East Trinity Place(?), Decatur GA (pic submitted by Rod T)

What can I say?  Thanks to Emory Village, I’ve got traffic circles on the brain.

An interesting stat from an ancient (read: November 2010) New York Times article about roundabouts…

Three years ago, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety published a study titled “Long-Term Trends in Public Opinion Following Construction of Roundabouts.” After interviewing 1,802 drivers in six communities, the researchers reported that, on average, only 34 percent had supported roundabouts in their communities before construction. But shortly after the roundabouts were in place, the number rose to 57 percent. After a year or more, the number increased to 69 percent.

h/t: Alliance to Improve Emory Village

First there was me and my cheap…well, free…Wordpress blog – snarking it up to other local bloggers and eventually Parker Cross.  Then there were other commenters.  And then some discussion.  And then a lot of discussion.

Then Lampe-Farley created a DM logo and we threw it onto a whole new website.  Then we tried classifieds.  Then we gave up on classifieds.  Then we started accepting advertising.  Then we added the events calendar, Free-For-All Fridays and Eye on the Street.

“Evolve or die” has always been my motto.  (Actually it’s never been my motto.  I don’t think I have a motto.)

Regardless, I’m excited to announce the next big step in the evolution of this local online monster known as Decatur Metro: more voices!

In an effort to include more news, viewpoints and opinions in our posts (not to mention avoid my total burnout), Decatur Metro will soon feature posts by three new contributors.  And we didn’t just pull these people off the sidewalks – though I’m pretty sure that at least two of them already have an unhealthy love of sidewalks – these are DM commenters who you already know and (maybe even) love!  They are (in alphabetical order)…

• Andisheh Nouraee – Former Creative Loafing staff writer, syndicated columnist and current purposely vague FFAF grouch and Eye on the Street literalist.
• “Scott” – long-time, well-respected DM commenter with an urban planning background, who has been known to write a thing or two on community development issues.
• Daren Wang – Founder of the Decatur Book Festival and self-proclaimed creator of “hare-brained schemes” (like $2,000+ beers!)

(FYI: All contributors were given the option to call themselves whatever they’d like.)

So what does this mean in terms of your day-to-day DM consumption?  Well, you’ll still get all my usual stuff, but now it’ll be accented with these other regular voices.  All three of these fellas have been contributing informally to DM in a lot of ways for a long time, and I’m thrilled they’ve all agreed to give this a go.

In addition to our new contributors, I’m also now formally accepting “Letters to the Editor”.

This is a smart move that Decatur News Online made back in its heyday and I’d like to continue it here in an attempt to further expand DM’s viewpoints,  perspectives, and knowledge base.  Kyle Williams’ TAD commentary from October 2010 is a great example.  To be a bit clearer, these letters aren’t the place for an unhinged rant (ex. “Cars are for jerks!  Sidewalks are for morons!”), but if you’ve got a thorn in your craw or a cause to promote and also the info to back it up, send ‘er in!

I will continue to retain full editorial control over all posts, so DM should remain the online place for thoughtful, lively, local discussion it has long been.

Anyway, that’s the long and short of it.  Hope you enjoy!

Decatur’s Linda Harris sends along this press release…

Noble acquires the former Holiday Inn Atlanta Decatur Hotel and Conference Center

184-room hotel to undergo a comprehensive redevelopment and be rebranded as a Courtyard by Marriott

ATLANTA, Ga.-May 24, 2011- Privately held Noble Investment Group (“Noble”), today announced the acquisition of the former Holiday Inn Decatur Hotel and Conference Center in the heart of downtown historic Decatur, Georgia. Located within close proximity to the 631-acre Emory University campus, Emory HealthCare, and the Center for Disease Control, the hotel boasts 184 rooms and suites as well as 15,000 square feet of meeting and event space in the adjoining Decatur Conference Center. Noble will immediately begin a comprehensive redevelopment plan and upon completion, will convert the property to the Courtyard by Marriott brand.

“We are excited to source this off-market opportunity in a high barrier to entry market with strong and diverse demand generators,” said Rodney Williams, Noble’s chief investment officer and a managing principal. ”Noble’s ability to physically enhance, reposition, and rebrand the asset, will enable us to maximize operating performance and add substantial value to this investment.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Sure Decatur just finished its Strategic Plan for the next 10 years, but that’s like 10 years away!  My internet-toned brain shudders to think of how many funny cat pictures or Facebook status will come and go in 10 years.

I need more immediate gratification.  And I bet you do too.

Thankfully, Decatur’s 2011-2012 budget summarizes many of the goals the city plans to tackle in the next year and a half.  Some you’ve heard of already, others may shock/please/bore/annoy you!

In last year’s budget, the city broke its goals up by department.  This year they’ve broken them up by the four overarching goals in the Decatur Strategic Plan.  Don’t remember what those are?  Well, NOW who feels silly for not having them tattooed on your back? OK, I’ll give you the full breakdown.

1.  “Manage Growth While Retaining Character” 2011-2012 New Projects, Programs & Policies

• • Update the Zoning Ordinance to address housing, parking and design standards (Tasks 1A‐D SP)
• • Write Historic Preservation Plan, update preservation ordinance, and submit 2 National Register nominations (Goal 4 SP)
• • Improve the landscaping and physical appearance of the Square (Task 1E)
• • Design complete street improvements for the Commerce/Clairemont and Commerce/Church intersections as well as the Church Street corridor to increase pedestrian and bicycle safety

2.  “Encourage a Diverse and Engaged Community” 2011-2012 New Projects, Programs & Policies

• • Smartphone application Decatur Dash (Task 8D)
• • Decatur Arts Alliance Public Art Project (Task 8C)
• • Communication about Aging in Place programs (Task 5A)
• • Adoption of Universal Design Guidelines (Task 5F)
• • Evaluate diversity of artists and participants at current events (Task 5B)

Read the rest of this entry »