As an editor by trade and a wannabe sailor, proper usage of “tack” is right in my wheelhouse.

The tack that the plaintiffs and those sympathetic to them seem to be taking at this point is to sidestep the developer and direct their ire at the city, suggesting that it somehow rigged the process, ignored resident concerns and sold the neighborhood down the river. That has not been our experience. I think it’s human nature to sometimes conclude that not getting our way must mean the process was flawed, and sometimes that is true, but in this case I genuinely don’t see how they can argue that with any degree of credibility, as I suspect the courts will bear out.

Look, all things being equal, we’d rather not have this going up behind us either. And we still have concerns (mostly related to parking, more cars speeding through a kid-filled neighborhood, etc.) I have considerable sympathy for the condo folks who will go from a horizon view to a wall of concrete out their window. But I’m also able to separate all of those concerns from what I recognize in the final tally is something good for our city and even our particular section of it. And emphasis on the word “city,” because that is what we live in. I think a lot of folks tend to forget that. Yes, we have a 10-year plan and other guidance to help steer how development happens, but it’s not synonymous with the building code. When you buy in to residing in downtown Decatur — be it a single family home, a condo, or whatever — you accept a lot of the realities that come with that. Or should.