On to Decatur Strategic Plan Goal 6!

Goal 6: Strengthen communication and involvement in and among neighborhoods, city government, volunteer boards and commissions, institutions, community organizations, local businesses, and Decatur as a whole

Task 6A: Provide communication in a variety of formats to reach a broad audience. Expand the use of social media and electronic tools such as Open City Hall to encourage citizen participation.

Task 6B: Reorganize city staff assignments to provide focused support to improve interaction between neighborhood and community groups, and focus on developing a community that supports aging in place.

Task 6C: Create a Decatur smart phone application to serve as a visitor and resident guide for local businesses, as well as a source of event and other information.

Decatur Square, Decatur GA (photo submitted by Brian)

‘Twas a curious clash of old ways and new ideas at last night’s City Commission meeting, which may portends more awkward deliberations destined to take place over the next ten years as the Strategic Plan’s various tasks are implemented.

The meeting, which followed a “work session” where the commissioners were presented with the current draft of the Strategic Plan, included a request by a property owner looking to subdivide a large lot with an existing apartment building. Shaving off a currently undeveloped portion, the subdivision would result in at 38′ wide single family lot, which is substandard according to the R-60 zoning.

But here’s where it started to get interesting.

Even though much of Oakhurst is zoned R-60, the majority of its lots are closer to 50′ wide and some are even smaller than that. In consideration of this, Commissioner Patti Garrett noted that, though substandard by existing regulations, the request presented some interesting parallels to the Strategic Plan goals presented just minutes before. Most notably that the plan recommends adjusting the city’s zoning to allow for more types of homes in a wider variety of sizes as a tool for fostering age and income diversity.

Commissioner Baskett countered by saying that, in all the years he’d been involved with city government, they had always rejected substandard subdivision requests because allowing one would lead to a flood of others.  And later in the meeting, Mayor Floyd suggested in an aside that perhaps smaller lots in a new subdivision – like the one just approved on Lenore Street – were a better way to accommodate the Strategic Plan goal of provide a more diverse array of housing, as opposed to “cramming” them in around existing neighborhoods.

If you blinked you may have missed it, but THAT was an important, yet brief, clash of new ideas presented in the Strategic Plan vs. Decatur’s historic precedent.  Both sides make reasonable points, but this is obviously an unresolved conversation that has only just begun to rear its head.

In the end, the Commission–all voting together–rejected the request, which seems a perfectly valid call, all things considered. We don’t need to have a debate over the specifics of this one request, I just find the contrast interesting and am curious how things will play out over the next ten years as the ambitions of current residents periodically don’t jive with the way we’ve always done things.

From note forwarded from Decatur Commissioner Patti Garrett…

HOME ENERGY EFFICIENCY WORKSHOP

Date: February 8th, 2011

Time: 6pm – 7pm (presentation), 7pm – 8pm (drop in at Planning, Zoning, and Inspections Office)

Location: Decatur City Hall, City Commission Meeting Room

Homeowner’s Night is a great opportunity for homeowners in Decatur to meet with Planning, Zoning, and Inspections staff to discuss projects you may be considering for your house. You can find out what your zoning allows, what construction is required, what inspections will need to occur, and how the heck you pull a permit!

As a part of the February Homeowner’s Night, the Planning Department is proud to present a special workshop on home energy efficiency from 6pm-7pm. Guest presenters Mike Barcik and Frank Burdette of Southface will be providing homeowner’s with advice on how they can save money by reducing their utility bills. As experts in the field, Mike and Frank will help attendees understand how most homes leak energy, and explain what projects can make your home more comfortable and easier to heat and cool—while saving you money. Call it weatherization, energy efficiency, or greening your home… we’ll call it just plain smart.

After the presentation, homeowners are invited to drop into the office until 8pm with questions. We look forward to seeing you at City Hall [tonight].

Contact Nathan Soldat for additional details at nathan.soldat@decaturga.com.

UPDATE: Scott points out in a comment that these single-family, detached “townhomes” are actually just houses.  The zoning ordinance requires the designation.

Everything is evaluated in context.

Nine detached. single-family townhomes sounds pleasant enough in a vacuum, but compare those nine residences to a vacant lot where 20 units were originally planned and approved, and its suddenly a reason to celebrate.

At last night’s meeting, Decatur’s City Commission unanimously approved a plan by an Oakhurst resident and his business partner to build nine detached townhomes on a Lenore Street lot that has long been a vacant “PVC Park”.  According to one of the potential developers at the meeting, 100% of area residents who reviewed the plan were in favor of it.

Learning that three of the townhomes in the plan would actually front Lenore Street, Mayor Pro-Tem Jim Baskett remarked the development was “very nice”.

In more ways than one, it’s all about context.