With the recent demolition of the old rusty, asbestos-laden DeKalb County Callaway Building, the City of Decatur is taking a moment to consider the bigger picture, noting that the coming Cousins’ development embodies many components of the city’s planning efforts.
Posted by Deputy City Manager Hugh Saxon, the article includes many interesting facts about the project. Here’s a summary:
- Office Space: “It will include 329 residential units, 65% of which are studio and one bedroom dwellings; 18,000 square feet of retail space; and Decatur’s first new office building in over 20 years, providing 33,750 square feet of Class A office space.”
- $$$!: “the project will finally return the site’s 4.7 acres to the city’s tax rolls, reversing DeKalb County’s tax exempt status that’s been in effect for the past half century.” That’s approximately “$560,000 a year to the City Schools of Decatur and $280,000 a year to the city’s General Fund”
- Trees: “137 native trees…Featured species will include Oaks, Elms, Hornbeams, Dogwoods, Hemlocks, and Cedars, among others.”
- Bikes: project will be “bordered on three sides by dedicated bicycle facilities”.
- LEED: “…downtown’s first commercial project to comply with the city’s high performance building ordinance.” The development is currently seeking Silver LEED certification, with a hope of Gold.
- Public Plaza: “The N. McDonough side of the project will feature an internal public plaza with fountain, fronted all around by commercial and live/work spaces and allowing for pedestrian access across and throughout the site.”
The article concludes by noting that the project is on track to be completed in two years, in Spring 2019.
