Suburban Plaza wins redevelopment award

The AJC reports that Suburban Plaza was recognized at the Metro Atlanta Redevelopment Summit this week with the 2016 Regional Redevelopment Award.

See the press release here.

To see our Suburban Plaza posts, click here.

Community meeting: Comet Pub and Lanes seeks SLUP to extend hours [Aug 17]

"The Comet Pub and Lanes" opening at Suburban Plaza [July 15]

Eater reports that The Comet Pub and Lanes opens today. See the details at http://atlanta.eater.com/2016/7/14/12191634/comet-pub-lanes-decatur-hours [includes the menu]

The Comet is a much-anticipated bowling alley featuring not-your-average bowling alley food and beer. Created by the owners of Twain's Brewpub and Billiards in downtown Decatur, The Comet fills in the void left when Suburban Lanes left when Suburban Plaza entered its renovation a couple years ago.

Suburban Plaza shops: a quick peek inside

Construction and remodeling continue at Suburban Plaza.

Here are some photos for those of us who like peeking through not-yet-open storefronts to see how construction is coming along...

Ross Dress for Less will be located at the end closest to Walmart. This store is expected to open in June 2016.

Next to Ross is HomeGoods. Their store sign is up and a banner reads "Now Hiring." According to Tomorrow's News Today Atlanta, March 13, 2016 will be opening day.

Then there's Half Price Books,
opening in summer 2016. To the
right, a video of how they furnish
and stock their stores
(from https://youtu.be/hXYxGsBhU7A).

Sitting across LA Fitness is the future location of JoAnn Fabric and Craft Store. Their banner says they will open on April 28. 

JoAnn Fabric and Craft Store frontage and landscaping, with the Church Street entrance visible.

On the North Decatur Road side, Starbucks and its drive-through window are taking shape. 

And across the street, Phase I of Fuqua's Decatur Crossing is rising very quickly. Click to enlarge.

New Church Street median vexes Moe's fans

Neighbors Eric and Jean alert us to the new median that has been installed at the north end of Church St. (North Decatur Rd. end). This median is of particular interest to Moe's fans.

The median was included as an item in the negotiations that Selig Enterprises (Suburban Plaza's owner) and MANA conducted in 2011 as Selig sought a variance to reduce the number of parking spots at Suburban Plaza. The memo of understanding that resulted from these negotiations is accessible through this post. Item #32 describes the median:

The median changes traffic patterns so that the Moe's exit on Church Street is right-turn only. The median also prevents left-hand turns from the northbound lane of Church St. into the the Moe's parking lot. To transport delicious southwestern fare via North Decatur Road, patrons using the Church St. exit  should turn right on Church, then right again to drive through Suburban Plaza and finally exit at the newly installed traffic light on North Decatur Rd.

Eric provided the following visualizations. We will follow up with a photo of the new median as soon as possible. MANA is also making inquiries about signage to ensure patrons become aware of the new median from a safe distance.

Suburban Plaza updates: read, eat, drink, cook, sweat, DIY and look good while doing it all

Decaturish has two items today on businesses coming soon to Suburban Plaza:

LA Fitness open, Starbucks construction begins

Louisiana Bistreaux Cajun restaurant:  a Cajun-themed restaurant seating 100+ guests, with climate-controlled patio. This restaurant is owned and run by an established restauranteur who's also behind East Point's successful Malone's Steak & Seafood restaurant.Yelp reviewers very much approve of the original East Point location. Laissez le bon temps rouler! Projected opening date: June 2016

Other confirmed Suburban Plaza tenants include

Half Priced Books This will be their first Georgia store. They "buy used books, music, movies, games, gaming consoles, e-readers" and "donate overstock inventory to nonprofit agencies around the world and strive to recycle what we can't donate." Projected opening date: summer 2016

The Comet Pub and Lanes [bowling alley and pub from the makers of Twain's Brewpub and Billiards] Projected opening date:  spring 2016? short summer leagues in 2016, full leagues by fall

HomeGoods [home furnishings] Projected opening date: March 2016

Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores [fabrics, sewing notions, craft materials, food crafting supplies] Projected opening date: March 2016

Ross Dress for Less [clothing, housewares and furniture] Projected opening date: June 2016

Walmart opened last November 11.

Suburban Plaza Walmart schematics

LEFT: a schematic recently shared by Walmart.                    RIGHT:  current state of construction (2nd week August 2015).

Walmart in progress -- as seen from Medlock Road.

Walmart recently shared the images below with the Cross-Neighborhoods Committee, all relating to the new store (#3118) at Suburban Plaza. Click on any image to enlarge it.

A quick recap:

• The store is projected to open in November 2015. 
• Walmart reserves the right to open 24 hours/day but the current plan is to open 6am - midnight. 
• 150,000 sq ft super center that will offer merchandise and groceries.
• The store will not have an optical center or a tire/lube center
• The store will not carry guns but will carry ammunition
• the store will include a small garden center with some outdoor and seasonal merchandise
• the store will employ 300 people. Hiring for this store is now in progress (scroll to end of this post)*
• trucks servicing Walmart will enter from  North Decatur Rd. at the new traffic signal, proceed to the back of the building and on to the loading docks there. The trucks can back directly into the loading docks. Trucks will exit onto Medlock Road, and proceed to Scott Blvd. We should expect 3-5 trucks per day
• improving the intersection and the light timing (for Medlock Rd.) are part of every discussion

For our previous posts on the ongoing revitalization of Suburban Plaza and MANA's involvement in the planning process, please click here.

Uncropped schematic of the Suburban Plaza Walmart as seen from  Medlock Rd (at the Scott Blvd and North Decatur Rd. intersection). Also, an aspirational view of what the intersection would look like without all those overhead power lines and traffic lights...

Description of finishes for each view (front and rear of the store, left and right sides). The front elevation faces North Decatur Road. The right elevation faces Medlock Road. Entrances to the underground parking can be seen on the left and right views (east and west of the building, respectively). 

Overall Suburban Plaza site plan, includes Walmart and other retail. Ten-foot wide multi-use path
along North Decatur Road is highlighted (bottom left).

Detail of exterior finishes, lower-level (underground) parking garage and traffic patterns around the Walmart store.

 _____
* Hiring contact information provided by Walmart is as follows:
phone: 404-471-1457, 404-471-1458; fax is 404-471-1460.
The hiring site is 2179 Lawrenceville Hwy, Decatur GA, 30033
Also see this DeKalb Workforce hiring event scheduled for August 12, 13 and 14, 2015.

brief update on some Suburban Plaza store locations and expected square footage

via Tomorrow's News Today Atlanta:

"... HomeGoods will occupy a nearly 24,000 square foot space (basically, the former Big Lots.) Jo-Ann will occupy an approximately 20,000 square foot space (most of the former Hancock Fabrics.) (Hancock Fabrics has since relocated to Northlake Festival.) A nearly 150,000 square foot Walmart Supercenter, 25,000 square foot ROSS, 34,000 square foot LA Fitness and 1,700 square foot freestanding Starbucks are all already in the cards for the center."

See all our posts on Suburban Plaza here.

Suburban Lanes leaving Suburban Plaza

Per a meeting with the Decatur Heights Neighborhood, Selig has announced that the bowling alley will not be staying as Suburban Plaza is redeveloped.

UPDATE: In late June, Atlanta Magazine reported that the owners of downtown Decatur's Twains had purchased the bowling alley. Soon to be known as Comet Pub and Lanes, the venue will feature "32 lanes and vintage arcade games like pinball, plus shuffleboard and pool tables. About 90 percent of the space will be remodeled to include reclaimed church pews as on-lane seating, couches, and a bar made from a reclaimed bowling alley." Food-wise, Comet will feature sandwiches, burgers, pizza, and craft beers.

Decaturish reports that Selig has a letter of intent from Half Price Books; it appears this would be their first location in Georgia. According to their website, Half Price Books will "pay you cash for your books, music, movies, games, game consoles, e-readers, and you can spend this cash in the store or take it home with you."

Suburban Plaza Starbucks variance approved

via Deanne, from the Cross-Neighborhoods Committee:

Starbucks is now clear to build a new shop with patio and drive-through in Suburban Plaza. The last hurdle was cleared on October 8, when the Zoning Board of Appeals approved a setback variance with no public opposition. Starbucks had successfully applied for a SLUP to allow a drive-through but a setback variance was required to allow pedestrian access through a sidewalk (to be built) along North Decatur Road.

"Shop J" marks the future location of Starbucks. "Tenant H" will be home to by LA Fitness.

Starbucks SLUP conditions.
Click to enlarge.

The plan, mentioned in an earlier post, reflects what Commissioners and community had visualized through the Medline LCI Study: walkable businesses and community interaction.

The plan was approved with the conditions (see image to the left).

Suburban Plaza update: Starbucks, LA Fitness

The Cross-Neighborhoods Committee has some Suburban Plaza updates. First, some timelines:

• Walmart construction is scheduled to begin in October 2014, with the store expected to open on February or March of 2016.  

• LA Fitness (old Winn Dixie building) has been granted their land disturbance permit and is in the process of applying for their building permit. Demolition of that building should begin soon. 

• The Starbucks drive-through SLUP was approved by the Board of Commissioners on September 23.

• Selig plans to begin facade and parking lot renovations in January 2015. 

• Selig is in final negotiations with two junior anchor tenants.  As soon as the contracts are signed, they will release their names.

A refresher: the last available map we shared on August 2014. Click to enlarge.

Greg Catoe at Selig Enterprises also shared some additional updates about Starbucks and LA Fitness.

With regards to Starbucks, Selig is seeking a variance for the Starbucks building to be built closer to North Decatur Road (5 feet away from their property line, vs the 75 feet required by our code of ordinances). This would allow pedestrians to access to Starbucks directly from the sidewalk that Selig will be adding along that side of North Decatur Road.

At a tilt, to align with the master plan: this is a close-up of the future LA Fitness and Starbucks. This is the side
of the development closest to the North Decatur Road and Church Street intersection. Click to enlarge.

"Suburban Plaza LLC  is requesting a front yard setback variance  be granted to allow a drive-through restaurant to be constructed at 2641 North Decatur Road, which is part of our Suburban Plaza shopping center property that is currently being redeveloped to include several new tenants including, among others,  Walmart and LA Fitness. The proposed tenant for this building will be Starbucks Coffee.  This variance application is seeking relief from the 75’ front yard setback requirement as noted in Sec. 27-581 of the DeKalb County Code of Ordinances.

The proposed Starbucks will be approximately 1,750 s.f and will be situated approximately 5’ back from our property line along North Decatur Road. To accommodate this new building, an existing 2,000 s.f. building that currently encroaches upon the required 75’ setback by approximately 40’ will be demolished (the former Pizza Hut). With the sole exception of the front yard setback, our proposed site plan meets all requirements of the existing DeKalb County Code of Ordinances and it  has also been designed to meet all the requirements governing drive-through restaurants in Article 4.2.23 of the zoning ordinance update that is anticipated to be adopted in the coming months.

A Special Land Use Permit for the drive-through component was approved by the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners on September 23rd, 2014."

Selig "has not received the official documentation from the planning department noting our approval and the conditions" but Catoe will update the Cross Neighborhoods Committee upon receipt. Selig is continuing to study and refine the details of the crosswalks to ensure the safety of those shopping at the center.

Below are some depictions of the LA Fitness building's exterior.

 Details of the LA Fitness building. This image has been split into five views,
below, to improve online visibility. Click to enlarge.

1. Southwest view, as seen from existing Suburban Plaza stores such as BigLots.  Click to enlarge.

2. Northeast view, from the general direction of the North Decatur  Road and Church Street intersection. Click to enlarge.

3. Northwest view, as seen from the North Decatur Road and Blackmon Drive intersection area. Click to enlarge.

4. Southeast view, frontage, main entrance as visible from Church Street.  Click to enlarge.

5. Legend describing colors and materials. Click to enlarge.

ATL Tomorrow's News Today reports on Suburban Plaza

Read it here: http://www.tonetoatl.com/2014/08/starbucks-to-supplant-cozy-burger-town.html

Starbucks: in progress

The main update seems to be that Cozy Burger will be closed Aug 25 - Sept 1. and open again on Sept. 2.  Their site is marked as the future location of Starbucks (drive-through permitting is progressing).

As to the question of other retailers, in the comments, the blog author notes that "New information obtained today indicates that deals are "done" for LA Fitness, HomeGoods and Starbucks and "close" for ROSS."

See all our Suburban Plaza posts here.

Starbucks SLUP at Suburban Plaza

As noted in our June post, Selig Enterprises seeks a special land use permit (SLUP) for a drive-through Starbucks at Suburban Plaza. The plan will be reviewed by the Community Council on August 19, by the Planning Commission on September 9, and by the Board of Commissioners on September 23, 2014.  DeKalb County requires SLUPS for all drive-throughs. The proposed drive-through is within the parking lot and requires no additional curb cuts.

It appears that the drive-through concept allowed Selig to slightly reconfigure the layout of shops at the corner of North Decatur Rd. and Church St. "Shop J" (the proposed Starbucks) now features sidewalk access from North Decatur Rd. and a patio. An area area marked "Future Retail Shops" has been added and appears to add an additional ~4,000 SF next to "Tenant H."

August 2014: Proposed location for a street-facing Starbucks and patio. The Starbucks building is highlighted in green, the drive-through (with dashed rectangles denoting vehicles) appears in light green.

The 2012 and 2014 schematics are quite similar. In addition to the changes mentioned above, there is some additional information about how retail space might be configured (see blue highlights below).

Comparison of 2012 and 2014 redevelopment plans, emphasizing updates. The yellow area on the 2012 map
is part of the Walmart building.

We do not have any new information about future tenants other than those mentioned last April (LA Fitness with daycare facility, HomeGoods, Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores). Demolition is proceeding as scheduled this summer.

The unenhanced plan for Suburban Plaza, dated August 2014, appears below.

August 2014: Full plan for Suburban Plaza

It looks worse before it looks better

Big Lots,  Hancock's Fabrics, Uniform Alternative and other businesses
remain open at SuburbanPlaza. 

Suburban Plaza's redevelopment continues. The initial razing to prepare the site where Walmart will be built has been pretty tidy so far. A security fence surrounds the work area and demolition has proceeded up to the location of the old Piccadilly's. This is as far as Walmart-related demolition goes. This week, crews were dismantling parking lot lights and spreading wood mulch to limit the erosion of exposed topsoil.

View from the old Piccadilly's and a whole lotta mulch, facing the Medlock / North Decatur / Scott Blvd intersection.

Sweeping view from the North Decatur Road side.

As to how this fits into the overall plan, here's The Plan. See all other Suburban Plaza posts here.

Blue dots outline structures now demolished; yellow marks Walmart's future footprint.

Suburban Plaza redevelopment begins

Suburban Plaza: demolition began at the corner of North Decatur and Medlock Roads.

Staying true to the timeline released last June, Selig Enterprises began demolition work at its Suburban Plaza location. Following an early start on Friday, the area that recently housed a discount mattress store quickly became a pile of rubble.

The images below offer a refresher of the site plans Selig released in 2012 and are captioned with links to additional information. To review all posts relating to Suburban Plaza, click here.

August 2012, http://www.medlockpark.org/2012/08/suburban-plaza-redevelopment-august.html

June 2012, http://www.medlockpark.org/2012/06/suburban-plazawalmart-update-site.html

June 2012, http://www.medlockpark.org/2012/06/suburban-plazawalmart-update-site.html

Suburban Starbucks SLUP [June 24]

Selig Enterprises invites community feedback in advance of filing a special use land permit (SLUP)  for a drive-through Starbucks at Suburban Plaza. DeKalb County requires SLUPs for all new drive-throughs.

The meeting will take place on Tuesday, June 24, 7pm, at North Decatur Presbyterian Church (611 Medlock Road).

Click to enlarge or download file here.

For all previous posts on Suburban Plaza's redevelopment, click here. The redevelopment timeline is available here.

Selig update on Suburban Plaza: commitments, timelines

Selig Enterprises has forwarded an update on its Suburban Plaza redevelopment project. In addition to restating Selig's commitments to the community, the letter includes this redevelopment timeline:

demolition of parts of existing structures: in the coming weeks (summer 2014)
facade renovations: fall 2014
anticipated redevelopment completion: summer 2015
new tenants open for business: fall 2015

Click to enlarge or download the file.

Selig and the Medlock Area Neighborhood Association (MANA) began discussing Suburban Plaza's redevelopment as soon as plans were announced in the summer of 2011, and in collaboration with members of the Cross-Neighborhood Committee, reached and signed this agreement on December, 2011.

Selig also seeks community feedback on a special land use permit (SLUP) to allow a drive-through Starbucks at Suburban Plaza. The announcement for that June 24, 2014 meeting is available here.

Suburban Plaza redevelopment can resume

via Selig Enterprises:

"Selig Enterprises, Inc. is pleased to announce that after an almost two year legal delay over the redevelopment of Suburban Plaza, all litigation between Good Growth Dekalb (GGD) and Dekalb County has been resolved and the redevelopment can resume.  During lengthy discussions with GGD, Selig was able to address most of GGD’s concerns in a manner that will only improve our planned redevelopment of Suburban Plaza, including agreeing to the installation of additional sidewalks along Medlock Road, as well other improvements such as landscaping and fence repair next to the neighborhood of homes located directly to the rear of the shopping center.  

Selig has always worked diligently with neighborhood representatives during its construction projects and this case has been no different.  Selig would like to recognize and thank the representatives from the Medlock Area Neighborhood Assoc., Clairmont Heights, Medlock Place, Springdale Heights and Decatur Heights, Sycamore Ridge, Sycamore Station, Glendale Estates, and the Christian Towers for providing valuable input over the past three years and helping Selig to transform the area with quality development.  Many details of the project have been the result of years of collaboration with these neighborhoods and have resulted in numerous features of the redevelopment, such as:  sidewalks, bike paths, and /or multi-use paths around all street frontages, interior pedestrian connectivity, several pocket parks, increased landscaping, the addition of almost an acre and a half of green space, architectural design elements, and traffic calming measures on surrounding streets. 

Selig also appreciates GGD’s efforts to improve its community.  The additional items Selig agreed to do will further enhance the surrounding area.  Selig hopes to continue to work collaboratively with representatives from all surrounding neighborhoods and Dekalb County to continue to enhance the redevelopment of Suburban Plaza. 

In addition to the Walmart, Selig is excited about the continued interest in the project by potential tenants – including LA Fitness (which will include a daycare facility), HomeGoods, Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores, and others to be announced at a later date.  

The proposed redevelopment will significantly transform the appearance of the center and has already shown to be a catalyst for other development projects in the area.  Selig expects to begin construction immediately and looks forward to completion of the project that will serve the community."

Decaturish.com has posted Good Growth DeKalb's press release on this matter.

Selig Enterprises gets go-ahead to build Suburban Plaza Walmart

via Selig Enterprises:

Yesterday, a DeKalb County Superior Court judge ruled that Good Growth DeKalb does not have standing to appeal DeKalb County’s decision to issue Selig a building permit to construct a Walmart at Suburban Plaza.  Good Growth DeKalb had claimed that it had standing to appeal DeKalb County’s issuance of Walmart’s building permit.  The Court disagreed.  As a result, the building permit is valid and the project is now cleared to move forward.

Good Growth DeKalb filed an internal DeKalb County administrative appeal in January, contending that the County issued the building permit for the Walmart Supercenter in error. Their appeal was addressed to the Technical Board of Appeals. However, because the appeal challenged issues such as trees and hydrology that fell under the jurisdiction of the Zoning Board of Appeals, the County assigned the appeal to the Zoning Board of Appeals.  In its lawsuit, Good Growth DeKalb contended that the Zoning Board of Appeals did not have authority to hear the matter.  In an eleven-page ruling, Judge Barrie rejected Good Growth DeKalb’s claims and declared that it did not have standing under the County ordinances to file the appeal.  

Selig is pleased with the outcome and believes the Judge came to the correct conclusion given the law and the facts in the case.  Selig would like to thank Dekalb County Attorneys, Duane Pritchett and John Jones, for doing such an excellent job in defending the County’s issuance of the permit and in responding to Good Growth DeKalb’s claims.

Further, Selig is excited about the continued tenant interest in the project - including LA Fitness (which will include a daycare facility), HomeGoods, Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores, and Ross Dress for Less.  We hope to be under construction by the end of the year.

As always, we thank you for your continued involvement and support in this project and we will continue to update the community as we progress.

Sincerely,
             
Scott Selig

Selig releases "Pedestrian Improvement Study for the Scott Boulevard at N. Decatur Road Signalized Intersection"

Images via report prepared by Wolverton and Associates for Selig Enterprises, Inc., November 2012.

For the full report, see
Pedestrian Improvement Study for the Scott Boulevard at N. Decatur Road Signalized Intersection