330 Apartments Rising as Church Street Redevelopment Continues
Decatur Metro | January 19, 2015 | 9:33 am
While the redevelopment of Suburban Plaza to include a Walmart was probably the most talked about transformation along the Church Street corridor in unincorporated DeKalb in 2014, it is just one of many projects currently transforming the area.
Telsa opened its first in-town dealership back in November in an old Isuzu lot just up the street. One street over along Route 29, Scott Blvd Baptist Church has been stripped by a salvage company and many adjoining homes are boarded up, ready for Fuqua’s coming mixed-use development.
Now construction has begun on 330 apartments at the corner of Church Street and Milscott Drive, in place of one of the many vacant car dealerships that have long loitered along the strip.
As a reminder, the project was approved by the DeKalb County Commission back in June 2014. Atlantic Realty Partners announced the project back then and described it thusly…
“The multifamily complex, to be named “The Reserve”, will feature two “U-shaped” buildings enclosing a terrace courtyard with landscaping and a swimming pool. (See attached site plan). To maintain an urban feel, the buildings are situated directly adjacent to the street and will largely shield the parking lot from view. Additionally, the developer will install sidewalks and landscaping along both Church Street and Milscott Drive.”
Photo courtesy of Google Streetview, rendering courtesy of MANA website
“To maintain an urban feel, the buildings are situated directly adjacent to the street and will largely shield the parking lot from view. Additionally, the developer will install sidewalks and landscaping along both Church Street and Milscott Drive.”
Slight disagreement, at least according to the small rendering. Both buildings show a notable nature band-aid yard between the building and sidewalk, despite the fact that it’s the close and active relationship between the two that creates the “urban feel.” Otherwise, all you’ve got is a suburban garden apartment complex edged up close to the street — eliminating the quiet and privacy associated with seclusion without delivering much in the way of a great street. Kind of a lose-lose, in that respect.
Are these going to be “luxury?” Btw, in my search to learn more about how this space could actually accommodate that many units, I just read the old post when the project was first announced, Peter in Decatur for the win! For suggesting Decatur would have this property “in the bag” by 2016. Followed by a trail of totally predictable DM comments of course
@daydreamer: if you mean the annexation of this area by CoD I wouldn’t be so quick to say that this is “in the bag” by 2016. There are several groups in unincorporated DeKalb that are beginning to form to counter, not only CoD’s annexation plans, but the new city incorporations.
I wonder how much they’ll charge for rent? Might be a good way for me to get my four children into CSD.