Cottage Court – Decatur Metro – Local News, Real Estate, Business News

Decatur City Commission Approves Rezoning For Cottage Court Project Along Commerce Drive

On Monday, the Decatur City Commission approved the zoning of the property at 230 Commerce Drive from “RL-Low Density Residential to RM-Medium Density Residential”, which makes way for the city’s plan to build a cottage court development at the site.

The goal of the project, according to the application is “serve as a model to prove the depth of the market for quality, small homes and encourage private developers to build this type of project throughout the City.”

The application also notes that the proposed site plan responds to the input of adjacent property owners and neighborhoods thusly:

Adheres to all property setbacks without the need for a variance
Limits houses to 1 1/2 stories and window placements to protect privacy of adjacent property owners
Limits the # of houses to six
Places three of the six houses along Commerce Drive to reinforce the residential character of that side of Commerce Drive. The units have porches on the front facade to face Commerce and porches on the rear to address the shared courtyard
Provides for all required parking on site
Offers a variety of housing sizes including one that is completely accessible.

The application also notes residents’ desire for the DDA to act as the projects developer and retain ownership through a land trust and that the homes should be should to city and CSD employees who make 60%-80% of Decatur’s median HH income.

But for now, the zoning change has been approved, so look for this first-of-its-kind project in the City of Decatur move forward in the coming months.

All renderings courtesy of the application

Decatur To Unveil Initial Cottage Court Plans This Thursday

The city’s Communication’s Specialist Renae Madison sends along this announcement…

Collaborative neighborhood design process concludes with community-wide open house.

For three days in early May, city staff, assisted by planner/architect Bruce Tolar, will work together with surrounding neighbors to develop designs for the city’s cottage court demonstration project at 230 Commerce Drive. On Thursday, May 5, from 7-8pm, interested Decatur residents are invited to attend an open house at 104 Sycamore Place to see what they’ve come up with.

Working to balance city housing goals, market viability, and the input of adjacent property owners, the collaborative process will include daily opportunities for neighborhood review and comment, which will then inform continued design work the next day. By Thursday the 5th, a workable plan — one viable for market developers — is expected for review by the community.

Though cottage courts have been allowed since passage of the Unified Development Ordinance in early 2015, local builders have been reluctant to veer from the dependable single family homes they’re accustomed to. So in response to extensive resident requests for action on housing affordability — via 2010’s Strategic Plan, the Lifelong Community Advisory Board, and the recently completed Better Together initiative — Decatur is pursuing this as an opportunity to explore a more affordable, neighborhood-friendly alternative to large-format single-family infill.

In doing so, the city hopes to demonstrate unmet demand for cottage homes sized roughly 700 to 1,200 square feet, and to identify and address any regulatory barriers that might be preventing the development of similar projects by others.

Per-unit pricing will be dependent on the emerging design, though something around $250,000 is sought. Compliance with the Old Decatur local historic district will be required. The target property was purchased by the city in December, 2015.

Example of Cottage Court photo courtesy of Decatur Next via The Tiny Life

City of Decatur and Development Authority Look to Build Cottage Court Development Along Commerce Drive

For those of you who poured over the Unified Development Ordinance when it was under-review a while back, you may recall the “cottage court” building type. It consists of “5-9 detached dwelling units organized around a shared internal courtyard.” as stated in the UDO description above.

Well, no private developer has decided of their own accord to build a cottage court under the new ordinance yet, so the city is looking to do it themselves, with the help of the Decatur Development Authority at 230 Commerce Drive (MAP) to prove the type’s desirability. Of late, there’s been a “For Sale” sign on the property that sits on the northside of the curve on Commerce Drive close to the intersection with East College Ave. (Street view below)

Here’s City Manager Peggy Merriss’ letter to the Decatur City Commission as they prepare for tonight’s vote on an intergovernmental agreement between the two bodies.

The purpose of this memorandum is to request consideration of an Intergovernmental Contract between the Decatur City Commission and the Decatur Development Authority to facilitate development of a Cottage Court pilot project adjacent to the downtown commercial district.   A Cottage Court is a development of smaller single family homes that share common green space in order to provide a more affordable housing option for young professionals, empty nesters and service-sector employees in a targeted income range (typically 80% of median household income). The Cottage Court type is one of the new affordable housing options made available by the recently adopted Unified Development Ordinance and specifically addresses Principle D, Goal 15 “Expand the Variety of High Quality Housing Options to Meet the Needs of a Diverse Community” of the 2010 Strategic Plan.

In order to encourage private sector developers to consider Cottage Court development options, the Decatur Development Authority will facilitate the development of a pilot project to prove that a market exists for smaller house options in the City of Decatur.  Parcel of land within walking distance of downtown Decatur has been identified that would be a great site for this first project. It is an area that provides a good transition between an R-60 Residential zoning district and commercially zoned property and is located between an existing Single Family Planned Unit Development and a High Density Single Family Residential development.   The property is included in the Old Depot Historic District which would require design approval by the Decatur Historic Preservation Commission.

The Decatur Development Authority voted to approve the proposed intergovernmental agreement at a called meeting of the Authority on December 4, 2015. The Authority supports the development of a Cottage Court to encourage the private sector to consider smaller housing options within the City.   The Authority would work with a designer to create a site plan and architectural design options in cooperation with the Historic Preservation Commission and the neighborhood and would solicit proposals to develop this prototype project.

Approval of the Intergovernmental Contract is recommended.