From Decatur PD…

On 2-18-14 at approximately 7 pm, Decatur Police responded to an attempted burglary in the 400 block of 3^rd Avenue.  A neighbor reported seeing a white Chevrolet Tahoe pull up the driveway and turn around behind their neighbor’s house.  The neighbor further reported witnessing a black male wearing a ski mask and gray hoodie exit the front passenger door of the Tahoe, enter the rear porch and attempt to gain entry to the rear door with some type of blade in his hand.  The suspect noticed the neighbor watching and ran back and entered the passenger side of the Tahoe and fled south on 3^rd Avenue.  No items were taken.

At approximately 8:30 pm, Decatur Police responded to a burglary in the 800 block of 3^rd Avenue which occurred between 5:45 pm – 8:30 pm.  The suspects forced a gate and then a rear door and took items from the house.

Many of you have asked for more info on Dairy Queen’s impending closing.  Decaturish just posted a new report from the restaurant.  Here’s the intro…

The word got out that the Decatur Dairy Queen will close soon. Loyal customers stormed the store on Monday to pay their respects.

Dairy Queen closes on Feb. 22 after 30 years in business. It will be razed as part of a plan to develop apartments on Trinity Place. But the DQ will be back in the new development. Right?

Maybe not, the owners say. They put a sign on the store that said “We will be back in new development.” The sign doesn’t say that the message is more of a hope than a promise.

Photo courtesy of Decaturish

Among the items on the agenda for tonight’s City Commission meeting is voting on a subdivision of 160 Clairemont Ave so that Paces Properties can build their planned mixed use development on the current Fidelity Building parking lot in downtown Decatur.

Here’s a recent description of the project from the developer from the staff report…

PACES CLAIREMONT is a 176 unit apartment development proposed by Paces Properties at 160 Clairemont Avenue in Decatur, Georgia. Paces Clairemont will be a five story luxury apartment building with predominate frontage along Commerce Drive and Montgomery Street Paces Clairemont includes a ground level leasing office and a resident fitness center and clubroom as well as a number of residential units. Many of the ground floor units will have brownstone stoop entrances directly onto the street frontage. The building is built out to the sidewalk line and it wraps around an enclosed central courtyard area which will offer residents outdoor green space as well as an elegant swimming pool.

Parking for the residential units and the adjacent office building (aka Fidelity Bank building) will be provided by a seven level parking structure (1 level below grade) containing 523 total parking spaces (298 for office /225 for apartments). Paces Clairemont wraps around the parking deck, thereby screening on two sides and minimizing the exposed portions, which are internally-facing, to locations that are not readily visible from adjoining streets. Vehicular access to the parking deck is from shared curb cuts off Commerce and an internal alley leading to Montgomery Street. Sidewalks with street trees and light poles line the entire face of the building.

Additionally, this quote from the Planning Commission minutes indicates that the Commerce Drive road diet, which was one component of the larger C-Streets Ped-Bike Improvement plan is now in-line to be implemented.

She [Planning Director Amanda Thompson] stated that as part of the project Commerce Drive would receive a road diet and bicycle lanes to match the streetscape in front of Allen Wilson Terrace.”

Very low-res rendering courtesy of Staff Report

11Alive did a video report on this over the weekend.  Having trouble embedding it, but you can view the full video on their website.  Here’s a blurb…

Emory University’s police department has released a composite sketch of the man who reportedly raped a student last week.

The rape happened Feb. 11 at around 11:15 p.m. in a wooded area of Emory’s campus near the information booth on Dowman Drive.

The victim described her attacker as a white man in his mid to late 50′s, about 5 feet 10 inches tall, with a reddish-brown beard. He was wearing a brown knit cap, a tan or brown jacket, dark blue jeans and brown boots.

• Summary of what’s on the docket for tonight’s Decatur City Commission meeting [Decaturish]
• Avondale calls special meeting to revise home brew law [Decaturish]
• Intown Ace praised for service during winter storm [Saporta Report]
• East Ponce overlay 1950s and today [Next Stop Decatur]  And here’s Another!
• Peet’s Coffee makes first appearance in Atlanta – in Emory’s Woodruff Library [TNT]
• ATLUrbanist likes the new Atlanta Bike Coalition video [ATLUrbanist]
• The streetcars are here!! [CL]