Clairmont Heights Civic Association Secretary Julia Byrne reports that the neighborhood association board met yesterday and approved the following letter to the DeKalb delegation of the Georgia Legislature, officially stating their opposition to Decatur’s Annexation Master Plan.
The letter also included the map shown above.
January 11, 2015
To our elected representatives in the Georgia Legislature,
The Board of the Clairmont Heights Civic Association writes to protest the City of Decatur’s proposed Annexation Master Plan. We respectfully request that you object to legislation related to this plan during the 2015 session of the Georgia General Assembly.
Our Board feels that Decatur’s planned annexation harms and negatively impacts options for our neighborhood as annexation and city creation efforts in DeKalb County proceed. CHCA conducted a neighborhood survey in September to determine the course of action our residents preferred, and we have done our best to ensure that our opinions would be known and our voices heard as the legislature considers the current annexation and city creation efforts. CHCA officers and individual homeowners consulted with our local legislators and the Decatur City Manager to seek their advice over the past several months. In particular, following the advice we received from our local legislators, neighborhood members carefully pursued the petition process set forth by Decatur. Decatur declined to consider the petitions they had solicited.
The Clairmont Heights neighborhood abuts the City of Decatur (please see map attached as PDF). Our neighborhood students attend Fernbank Elementary School and Druid Hills High School, and Decatur’s proposal would change our contiguous nature to this school community. Specifically, the section designated as Area A would sever Clairmont Heights from the schools that have served it since the neighborhood was developed in the 1950s. Jurisdiction over the intersections involved in Area A is critical to safety, development, service delivery, and traffic issues important to our neighborhood, and our residents deserve a role in future developments in this key location.
The City of Decatur intends to annex predominantly commercial property historically and geographically connected to our neighborhood without accepting the adjacent residents and families who support these businesses. Their proposal would remove an estimated $8 million in annual tax revenue that supports our local schools while simultaneously cutting our contiguous relationship with these schools. Furthermore, the Decatur proposal negatively impacts other efforts our neighbors are pursuing to secure a strong voice for Clairmont Heights as DeKalb communities contemplate future city boundaries.
This intersection and section of North Decatur Road are currently proposed as possible routes for future light rail development. Decatur’s jurisdiction over this area leaves our neighborhood without a voice in a critical transportation issue.
We respectfully request that you object to annexation by the City of Decatur during the 2015 session.
Signed by Board members of the Clairmont Heights Civic Association
The land grab for commercial properties continues. This case seems pretty weak, except for one thing. I think Decatur is overreaching a bit when they propose extending the annexation boundary across North Decatur Road at the intersection of Clairemont & N.Decatur Rd, but not doing so in any of the residential areas of NDR. Got a little greedy there IMHO.
The steadfast opposition from CHCA towards Decatur’s annexation board is not very convincing to me either, but it should not be a surprise to Decatur. They were warned of this, and so here it is. I hope they have a good political game plan, because this is the type of letter that a political operative might call “cover”.
The annexation of the commercial areas north of Decatur is similar to the annexation by Brookhaven of Executive Park and Children’s Hospital at I-85. In that case the surrounding residents were left out of the annexation and remain the most impacted y the imminent redevelopment of the properties. Around Suburban Plaza, the Medline LCI study will lead the way for redevelopment. Three projects are already underway. At North Decatur and Clairmont, it is only a matter of time before the commercial properties and the huge Emory Oaks apartment complex is redeveloped. In all of these instances the surrounding residents should have some say in the redevelopment process, but the annexation by Decatur and Brookhaven will insulate the elected officials from accountability for their decisions in future redevelopment.
Honestly, do you think that DeKalb County would be a better steward of the property than the city of Decatur? Look at Scott Boulevard from N. DeKalb Mall to the Decatur city limits. What is the development DeKalb should be most proud of, the Muffler/Tire/Pawn shop or the Vol Repair business with the Area 51 bus outside?
I understand the concern a different government on the border, but DeKalb totally ignored Medlock. Even if Decatur ignored Medlock, their likely plan is for smart development and growth and is better than anything Medlock would get from DeKalb. If Suburban Plaza had been in Decatur, there would not be a Fuqua development there, and the Medline LCI plan is much more realistic with this property in Decatur than in DeKalb.
How’s that “Decatur stewardship” working out for the Smith Ace Hardware property? Ironic since Intown Ace, which everybody loves and is thriving, is in unincorporated Dekalb.
Huh? The Ace Hardware in Decatur went out of business. I guess the Intown Ace was run better. What does that have to do with anything? The point is that when property is re-developed, it has a better chance of being developed in a smart way under Decatur than DeKalb.
Property gets developed by developers. I reject the premise that the future of this area in terms of development will hinge on what municipality it resides in. To say that Decatur will do a better job than Dekalb, or by the brand new city of Clairmont Heights, by comparing areas that are distinct from each other overlooks what every developer knows as the major force in the universe: location.
Decatur’s track record is a little spotty of late. See wall of parking on Commerce. it’s not promising. See design of apartments at Dairy Queen. Fugly. Annexation and redevelopment of Devry site was because DeKalb would mess it up. What’s coming out of the ground is not impressive.
Decatur has had no luck in dealing with Selig Properties. See CVS shopping center at Commerce and properties along Church between Ponce and Commerce. Selig owns Suburban Plaza and Emory Commons (Publix). Suburban Plaza was already entitled to build Wal-Mart. If Decatur tried to take those rights away, they’d be sued so fast that City Commission chairs would spin for a month. DeKalb took the leadership on Medline, not Decatur. And the fundamental point is that annexations should not disenfranchise the residents that surround these redeveloping properties.
The DQ and Commerce property are mixed use properties with wrapped parking. The parking won’t be visible. These developments are much better than what is on N. Decatur or Scott. As for Selig, the zoning has changed since they built the CVS. Trust me. I live near a mixed use development I don’t want to see.
As far as being “disenfranchised”, no one has any real control over what happens outside the borders of their home, neighborhood, city, county state, etc. As a Decatur resident, who pays DeKalb taxes, why should I be “disenfranchised” from having a say in what happens in the unincorporated areas adjacent to Decatur? Because I don’t live there. If annexation happens, everyone near any city border will be “disenfranchised.”
With Suburban Plaza developed, what right should Medlock have to direct development on DeKalb Industrial way and other properties much closer to Decatur?
If Decatur residents don’t like what Dekalb officials do the residents can vote. If decatur votes against the wishes of Clairmont Heights they have no vote.
Just as with Cvs or Chick Filet, once zoning is in place, your stuck. DeKalb is on its way to changing Medline. Not Decatur. The Trinity st apartment elevations are awful. Have you seen them. As close as the deck is to the sidewalk on Commerce, it’s going to be hard to hide that.
The Commerce project has one-bedroom apartments between the blank wall of the deck and the sidewalk. DM did a post about it a couple weeks back.
Decatur did get a partial win with the W Ponce and Commerce Selig development. Selig originally wanted the CVS to be in the back corner where the empty space is,leaving nothing but a parking lot facing the streets, but COD got them to front it on the street so the parking expanse was not as noticeable and there was some retail on the street. Obviously, the best solution would have been all retail fronting the street, but at least some of it does.
What’s the plan B if annexation falls through? Where will schools be built, and with what money?
Here again . . . you probably wouldn’t hear a peep about the $8M in tax revenue being taken away from ALL the Dekalb county schools if they were getting annexed into Decatur as well. They’d probably be perfectly willing to remove that revenue stream from Dekalb if they could come with it.
Also, here again . . . it really stinks that this issue has pitted adjacent neighborhoods, streets, and residents against one another. Everyone is understandably looking out for their own best interests, and it’s divided up everyone into cliques.
These issues (primarily the COD and COA annexations) were created and are continuing to fester due to the powers that be in both NOT thinking long-term. They are thinking short-term (the next 10 years and shorter). As the last post confirms, these jurisdictions each have significant commercial and residential value….and they come with pre-existing schools that–while they may not be up to COD standards (No. 2 aint bad), they certainly aren’t the worst). The powers that be should be vying to swallow up the whole of the school feeder system and set their respective cities in good standing for the next 50 years. Do they want to? probably not. But what they are getting is EVERYONE unifying behind the opposition. And it, from the looks of it, there might not be a whole lot of property left to annex in 10 years if they don’t get their piece now.
CHCA wants the commercial property for themselves because they want to use it as a carrot to get Atlanta to annex them. It’s really quite hypocritical. Again, if they want to stay in unincorporated DeKalb and argue that all annexations are bad, that is one thing. However, they are trying to get out of DeKalb too, and into Atlanta. They want this commercial property as a bargaining chip to get them into Atlanta.
“Annexation by Decatur would sever Clairmont Heights from the Schools that have served it.” It would “change the nature of this contiguous community.” LOL.
Are these folks going to visit their legislators and scream how Decatur is taking their DeKalb School money and then change clothes and go in the chamber with Together in Atlanta and ask that they be allowed to secede from DeKalb and take the same property with them, not to mention 4 school buildings without compensation to DeKalb? What nonsense.
and decatur only wants this commercial property for the taxes that it desperately needs to pay for all the services it offers its citizenry, lest they be forced to pay for it themselves, leaving the nearby residential unattractive for anyone to annex.
let’s not pretend one side in this is the bad guy and the other is all puppy dogs and cherubs and altruistic motives. this is politics and i would be disappointed if anybody involved did not do all they can to get the most of the changing landscape.
Who said Decatur isn’t doing a land grab? Not me. However, at least Decatur is being honest that it wants the revenue.
CH is lists a lot of reason why Decatur should not annex this property. Mostly, its “all about the children.” None of these reasons are that CH wants to leave DeKalb and try to get a great deal for itself (abandoning Medlock and Avondale Estates and their children) and take fixed school buildings without compensation, which is the real reason for its opposition to Decatur’s annexation.
really? is that how you read the letter above? because the first sentence after the introductory paragraph stating the disagree, the first reason they give for their opposition is “Our Board feels that Decatur’s planned annexation harms and negatively impacts options for our neighborhood as annexation and city creation efforts in DeKalb County proceed.”
seems pretty straight forward to me. now if you want to frame that as hypocritical nonsense, feel free, but just know that to those of us who may have a more moderate view of this whole annexapalooza, you come off as someone with a serious bone to pick with the CHCA folks trying to derail saint decatur’s plans.
City of Atlanta is not cherry picking commercial. They have said they welcome all neighborhoods that want to join. They don’t have a tax base problem.
So Atlanta is inviting Medlock along with Druid Hills? I wasn’t aware of this. The fact is that Atlanta is welcoming on of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the metro into its borders and it would not be doing so if the transaction was not revenue positive.
Medlock is absolutely welcome into the city of Atlanta. It is dependent upon Clairmont Heights, which is situated between Druid Hills and Medlock. Atlanta has said repeatedly that everyone is welcome. The entire Druid Hills cluster could move into Atlanta except those residents within the City of Avondale estates.
Don’t forget about Midway Woods – that little island of homes that no one wants to claim.
So the conclusion is that Decatur faces a tax hike if it does not annex and if it annexes it must put ” a General Obligation bond on the ballot in 2015″. A TAX HIKE EITHER WAY! The city has about 200 million in bonds already on the books. My real world view believes that servicing the proposed annexation areas will cost WAY MORE than the city collects and the proposed area will have MORE than the 750 students. An alert to current Decatur residents, if the city annexes just commercial property then Decatur will use it to write MORE bonds for you to pay back. If Decatur annexes then it will be indistinguishable from Snellville, et al..
You had me until that last sentence, which is just laughable.
” If Decatur annexes then it will be indistinguishable from Snellville, et al.”
At least everybody will be somebody.
I’m gonna go ahead and do my 2015 predictions and say that Decatur’s annexation fails in the legislature, and that City of Lavista Hills wins voter approval and City of Tucker doesn’t.
Also Oregon by 10.
I have the Tucker and Hasta La Vista results flipped. My non-fact based prediction is that Tucker will be approved. I wish there was an Intrade play on this (or a Vegas line).
My reason for predicting Tucker doesn’t pass is that no dedicated police force comes with the deal, and that seems to be a major concern there.
Cannot argue with the Oregon prediction. The rest I’m kinda “meh” about.
“no dedicated police force comes with the deal”….the DeKalb Police HQ and the Tucker Pct are in Tucker and I think suggesting they are not dedicated is wrong. When Decatur PD needs something they call the county. My personal opinion the city lite form for Tucker will be better as all emergencies will be handled by the county which has the resources and personnel.
Um, I think “dedicated” was used in the sense of “assigned only to” not “committed and conscientious”.