Downtown Decatur Neighborhood Association Meeting This Wednesday

23 thoughts on “Downtown Decatur Neighborhood Association Meeting This Wednesday”

1. 
   

2. Amen.

   I would estimate at least 10% of the city’s population lives downtown, but there is no representative voice akin to the voices of the neighborhood associations. While Decaturites love their downtown and it is by no means ignored, there are some unique issues related to living downtown that sometimes go unnoticed/unaddressed from a resident point of view.

4. Somewhat off-topic, but, as a downtown resident, one of my hopes is that the big increase in residents will spur Kroger to renovate and/or expand their offerings downtown.

   1. +1

      Although I doubt they will since the Big Kroger is getting that major overhaul.

      1. Not to mention WalMart.

      2. Temporarily nicknamed “Chaos Kroger” in our house … each time I stop in, things are relocated or being relocated or don’t exist — a couple weeks ago there were almost no vegetables in the produce department … Or I’m avoiding forklifts and jackhammers. Looking forward to the completion of the project!

         1. +1

         2. That one randomly placed dairy case in the center of the store is driving me nuts!

   2. I believe that if that operation were named “Decatur Market” or something independent-sounding it would be a beloved institution in this town. It could have the same offerings, same prices, same layout, everything, and people wouldn’t expect it to be like a suburban Kroger.

      It’s an urban market. It’s perfect for what it is supposed to be. Yeah, it’s not independent, it’s part of a chain, and it’s a little ragged around the edges, but what else are you going to shoehorn into that building that works better?

      1. +10

      2. +100
         Thanks, TeeRuss. They actually did a renovation a couple years ago. The shift to more self-checkout was painful at first and I think some still don’t like it, but it was an upgrade. If we had a 50,000 square foot store there, it would necessitate more parking. The last thing we need downtown is more surface parking spaces, so I’m happy with what it is, knowing that it’s a great little urban market. Most downtowns (including the city of Atlanta) would love to have that in their retail line-up.

      3. I’ll see STG’s +10 and Geoff’s +100 raise ’em +1000. Go pretty much anywhere, to any of the countless urban places, big and small, that took a beating during the changing economies of the 20th century or suburban flight or both, and the most common challenge they face is getting and/or keeping an in-town grocery store. Downtown Atlanta doesn’t even have a substantive grocery store, yet Decatur does. And has, probably for longer than anyone here can remember.

         It’s not that the Kroger is sub-par. It’s that it represents a re-prioritization of values: foregoing infinite choice in favor of a building that fits a human-scaled footprint and contributes to larger goals of walkability, downtown living, local convenience, etc. And even that’s not a problem, because a mile or two beyond that we’ve got grocery choice to infinity and beyond. You just have to drive to it. In short, the mini-Kroge allows us to have the best of both worlds. Isn’t that the ‘Mercan gold standard?

         1. “And even that’s not a problem, because a mile or two beyond that we’ve got grocery choice to infinity and beyond. You just have to drive to it.”

            You could even walk, bike or use transit! :0)

         2. I have to disagree with you on this one Scott.

            I love having this Kroger and have no issues with it being a chain, but it is just shy of keeping me from driving out to the Big Kroger. If they could expand their footprint by about 30%, it would truly become my store of choice.

            I suspect the huge parking lot they have was required by Decatur. Such a waste of good shopping space. Rarely do I see the lot more than half full.

            1. I’d be fine with a bump in floor space if it was taken from existing parking. Especially if it brought at least some of the store out to the sidewalk. That would just be making it better without changing its underlying role as a walkable downtown grocery.

               Agreement restored!

               1. Bump it out to the sidewalk and incorporate some cafe seating (like in front of the Publix at Atl Sta), do away with the westernmost vehicle entry, make all vehicles go in and out of the signalled entrance next to the cemetery.

            2. I can’t speak to the COD requirements for parking lot size, but the one that is there has been there more than 30 years at least 3 store brands ago.

6. ” If they could expand their footprint by about 30%, it would truly become my store of choice.”

   This.

   And this:
   “I’d be fine with a bump in floor space if it was taken from existing parking. ”

   I’ve long been a supporter here of the mini-Kroger, against calls for something more high-end or something”cooler” (Trader Joes). In my original comment, I didn’t mean to imply that I don’t want Kroger there. I just think it could be a little bit bigger and better.

8. The thing that amazes me about “the Little Kroger” is that its prices are just the same as the jumbo-sized Krogers. When I lived in New York City and Los Angeles, the supermarket chains always jacked their prices up in urban areas where they knew the local residents were stuck because many had to walk to their groceries. Little Kroger doesn’t have the selection of a bigger Kroger but at least it isn’t gouging us for the convenience of being walkable. (BTW, it was on DM that I learned that the prices were the same.)

   1. Downtown Decatur is not “an urban area where the local residents are stuck.” It’s just not. That would be the vast swaths of ITP territory where people have to take a couple of MARTA buses to get to a grocery store, spending well over an hour each way just on the trip.

      1. So are prices jacked up by the grocery chains in those areas?

         1. I can’t say for sure, because I am able to use my car and shop at stores of my choice. I can tell you that the Kroger on Cascade Road offers less fresh produce than the one at Edgewood. The new Family Dollar store on Memorial has a pretty big frozen food case (for a store that size) which contains zero–ZERO–vegetables. Wanted to grab a bag of frozen beans or peas or something to throw in soup the other day, and there was nada. The “convenience” stores in the urban areas without supermarkets (including my own neighborhood), which wind up being the only option for many, price gouge like crazy. It’s not necessarily greed–a food store has to reach certain economies of scale which only the big ones can. And they just don’t choose to do business in some areas.

10. I’ve never noticed there being different prices at different Kroger locations. The product mix, though, is often quite different.

    1. That’s just good marketing. Retailers know what sells more at different location and stock according.

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