $40-million bond referendum that would go a long way toward funding a new 800-seat performing arts center envisioned as game-changer cultural attraction.

The performance hall—estimated to cost $60 million overall—could be a cornerstone of the Fulton County city’s 192-acre Town Center plan, walkable to the under-construction Medley mixed-use hub and a boardwalk project that broke ground last summer. An exact location for the performing arts center has yet to be determined. 

As Appen Media relays, a June 26 city council meeting on the proposed referendum got rowdy, with one naysayer lambasting the funding strategy as “suspect” and another growling, “Shame on you” toward dissenters. The council remained split on the issue, 4 to 3, which means the decision to okay tax funding or not will ultimately be up to Johns Creek voters, possibly in November. Mayor John Bradberry and three other councilmembers voted in favor, constituting the majority.

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CITYWIDE—After taking lumps for ill-timed delays and malfunctions during the 56th annual AJC Peachtree Road Race on July 4 (aka, Christmas for Atlanta rail transit), MARTA has distributed proof it aced another high-ridership test in recent weeks, per the agency.  

During the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup series of matches between June 16 and July 5, which saw tens of thousands of fans use transit in Atlanta, MARTA provided “safe, clean, reliable service” for “a world-class customer experience” with no significant incidents, agency officials said this week. 

The rough ridership tally for all recent matches was close to 98,000 trips, or 49,000 unique riders, with the peak coming during a July 5 quarterfinal between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, which saw about 25,000 trips, per MARTA. 

MARTA deployed extra trains before and after matches at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and ran a pre-game shuttle train between Five Points and soon-to-be-renamed GWCC/CNN Center station. The agency also installed more than 500 Transit Ambassadors at stations throughout the system to provide assistance and directions and to answer questions. 

For MARTA, the recent fútbol extravaganza was considered a warm-up for the breathlessly hyped 2026 FIFA World Cup, which starts its eight Atlanta matches in June.

“With planned systemwide upgrades over the next year,” noted the MARTA recap, “including new trains, new Breeze faregates, ticket vending machines, and [an] open fare payment system, along with refurbished escalators and a new name for GWCC/CNN Center Station, MARTA stands ready to provide a world-class experience for soccer fans from around the world.”

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