Notes from Phase II community meeting: Fuqua's "Decatur Crossing" development

The meeting was held on March 2 at the North Decatur United Methodist Church to share information about Phase II of Fuqua's proposed development.

View from Medlock Park / Scott Blvd side. The structure in the middle is the proposed natural grocery store and associated parking. Phase I (approved) appears towards the bottom right-hand corner. The proposed green space / park is located between Phase I and the grocery store. Note the crosswalk at Blackmon Drive (with a matching one at the Suburban Plaza side); a new two-lane road connects them. Click to enlarge.

Phase I has been approved and Fuqua expects demolition of the old Scott Bldvd Baptist Church and houses on Barton Way to begin shortly. Details on Phase I, approved in April 2014, are available here. Phase II plans had been vague because there was no certainty about Fuqua's ability to purchase homes on Blackmon and extend the development; those plans had included owner-occupied town homes as a buffer between the new development and existing Blackmon homes. With the Blackmon houses under contract, Fuqua has decided to reshape Phase II to remove the town homes and include additional rental apartments built to specifications that, should the market later demand it, will allow conversion to condos. The developer acknowledged feedback from the Cross-Neighborhoods Committee.

Again, to clarify: Phase I is approved, Phase II is currently under consideration and in the public feedback phase.

Bird's eye view, now from a North Decatur Rd perspective. Note proposed "future connections" to Church Street.
Click to enlarge.

Key elements  [describing Phase I and Phase II combined]

• 80,000 sq ft retail
• 15,000 sq ft business space
• 450 1-2 bedroom units in Phase II. Phase I includes 250+ units, which brings the total for the both phases at 700+ units
• Rent is proposed at $1.65/sq ft; a 2-bedroom apt would be around 900 sq ft therefore, $1,500/month rent range
• Includes a ~1 acre park open to the public
• Parking for the residential units will be gated, in multi-level structures; parking assigned at same level where the tenant lives
• Most parking will be hidden from view from N Decatur Rd. and Scott Blvd (some of the grocery/business parking will be visible). ~1.5 per apartment in addition to guest and employee parking 
• Power lines will be buried
• Includes a "natural groceries store" that has open parking (a requirement from the business to come to this location) 
• Five-story apartment buildings
• Interior sidewalks connect Scott Blvd to N Decatur Rd; sidewalks facing N Decatur Rd and Scott Blvd are 8' wide, and have 6' buffers separating them from the buildings and roadways

TRAFFIC

- 3 entrance/exits and "right turn in / right turn out" on Scott Blvd. side

- a 2-lane road will transect the development, connecting North Decatur Rd. and Scott Blvd. It will align to proposed light at Suburban Plaza. Another light and crosswalk will align with the Blackmon Drive entrance into the Medlock neighborhood

- Fuqua will conduct a traffic study. The audience highlighted the extremely high traffic at Blackmon as commuters cut through the neighborhood (a Blackmon resident noted that he has counted 400 cars/hours during peak traffic). Fuqua seemed amenable to adding Blackmon to their traffic study. 

WALKABILITY, PAVEMENT and PARKING

- proposed light at Blackmon; Fuqua is contributing to other improvements at the 6-point intersection (as negotiated by the Cross-Neighborhoods Committee as part of Phase I)

- this development will not interfere with other potential improvements to the area (e.g. light rail, bus service)

- should the DOT decide to widen N Decatur Rd., Fuqua would adjust its footprint to allow sidewalks as described earlier
- audience member insisted Fuqua can do better in enhancing walkability by limiting surface parking. Interesting turn in conversation that certain population groups are averse to decked parking when shopping for groceries  and that millenials would rather park in deck and have nicer surroundings (instead of open parking). Noted that many grocery stores have parking requirements that must be met before they agree to sign contract. Fuqua also noted that millenials are not his target audience. Others noted that parking is not overwhelming and seemed in proportion.

- new ~1 acre park; grocery/business parking is not overly large; Fuqua will provide a comparison to other area shopping spaces that have a similar building to parking ratio.
- no interest in the idea that the grocery store share parking space in the decks (to eliminate ground-level parking)

GREEN?

- Fuqua stated they build to sustainable standards, use green practices but do not pursue LEED certifications

- will try to use natives in landscaping, not too far along in planning that

- County has stated that it has the capacity to support the proposed 700+ units in this development (County has capacity "at level of line and plant")
- asked if there would be a "Phase III", a chuckle and "yes, all the way to Church Street!" (with clarification that the BMW and Tesla car dealerships abut Phase II).
- asked "why build new retail space when there are so many empty shopping spaces around," Fuqua replied that development is now different and new buildings attract different types of retailers
- no plan for rooftop plaza or gardens
- delivery trucks for grocer, dumpsters for residents will all be out of sight 

- no big neon signs proposed, likely monument signage

ZONING 

- currently being developed in DeKalb Co.; if annexed to Decatur, current zoning would be grandfathered in

- Phase II would seek to
* rezone to OCR (Office-Commercial-Residential) designation [defined by DeKalb Co as "A district for establishing new mixed use developments of medium intensity which consist of a combination of office, commercial, and residential uses."]
* would need two SLUP (Special Land Use Permits): one to allow 5-story construction, and one for a drive-through [a bank, a restaurant]
* similar to Phase I, would seek to amend land use to town center
* no changes regarding parking

- the concern of "what if the grocery store fails, what if we end up with a strip club there?" was answered by saying that would require special zoning and the community would have input; the decision to not allow such a thing can also be done by the property owner

TARGET AUDIENCE

- pedestrian traffic; young adults and empty nesters

- in response to how this development will age relative to the area, Fuqua said that the Atlanta metro area can expect to grow by 2.5 million over the next 15 years. Single-family homes will be less available and there will be demand for apartments

- there are no plans for  senior or low-income housing

TIMELINE

- zoning will begin to review Phase II plans in mid-March 2015

- summertime would be the earliest time for approvals

- construction would take ~18 months for Phase I. Phase II would take longer but assuming they can start building soon, it would go up concurrently with Phase I and would look "finished" while interiors are completed over a ~7 month period.
- Phase I: plan is approved, demolition of homes and church is approved and project should take 15-18 months to completion
- Phase II (focus of this meeting): just getting started with zoning

What the development may look from: street view of landscaping, sidewalks and building finishes.

Thoughts, ideas, worries? Send them to the crossneighborhoodscommittee@gmail.com

Fuqua "Phase II" proposal for Decatur Crossing [Mar 2]

The announcement below relates to "Phase II" of this Fuqua Development project.
Details about "Phase I" of this project area available here.
- - - - -
via the Cross-Neighborhoods Committee

click to enlarge.

Fuqua Development, LP (“Fuqua”) will be hosting a meeting on Monday, March 2, 2015 to preview the concept for “Phase II” of its development at the intersection of Scott Boulevard and North Decatur Road, shown on the attached rendering.   

As many of you know, Fuqua worked hand-in-hand with a Cross-Neighborhoods Committee on Phase I and has held preliminary meetings with the same Committee in an effort to ensure that Phase II is consistent with the communities’ vision for the area.  Features of Phase II will include:

· Community green space

· A continuation of the sidewalk and streetscape treatment proposed for Phase I

· A new north/south roadway between North Decatur Road and Scott Boulevard, with traffic signals proposed at each intersection

· An authentic mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented environment, with retail, restaurant, office and residential uses

We encourage you to come hear about this exciting project and provide the meeting details below:

Date:  Monday, March 2, 2015

Time:  7:00 p.m. to 8:00 pm

Place:  North Decatur United Methodist Church, 1523 Church Street, Decatur, Georgia  
30033

Dennis (Den) J. Webb, Jr. | 
Attorney at Law 
404-815-3620 phone 
404-685-6920 fax 
www.sgrlaw.com 
dwebb@sgrlaw.com 
Promenade, Suite 3100 
1230 Peachtree Street, N.E. 
Atlanta, Georgia 30309-3592

Senator Parent: Town Hall Meeting [Feb 19]

MEDIA ADVISORY

Contact:         Jennifer Yarber, Director
Brittany Wagner, Communications Specialist
brittany.wagner@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0028

Sen. Parent to Host Town Hall Meeting in Decatur

ATLANTA (February 17, 2015)  |  Sen. Elena Parent (D - Atlanta) will host a town hall meeting on Thursday, February 19, 2015, at the North Decatur Presbyterian Church to offer constituents updates about the General Assembly’s business at the State Capitol.

This informal meeting provides an excellent opportunity for constituents to become actively engaged in the legislative process and ensure proposed legislation truly reflects the will of the people.

WHAT:            Town Hall Meeting

WHO:              Sen. Elena Parent

WHEN:        
Thursday, February 19, 2015
6:30-7:30 p.m.

WHERE:        
North Decatur Presbyterian Church
611 Medlock Road,
Decatur, GA 30033

# # # #

Sen. Elena Parent represents the 42nd Senate District which includes portions of DeKalb County. She may be reached at her office at 404.456.5109 or by email at elena.parent@senate.ga.gov.

Brief notes: Meeting with Reps. Mayo and Oliver

from the MANA Working Group:

Representatives of the MANA Working Group on Annexation met with Rep. Rahn Mayo on February 9 at his request. We again discussed our concerns about Areas A and B in the proposed Decatur annexation. Specifically, we discussed concerns that should parts of our neighborhood and nearby commercial cease to be in the same jurisdiction, residents who will be directly impacted by Decatur's development plans will have no say on how those areas are developed. Read this statement to learn about some of our concerns, which were voiced before Decatur decided to seize the whole Medline LCI study area.

As far as Rep. Mayo knows, nobody is yet sponsoring either the Atlanta or Decatur annexation.

We discussed a working draft of an Atlanta annexation map for MANA that essentially includes MANA boundaries, plus parts of what Decatur’s annexation map labels as Areas A and B. We also gave a copy of the map to Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver, who didn't say much except that the Atlanta proposal had run into some conflicts. As Rep. Oliver said, everything is in flux.

We also attended the DeKalb County house delegation meeting. The DeKalb Municipal Association was there with various mayors, city managers, etc. City of Decatur representatives talked about their need to annex business property and how wrong it was to say they weren't taking residential areas; they told the group that their mayor will be sending a letter to the delegation soon.

It is fair to say that at this point the only certainty is that Decatur is continuing to push for legislative support of its unreasonable annexation plans. Let's continue to remind the DeKalb Delegation why Decatur's annexation is a bad idea; their email addresses are available on this site. If you haven’t signed the petition at https://www.change.org/p/the-dekalb-delegation-to-the-georgia-general-assembly-say-no-to-the-city-of-decatur-annexing-dekalb-county-commercial-properties

Adopt a pet via DeKalb Co. Animal Services

Emory LaVista Parent Council seeking nominations for board members

WHO? Parents of students who attend one of the schools in the Druid Hills High School cluster - Avondale, Briar Vista, Fernbank, Laurel Ridge, and McLendon Elementary Schools, Druid Hills Middle School, and  Druid Hills High School.

 

WHAT?  The Emory LaVista Parent Council (ELPC), which includes all schools in the Lakeside and Druid Hills High School clusters, is seeking new board members to serve a two-year term beginning with the 2015-2016 school year. According to the ELPC charter, board members must come from the footprint of the Lakeside and Druid Hills High School clusters and must have children enrolled in one of those schools. At this time, only the board members from the Druid Hills High School cluster need to be replaced.

 

WHY? Become an advocate for our students. Through issue-oriented meetings and an involved constituency, the ELPC has established itself as an excellent source of information and a venue for communication concerning educational issues facing our children and our communities.

 

WHEN? Meetings are held on the third Wednesday of each month, starting at 9:15am, with refreshments served at 8:45am. Meeting locations rotate to each of our school facilities.

Atlanta Annexation Survey Results

MANA has now completed a second survey of residents to determine the neighborhood's interest in being included in a City of Atlanta annexation map. See our community meeting notes explaining why we decided to conduct a second survey on cityhood and annexation.

For the current survey, volunteers went door to door and also collected responses online:

- 564 neighborhood addresses were validated, which reflects 42.6% of households

- 745 valid surveys are included in this brief report

- 71% of respondents supported the idea of being added to an Atlanta annexation map

In view of these results, the MANA Board is contacting our representatives about including our neighborhood in any Atlanta annexation map that is considered during the current legislative session. Should an Atlanta annexation referendum take place, being in the map protects our residents' right to vote in favor of or against the proposal. 

The survey included two questions; results are summarized below.