Rio Circle Part of Avondale Annexation Plan, But Businesses Prefer Decatur
Decatur Metro | September 30, 2014 | 1:06 pmAs previously reported, a majority of businesses along Rio Circle to the east of the Decatur city limits want in. But it’s not part of Decatur’s Annexation Master Plan. An AJC blurb has reaction from City Manager Peggy Merriss…
The Rio Circle commercial district recently filed a petition for annexation into Decatur. Roughly a half-mile east of Decatur’s current border, Rio Circle has long been on Avondale Estates’ annexation map, with city manager Peggy Merriss insisting, “We have consistently maintained that [Decatur] would respect that plan.”
But 41 of 54 private property owners representing 80 percent of the land signed the petition which Merris said was “unsolicited” by the city. Nevertheless city commissioners could approve it, though no date’s been set for a vote.
It’s so interesting how this “whole annexation thing” is gonna play out.
Especially when this development works against the prevailing narrative of Decatur as the greedy aggressor vs. commercial landowners with no desire to join the city.
I hope we’re not forced to acknowledge that pretending complex things are simple doesn’t actually make them simple. That would suck.
I will be so glad when it is over. The uncertainty is very stressful for many of us living in the unincorporated areas of Dekalb. Although I hope Forrest Hills is annexed into Avondale, I personally will be glad to get it settled one way or another. Neighbors get upset with neighbors over their stances on annexation. There are intense feelings on this issue. Normalcy is needed.
…41 of 54 private property owners representing 80 percent of the land signed the petition.
I wonder what percent of current CoD residents prefer not to annex Rio Circle; I also wonder what percent of city officials care what current residents prefer.
If it is 100% commercial, I don’t think you will find a lot of opposition in Decatur.
The answer to your last question is 0%.
It is not really 100% commercial, presumably if Decatur was interested in Rio Circle we would also annex property in between the current city limits and Rio Circle, not have Rio as an island.
You can’t annex an island. Anything annexed must be contiguous. The reason the referenced property owners are making the suggestion is because they’re adjacent to land that’s within our study area. If we end up annexing the areas we’ve identified for study, they’ll be contiguous.
re contiguous. Is that a Ga. law or Decatur law? I know of other places in the U.S. where they have annexed land that is not contiguous.
I’m not familiar with any instance where it’s allowable but that doesn’t mean it’s not. At least in the state of Georgia, though, it definitely must be contiguous.
Check out Harahan, LA on Google Maps. Notice on Jefferson Hwy to the East of the city, there is a little pocket they annexed – not contiguous.
It must be contiguous by Georgia law. Louisiana may have different laws.
GA law requires contiguity.
That is my point – what percent of current residents would be in favor of annexing Rio if that meant we had to annex property between the current city limits and Rio. I bet the percentage would be pretty close to 0.
there is no residential between COD limits at Sams Crossing and Rio Circle so I don’t think there would be much opposition. In fact. most folks would probably appreciate and support the commercial dollars.
Yeah, that’s just a run of businesses along that stretch. I don’t think there’s a single residential unit over there.
not yet, but if annexed, property could be more valuable rezoned residential.
Yes, but it’s not likely to be the kind of residential that attracts families, so still will be desirable from a tax-base standpoint.
Most of it abuts the MARTA rail yard. I’m not sure it’s exactly desirable residential.
The stuff actually ON Rio Circle? Oh goodness, yes. Live-work-play along a bike path and a short walk from the Tudor Village, zoned for CSD? Oh goodness, yes.
I used to work on Armour Circle, off Monroe Drive. The area was condemned for a MARTA rail yard and the ninety businesses there were all bought out in 2000. AFTER the rail yard was finished, a large apartment complex was built in the part of the district that had not been condemned.. Just look off 85 and Monroe and you’ll see what looks like fairly nice apartments, in a fairly large development, right next to a MARTA rail yard. By choice.
Oh my god, we’re gonna get in a territory war with Avondale.
We better plan to dig in at the eastern front for a while. I’m going to go stock up on growler store provisions, but they’ve got a whole dang farmers’ market to keep them supplied for months.
+1
I hate to give away this tactical advantage, but I believe the farmers’ market would be in the war zone — it’s not currently in either AE or Decatur. Good thing y’all haven’t dug that moat yet!
I’m wondering why the businesses there would want to annex to Decatur. Avondale has a great police system and an extremely easy and convenient business tax system. The schools in Decatur are obviously a huge draw, but why pay taxes for city schools if there are no residences?
Does the cachet of being in Decatur help businesses? Kind of funny that having Estates in a town name doesn’t have much cachet anymore.
That would depend on the business, I guess. A pub or restaurant, sure, I could see that. Decatur has garnered a considerable reputation in that niche. But otherwise I don’t see how it would matter.
On the other hand, if you look at the listed addresses for the Rio Circle businesses, like Southern Sweets Bakery, it’s currently a Decatur address. So maybe it’s more a matter of not wanting to change their address to something other than Decatur.
Just realized that I missed a key point in the article: this was a petition signed by property owners, not necessarily the owners of the businesses occupying the properties. In that case, what others are saying about the possibility of mixed-use residential in that area– if annexed by Decatur– makes sense. Not sure how welcoming AE is of apartments.
There was another thread a couple of weeks ago where one of the business owners talked about services provided between Decatur and Avondale as well as land use issues with Avondale. Search for Michael’s comments:
http://www.decaturmetro.com/2014/09/17/new-annexation-map-decatur-looks-to-add-commercialindustrial-property-clean-up-borders/#comments
Decatur needs commercial areas . thjis is a is a great opportunity for Decatur and
I hope the commissioners realizethis, also this is what the businesses want and i don’t blame tjhem.
I can see why they don’t want to go with Avondale. Having to change their facade to that Bavarian look would likely be quite expensive.
It’s not Bavarian. It’s faux Tudor as in Stratford upon Avon(dale).
Downtown Avondale is compliant with all the defining characteristics of Tudor Revival. There’s nothing faux about it.
City of Decatur Fire Station (2-3 ISO) vs Dekalb County Fire Stations (3-5 ISO):
Many companies use the ISO rating to help determine how much homeowners should pay for insurance. The ISO inspects everything from the number of firefighters a government has to the location of its fire hydrants.
What does this means? If City of Decatur annexes a lot of land the rating for City of Decatur Fires Station will go to 3-5. Which means that every home owner will be paying more for insurance on their house. This information about the ratings changing came from the research in 2012 annexation attempt.
Two Points:
According to Decaturish the owners first preference was stay in unincorporated DeKalb.
Warehouse districts like Rio have often been converted to lofts. Property values go way up for owners, regardless of jurisdiction.
If I owned inexpensive constructin/warehouse space in excess of 30 years old that doesn’t bring a lot per sq.ft. in rent that’s what what I would be looking for in the future. Conversion to rental lofts or tear down hi-density residential assemblage. That’s what the free market demands like it or not.
Yep, I’d imagine it has something to do with mixed use development being proven viable in CoD and that is what owners may have in mind. Anyone know which city government provides a more workable zoning and development plan?
Unclear to me if the signatures are landlords/owners or businesses who rent space.
Just an educated guess, but I think it has more to do with what CoD has accomplished in the last decade vs. what (little) AE has done. Decatur is moving forward, and AE has been stagnant or perhaps taken a step back. There have been signs of life in AE over the last couple of years, but I still believe there is little confidence in the city officials. Not one large proposal in the last decade has come to fruition.
My wife and I were just commenting recently how Avondale has kind of become Decatur’s funky district. Yes, I understand the distinction of their being separate cities. It’s just that, for better or for worse, Decatur’s success has priced out a lot of the weirder, more recklessly entrepreneurial stuff — a healthy dose of which is currently finding a home in Avondale.
It may be short lived, as much of what’s on the drawing board for AE seems to be making the jump up the ladder in terms of new construction and its potential impact on space and rental rates. But I like what’s happening there now, because it’s something that was slipping away from us. Now the flavor of old-skool Decatur can be found, at least in part, just down the road.
As a business owner who rents warehouse space, cheap intown warehouse spaces (at least in the Decatur & Avondale area) are gone. You need to go out to Mountain Industrial to get ‘cheap’ rent.
And I am surprised Rio Circle wants to be Decatur too. The big cement skate park is under contract and that is going to change everything in Avondale when that breaks ground.
I’m completely sick of all the land grabs-annexations- and HOAs turned into cities. I’ve had no problems with the county services and I like the deeper resources of the county fire, police and public works. I’ve noticed that Avondale Police and Decatur Police both call upon DeKalb or GBI for any big crimes and on all big fire emergencies in Decatur I’ve seen DeKalb Fire present. How much is it going to cost to step up and provide the service level we’ve become accustom to if there is no support from the county anymore? I noticed the county pave N. Dec Rd; when will Decatur get there short section paved?
” all big fire emergencies in Decatur I’ve seen DeKalb Fire present”
First, it’s because of mutual aid agreements. Second, how many “big fire emergencies” have you seen in Decatur? The last one I recall was when My Sister’s Room on E Howard burned to the ground 10 years ago. Decatur typically responds to fewer than 10 active fires a year and their medical calls, which constitute over 80% of the calls, are responded to far quicker than DeKalb for similar calls.
As for police assistance, Decatur PD calls on DeKalb for things like SWAT, helicopter and K9, which would not be cost effective for Decatur to staff, and part of our tax money goes to funding contracts for those services. The GBI is called in by all but the largest jurisdictions for more complex cases; that’s why they’re there.
My next door neighbor had a kitchen fire several years ago. CoD Fire arrived within 2 minutes of the 911 call. Had it been even a minute longer, the attic would have been fully involved and the house would have been totaled. CoD taxes paid off big time on that day.
We’ve had beyond excellent responses from COD Fire Dept. too. In one case, something small could have become much bigger with a longer response time. Not only did they respond quick, but they helped us figure out what was wrong and how to fix it so it wouldn’t happen again.
GDOT controls the funds for road repaving. It has nothing to do with County vs. City.
I wasnt very clear on what I was trying to convey. The county’s ability to provide “cost effective”services will continue to shrink with all the annexations and new cities to the point it will not be offering the extra services thus shifting the full cost to the cities. And BTW a new fire district exclusive to the new north dekalb cities is still in play which would drive up rates and place a greater demand on Decatur’s fire in the mutual aid area. I see mutual aid as Decatur’s tax money being spent outside of CofD. What will become a thing of the past are the quick responses., etc. As Decatur expands it will be encumbered to fill the void which will cost residents more money; another fire station? more cops? more roads to fix? And if Decatur reaches out as far as planned then forget about a small school system because the area it desires will be developed with hundreds of apts. If Decatur aggressively annexes areas then it will leave quaint behind and be just another city with big city problems.
+1
“The big cement skate park is under contract and that is going to change everything in Avondale when that breaks ground”
What exactly *is* going to happen in this area? Was that where the Publix was originally planned before the downturn?
Publix was going to be next to what is now little wine shop. City of AE bought the bank owned stuff right after it came out of bankruptcy and is marketing the property for mixed use. Euramex, an apartment developer, has bought the old FDunlop (skatepark) and erector set to redevelop. Into what, not entirely clear, not certain the zoning but City wants mixed use per LCI master plan. From what I have seen Euramex is not experienced with mixed use, so I guess we’ll have to see what happens!
I can answer questions about why we chose Decatur…. Since I helped with the petitions. I have posted answers in another thread on the metro. But easy answer, predictability, rational land use plans and no additional cost while actually getting the police, fire and schools of Decatur. We have made a rational choice!
I must say today I was contacted by a group wanting to be in the new city of Briarcliff. They want to meet and discuss options. So stay tuned…… The important thing about this entire discussion is , almost 95% of the land area owners in the disputed area have voiced an opinion to be in a city other than Avondale Estates……. Can they all be wrong??
Avondale closed its doors 25 years ago due to white flight around it. Decatur embraced its diversity and choose to work on making the place a better place to live and work. Even though I do not want to be a part of CoD I truly admire what they have accomplished in the 25 years I lived in various parts DeKalb and now at its footstep. Avondale governing body, like michael mentioned, isn’t very stable. Just think where it would be now if it hadn’t been so insular.
“Avondale closed its doors 25 years ago due to white flight around it.”
I tend to agree with this kind of perspective, but in this specific case, what do you mean exactly?
A lot of speculation and inference from reading some history here, but the whole point to AE being its own city in the 1920s was to institutionalize the area as an all-white area. As white flight occurred around it and even in Decatur itself, AE became more reactionary, and so as development opportunities such as apartments and the like came up they were shot down fast. I think Marta’s initial plan was to locate closer to AE, but the town demanded Marta go around it with no station. So AE sort of had a siege mentality all during the white flight period. Now, most new AE residents are of the same Decatur/Kirkwood ilk, so I’m not sure why people would see AE as being unstable now. It doesn’t add up. Is it because AE has the “elected mayor”+manager form of government as opposed to Decatur’s “commission”+manager form? Because Decatur has a Fire Department? Because the residential area seems to get all the attention and money? Yes, yes, and yes I guess.
I went to the mea culpa parade last night. I listened and even spoke requesting that Avondale drop it’s attempt to annex the commercial district. I do not expect the approach to yield anything more than a push for a hostile take over. It seems the mayor and one council member submitted the annexation request WITHOUT a vote from the council or even their knowledge. It seems some of the residents were very out done with the mayor, and others were willing to let it slide because he is not PAID…… From my standpoint, having the mayor and city council oversee my property scares the hell out of me. If they do not know the law, they should bow out!
Annexation Methods:
1st – the 100 percent method. Under this approach, municipalities have the authority to annex qualified contiguous property when 100 percent of the property owners request inclusion into the municipal boundaries.
2nd – the 60 percent rule and can be used only by municipalities that have a population in excess of 200.
3rd – by resolution and referendum. This method can be used in cases where the property is found to be contiguous to the municipal boundary, is not currently receiving water, sewer, fire or police from another government entity, no part of the area lies within the boundaries of another municipality, and is in general, developed for urban purposes
4th – by local act of the General Assembly. This method is applicable in cases where the acreage of the annexed area is more than 50 percent residential in nature.
Using the 60 percent annexation method, Parkwood neighborhood residents petitioned for
annexation into the City of Decatur in January 2014. In March 2014, the City of Decatur
conducted a cost analysis in order to determine costs to the city
to extend services to new residents. The report determined associated revenue compared to expenditures would result in net positive amounts for the city the first 5 years following annexation. With this information, city commissioners voted unanimously in April 2014 to fulfil the residential annexation petition.
Effective July 1, 2014, the city of Decatur annexed Parkwood Park into the city limits. This annexation adds 77 parcels into the city and 14 students to the school system.
Following a May 2014 service d elivery report on the proposed Derrydown annexation, the City
of Decatur commissioners approved a petition to annex 29 parcels on Derrydown Way into the
city. The report determined the city will not need to hire any additional staff to provide police
and fire protection to its new residents. The Derrydown annexation will become effective in
August 2014.
Medlock Park could come its own City if it wanted too.
Cities are distinct from counties, in that they are formed by charter and able to control
their own laws and borders. They have 200 or more people in them.
Cities can qualify by having at least 3 of the following:
-Public safety or law enforcement
-Storm water collection or disposal
-Fire protection and fire safety
-Electric or gas utility services
-Road and street construction or maintenance
-Code enforcement (building, housing, plumbing, electrical, and other)
-Solid waste management
-Planning and zoning
-Water supply or distribution or both
-Recreational facilities
-Waste
-water treatment
-Library
-Public safety or law enforcement
County is a division of the State and its admministrative authority stems from the state legislature.
The County has to provide the following services for City and County people:
-State Court
-Health Services
-Probate Court
-Public Assistance and Family Services
-Superior Court
-Emergency/disaster management
-Magistrate Court
-Property tax appraisal
-Juvenile Court
-Tax appeals/board of equalization
-Coroner or medical examiner
-Tax commissioner
-Superior Court Clerk
-Elections and registration
-Vital Records
-Sheriff
-Jail
The County can provide other optional services who instance the following:
-County law library
-Libraries
-Cooperative Extension Service
-Cable TV/cable franchising
-Law enforcement: county police
-Animal control
-Law enforcement: dive team
-Road and street lighting
-Law enforcement: investigations
-Airports
-Law enforcement: drug task forces
-911 Services
-Fire protection
-Public transportation
-Senior services
-Planning & zoning
-Water supply
-GIS
-Water quality
-Building inspections
-Sewage collection and treatment
-Economic development
-Solid waste collection and treatment
-Public housing
-Erosion and sedimentation control
-Ambulance/paramedic services
-Stormwater management
-Street & bridge maintenance and construction
-Public hospitals / support for hospitals
-Parks & Recreation