More info will be available during and after tonight’s 6:30p Decatur City Commission Annexation Work Session (watch it LIVE!), but here’s some preliminary annexation petition data we received by request from City Manager Peggy Merriss.

According to Ms. Merriss, the city received 207 individual petitions from property owners in the Annexation Master Plan annexation areas, an area that includes a total of of 1020 total parcels.  Here’s the breakdown by area:

• Area A: Yes – 9, No – 73
• Area B: Yes – 84, No – 19
• Area C: Yes – 0, No – 1
• Area D: Yes – 8, No – 13

Got nothing going on at 6:30p today?  Well then you aren’t on the Decatur City Commission and you have no involvement in the pending Decatur High expansion.

The Decatur City Commission has a 6:30p work session this evening prior to it’s regular 7:30p meeting to review the neighborhood petitions received for/against annexation into the city and receive a general update on Annexation Master Plan “activities”.

At the same time just down North McDonough, City Schools of Decatur are meeting in the DHS cafeteria at 6:30p to discussion 4 options to expand the school.  More details below.

CSD sent out the note below earlier today…

Please join us tonight, Monday, November 3 from 6:30-8:00 PM in the DHS Cafeteria to review preliminary master plan options for Decatur High School. The meeting will be facilitated by the school’s Architectural and Community Interaction Team.

They will review several expansion options for the school and gather input into the Master Plan and Phase 1 improvements.

Read more about the work accomplished to date on the Master Plan at Renfroe Middle and Decatur High Schools here.

The Master Plan website includes videos of the community meetings, presentations and documents from the meetings, and comments and questions captured from staff, parents and Decatur citizens.

Click here to download the presentation made to the Board of Education on Wednesday, October 29, 2014. There are four options presented: The Collegiate Courtyard, The Quad, The Collegiate Campus, and The Corner Campus.

• The new wreaths are here [The Decatur Minute]
• Photos: Modern homes around Decatur [Curbed]
• It’s not Portland, it’s Atlanta [ATL Urbanist]
• Big Bethel’s big plans for Sweet Auburn [ABC]
• Can Atlanta make room for bikes? [Atlanta Magazine]

UPDATE:  I followed up before originally posting and asked the Fox Bros PR team if there would be any official word on the closing. Here it is…

Fox Brothers Restaurant Group (FBRG), the team behind Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q and Big Tex Decatur, is closing Big Tex on November 3.  The Big Tex space will be retained by the group for an unforeseen period of time.

Growing demand on the Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q kitchen, stimulated in part by the designation of the restaurant as the official barbecue of the Atlanta Falcons, made the decision to close Big Tex necessary.  “We are certainly going to miss serving our loyal friends in Decatur we have made over the 3 years and we hope to be back one day.  We are thankful for the additional demand on our barbecue business but closing Big Tex is bittersweet.  We will be focusing on the future of Fox Bros Bar-B-Q with expansion and the build out of our new catering/commissary facility on Ottley Drive. The new commissary will really be a game changer for us and help meet the needs of our restaurant in Candler Park and future Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q restaurants,” Jonathan Fox, Partner and Pitmaster of Fox Bros Bar-B-Q.

Big Tex Decatur, located at 308 W Ponce de Leon Ave in Decatur opened the doors in May of 2011 and has served Texas-inspired food and drinks since 2011.

Rebecca points out this note from Big Tex on Facebook from just minutes ago…

Thank You for 3 great years, but it’s time for us to say goodbye. We had a great time serving Decatur and look forward to seeing you soon!

Photo courtesy of Sandi

A joint statement from City Manager Peggy Merriss and School Superintendent Phyllis Edwards…

The City Schools of Decatur and the City of Decatur are working together to review and analyze implications related to projections of unparalleled student population growth as well as the opportunities and challenges presented by potential annexation.

Why is annexation being considered at this time:

The 2010 Strategic Plan as Part of GOAL 9: EXPAND AND DIVERSIFY THE CITY’S REVENUE BASE, Task 9B states: “Explore annexation opportunities in partnership with the City Schools of Decatur that expand the property tax base and enhance school operations.”

During the 2013 and 2014 sessions of the General Assembly, legislation to create the cities of Briarcliff, Lakeside and Tucker were considered. Incorporation of these areas would have municipalized the entire northern part of DeKalb County and resulted in placing new cities immediately contiguous to the existing City of Decatur city limits. None of the bills passed.

Currently, the Georgia House Governmental Affairs Committee Chairwoman Amy Carter (R-Valdosta) has issued a statement indicating that DeKalb County cityhood proponents have until November 15, 2014 to submit an agreed upon map and if they do not she will appoint a five-member panel to produce a map by December 31, 2015.

Given the current efforts to municipalize the unincorporated northern area of DeKalb County, the City of Decatur is in a position where long-term permanent city limits must be determined. Once the City is adjacent to another city, annexation is no longer a possibility. In addition to the long-term city limit definition, key objectives of the annexation master plan are to influence and control development at key gateways; expand and stabilize the property tax base; respond to interest from property owners; and, consolidate partial parcels.

Student population growth:

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