Chadwick sent in this photo from the Decatur Housing Authority’s Gateway Apartments showing that construction fencing has gone up around the site in preparation of demolition and redevelopment as “Trinity Walk”.
An item on the Decatur City Commission’s agenda last Monday regarding the application for tax credits for Phase II of the redevelopment noted that Phase I development was “currently underway”.
Phase I includes building 69 affordable housing units. Phase II will add an additional 52 units. You can see from the site plan below (from this Dec 2014 solicitation document), Phase I will take place at the back of the site, while Phase II will be built closer to the MARTA rail line and West Trinity Place.
Phase I was awarded tax credits back in January.
It is a huge mistake not to use this opportunity to “connect the grid” with a future street that links Ponce and Trinity. Eventually another property would be needed on Ponce, but now is the time to build a partial street from Trinity. It would greatly improve bike and pedestrian access to Beacon Hill facilities and disperse some of the traffic congestion in downtown. I certainly hope this property won’t be fenced off.
I also think Decatur is missing a creative opportunity to add this property back onto the tax rolls and still provide affordable housing for current and future residents.
In terms of connecting the grid, this was discussed a few years ago and I don’t remember why it isn’t happening. I think it was that the funds available for the redo do not cover that massive a change.