SJ Collins has released a rendering of the coming development that will include a Whole Foods’ 365 grocery store as an anchor tenant.  There’s more information on the SJ Collins website, including the following site plan to give a better idea of the scope of the project.

SJ Collins has scheduled a community input session next Monday, June 13th at 7pm at North Decatur United Methodist Church at 1523 Church Street.

Deanne Thomas, President of the Decatur Heights Neighborhood Association, sent us a note that she sent out to area residents encouraging them to attend the meeting to highlight concerns about traffic and other impacts to surrounding neighborhoods.  (The development is just outside the Decatur city limits)

Here is Deanne’s letter in full…

Read the rest of this entry »

For those interested in the improvement and expansion of walkability in downtown Decatur, this should come as welcome news.

The AJC reports that Selig is planning a mixed-use development in downtown Decatur at the former Laurus Institute and the DeKalb County Probation office sites.  Not to mention their lovely street frontage parking lots.

The site states that Decatur Asst. City Manager Lyn Menne anticipates receiving plans for the 5.25 acre site some time this summer.

The Medlock Area Neighborhood Association website reports that they have “received a Rezoning and Special Land Use Permit (SLUP) notice pertaining to lots at the Blackmon Drive and Scott Blvd. intersection.”, which proposes a 5-story Marriott hotel.

MANA states that they have “several concerns about this proposal” and asks the community to “to attend the meeting scheduled for June 1, 2016, 7pm, at the North Decatur Unived Methodist Church, 1523 Church Street.”

Map courtesy of MANA website

It’s the Whole Foods/Trader Joe’s news you’ve been waiting for!  Here’s the release from the folks at Whole Foods…

365 by Whole Foods Market™, a concept grocery store that provides simple, affordable and convenient everyday shopping without sacrificing the quality standards and dedication to food transparency that Whole Foods Market pioneered, has chosen Decatur, Georgia as one of a select group of cities to roll out its new store and branding.
The new evolution of grocery stores by Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ: WFM) will be unveiled at North Decatur Square, a new shopping plaza to be constructed at North Decatur Road and Church Street by Fairburn-based developer S.J. Collins Enterprises.

“The 365 by Whole Foods concept will be a great fit for this new, growing retail corridor in the north end of Decatur,” said Jeff Garrison, partner at S.J. Collins Enterprises. “Close to downtown Atlanta, this location is ideal for shoppers looking for good, healthy and convenient food options that the grocery store will provide, along with several other chef-driven and fast-casual restaurants that we expect will fill North Decatur Square.”

The first 365 by Whole Foods will open in Silver Lake, Calif. on May 25, 2016, followed by about 10 more over the next year, including cities like Lake Oswego, Ore., and Bellevue, Wash., Santa Monica, Calif., Evergreen Park, Ill., Sycamore Township, Ohio and Gainesville, Fla., among others.

North Decatur Square will include approximately 90,000 square feet of commercial space, including the grocery store and additional retail and restaurant tenants. It is expected to open in Spring 2018.

What exactly is a Whole Foods “365”?  Buzzfeed describes it in a way that only Buzzfeed can…

1. The new 365 stores simply don’t carry the really expensive stuff you find at a regular Whole Foods.
2. More of the foods in the hot food and salad bar will be coming in pre-prepared.
3. The displays will be less elaborate.
4. There won’t be a butcher or a fishmonger.
5. 365 stores are smaller and cheaper to build.

And in case that’s not enough info for you, check out this Washington Post article titled “What to Expect From Whole Foods New Low Price Grocery Chain“.

Rendering of Silver Lake 365 store courtesy of Whole Foods Market 365 website

The city’s Communication’s Specialist Renae Madison sends along this announcement…

Collaborative neighborhood design process concludes with community-wide open house.

For three days in early May, city staff, assisted by planner/architect Bruce Tolar, will work together with surrounding neighbors to develop designs for the city’s cottage court demonstration project at 230 Commerce Drive. On Thursday, May 5, from 7-8pm, interested Decatur residents are invited to attend an open house at 104 Sycamore Place to see what they’ve come up with.

Working to balance city housing goals, market viability, and the input of adjacent property owners, the collaborative process will include daily opportunities for neighborhood review and comment, which will then inform continued design work the next day. By Thursday the 5th, a workable plan — one viable for market developers — is expected for review by the community.

Though cottage courts have been allowed since passage of the Unified Development Ordinance in early 2015, local builders have been reluctant to veer from the dependable single family homes they’re accustomed to. So in response to extensive resident requests for action on housing affordability — via 2010’s Strategic Plan, the Lifelong Community Advisory Board, and the recently completed Better Together initiative — Decatur is pursuing this as an opportunity to explore a more affordable, neighborhood-friendly alternative to large-format single-family infill.

In doing so, the city hopes to demonstrate unmet demand for cottage homes sized roughly 700 to 1,200 square feet, and to identify and address any regulatory barriers that might be preventing the development of similar projects by others.

Per-unit pricing will be dependent on the emerging design, though something around $250,000 is sought. Compliance with the Old Decatur local historic district will be required. The target property was purchased by the city in December, 2015.

Example of Cottage Court photo courtesy of Decatur Next via The Tiny Life

You may recall back in August that we reported the news that the Decatur McDonald’s location (@ Commerce/Church/Clairemont) could one day be a downtown park.  We predictably then debated the merits of such a plan, but we never came across a visual.

Well, apparently there was one!  Check out the sketch above from the city’s Parks and Greenspaces presentation from last August.

It looks to include a water feature (?) and some tables (?) in addition to a sizable grass pad in the center.

In fairness, there are SO MANY different kinds of parks, even if there was general agreement that Decatur should build another park, I’m sure there would be a thousand options of what KIND of park it should be.

A performance space.  A quite spot to read a book or eat your lunch.  A place to walk to lose yourself in thought.

So let’s get a little ahead of ourselves and consider: what kind of park should Decatur build?

For all of you anxious to see the demolition of the weedy, abandoned Ford dealership along Scott Boulevard, we have some news for you.

Pencil “Late 2018” into your calendars.

This is likely when Phase III of Fuqua’s Decatur Crossing development is scheduled to be completed and opened, according to a recent post of the Medlock Area Neighborhood Association website.  The final phase of Fuqua’s sizable development will include 90 1-bedroom 700 sq ft senior housing units in a building developed by Columbia Residential.

The development would be for residents 62 and older. and would include 45 parking spaces.

Regarding the adjacent greenspace, the MANA website notes…

There is greenspace set aside in the Fuqua development* and Columbia has been working to adjust their building positioning to increase the park’s size. Columbia would be responsible for maintaining landscaping around its building as well as maintaining this park’s greenspace. The park will be open to the public.

Rendering courtesy of MANA website