Work on the Beacon Municipal Center is almost complete.
Late last week, the city announced that the official dedication of the complex would take place on Saturday, May 16th. Related – the City Commission has a final change order for the project on its desk for tonight’s city commission meeting. (The final project budget is projected at $38,500,000, according to Asst. City Manager David Junger’s note to the commission.
Also on the City Commission’s docket this evening is an item submitted by the city’s Traffic Calming Committee to add a four-way stop close by at the intersection of West Trinity Place and Electric Avenue. Currently, it’s a two-way stop with stop signs on Electric, but not on Trinity.
According to a note submitted to the Commission from the Traffic Calming Committee to David Junger, the request was initiated by committee member Cheryl Burnette, however City Schools of Decatur employees have also voiced “their concerns of safety when crossing this intersection.”
With the official opening of the Beacon Center, the committee anticipates continually increasing traffic. Additionally, there is a concern about general visibility at that intersection. The note states that “Due to the close proximity of buildings to the intersection and on street parking, it can be difficult to see oncoming traffic without moving past the stop bar and into the intersection.”.
A field evaluation deemed that the request was “urgent due to the high volume of traffic, limited visibility, and proximity to major activity centers.”
If approved, the signs will be bagged for a week before being unveiled.
The city has long prepped Trinity to become a second Ponce de Leon Ave. The bike lane in the pic above is just one example. That happened back in 2010. Expect more little tweaks to the urban environment on Trinity in the coming years as Callaway and the DHA property at Commerce and Trinity is built up.
Photo courtesy of Google Streetview
It’s wonderful to see evolution and the ability to adapt to reality. In 2007, the City worker who oversees these issues denied my request for a crosswalk at that intersection. I was told it would not ever be approved as it was not part of the master transportation plan; end of discussion. Well, a few years later, this intersection received not just one but multiple crosswalks. And, look at the plan now. Go Decatur! Way to grow.
This will be good for walkability in this area. I’m excited to see this Trinity strip evolving (though it would have been nice if any of the original businesses still remained).
“if any of the original businesses still remained”
Except for the funeral home, I don’t recall any businesses on that end of Trinity in recent memory.
I presume the poster refers to the original businesses when this was an actual neighborhood and Commerce Dr had a real name.
That reminds me that one of the reasons given that it would be tough to change the name of Commerce Drive back to Oliver Street was because the county was located there. If the County leaves, I wonder if a renewed effort could finally get that name changed back.
The street was named for the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce when it was actually on that road (building next to A&P). It moved long ago (decades, I believe) and is presently in Two Decatur Town Center (aka not on Commerce). Mayor Emerita Wilson has long advocated for the return to its original name. Would love to see some current Commissioners embracing the idea.
If this were downtown Atlanta, a street name change would be a piece of cake. They are all about getting rid of history to cheaply (for the city, not the businesses and residents) “honor” even the living for some contribution to today. The latest effort is Spring Street to Ted Turner Dive, a paltry recognition for a man whose actions have done so much. If interested in following, look for Stop Renaming Atlanta Streets on Facebook. #stoprenamingatlantastreets.
For anyone not paying close attention, the Commerce to Oliver switch would be kind of the opposite of what’s happening in Atlanta — an effort to get rid of cheap boosterism from the 60s/70s and restore a much-deserved historical honor. Were the effort to organize, it could be called Re-rename Decatur Streets that Never Should Have Been Renamed to Begin With.
+1 (more like +1000)
+1000
And by the way… “kind of the opposite of what’s happening in Atlanta” — you could put that on a t-shirt and wear it proudly and aptly in many contexts (but not all!!!)
That was a l-o-n-g t-i-m-e ago.
Since DM mentions the whole strip of Trinity, I was assuming it meant Dairy Queen.
Just ban cars and be done with it.