Parks – Decatur Metro – Local News, Real Estate, Business News

Dearborn Park Expansion – Decatur To Vote On Purchase of Nearly 4 Acres of Adjacent Land

On the agenda for the last Decatur City Commission meeting of 2015 next Monday – voting on the purchase of nearly 4 acres of land (16 parcels – 13 on West Dearborn Circle and 3 on Chevelle Lane) adjacent to Dearborn Park (MAP). Here’s the note from City Manager Peggy Merriss to the Commission, proposing the purchase…

The purpose of this memorandum is to request authorization for the Mayor or Mayor pro tem and the City Manager or Acting City Manager to execute documents necessary to purchase 16 parcels of property totaling approximately 3.95 acres adjacent to Dearborn Park for an amount not to exceed $500,000.

Acquisition of the 16 parcels will significantly expand Dearborn Park and provide unimproved natural space for the enjoyment of the community into the future.

As part of the current 2015-2016 budget, a $500,000 transfer from the General Fund to the Capital Improvement Fund was approved for a project to be identified, including possible use to acquire greenspace. It is also recommended that the City Commission use the budgeted transfer of funds from the General Fund to the Capital Improvement Fund to cover the cost of this property acquisition.

We are trying to close by the end of December, 2015 so it is recommended that the City Commission authorize the Mayor or Mayor pro tem and the City Manager or Acting City Manager to execute documents in order to maximize flexibility in completing this transaction.

A map showing the location of the parcels is attached.

Could Decatur McDonald’s One Day Be a Park?

A recent AJC blurb about potential future greenspaces in Decatur, includes a very interesting note at the end…

The biggest surprise is that [Asst. City Manager Lyn Menne’s] talked to the owners of McDonald’s on Commerce Drive, which the city would like to convert into green space and a gateway to downtown. Menne emphasized, however, this is a much longer-term goal, perhaps even part of a 40-year plan.

The McDonald’s currently occupies a large corner lot at Commerce Drive and Church Street. The city has long had big plans of road diets, bike lanes and all kinds of new features to make Commerce Drive, Clairemont Ave and Church Street more bike/pedestrian friendly.

The article also mentions the city’s “longtime interest in purchasing the entire 5 acres owned by the Samuel L. Jones Boys & Girls Club” and the potential to purchase AT&T’s property between New Street and Talley Street, as has previous been mentioned here.

Photo courtesy of Google Streetview

Decatur Warns To Avoid Dog Parks After Local Dogs are Diagnosed with Influenza

The city has posted “Warning” signs at area dog parks, stating that dogs in the City of Decatur have been diagnosed with canine influenza and that “area veterinarians recommend that pet owners avoid dog parks until” the current outbreak of canine influenza subsides.

Chris sent in this photo of the note on the sign of the Glenlake Park dog park yesterday.

Atlanta area pet care facilities and parks have been struggling with the canine influenza for a couple of months now, since the first case was reported back in May.

Check out WSB’s helpful “10 things pet owners need to know” about canine influenza more details on this outbreak along with treatment options.

The Sheep are Coming Back!

The Decatur Minute reports that the sheep are returning to the cemetery next Monday, June 29th to eat some more Japanese hops and kudze “on the steep slope between Section 14 and the creek at the Decatur Cemetery”. They state that they will likely be there – chomping away – for 7-10 days.

The Minute also provided this word of caution…

While walkers, joggers and other visitors to the cemetery are welcome to observe the sheep at work, please keep your dogs on leashes at all times and a safe distance from the sheep (the guard dogs will let you know if you are too close) and remind small children and overly curious adults not to touch the electrified fence (it won’t feel good).

Eye on the Street

Ponce de Leon Ave and Parkwood Park, Decatur GA (pic submitted by Erin)

Decatur Looking At Building New Park with Lake in East Decatur Station

You may recall the reference to “greenspace” in our recent wrapup of all the happenings planned for East Decatur Station in the coming years. Well, the AJC has dug up a few more details about that blob of greenish yellow between Talley Street and South Columbia on the map above.

According to the paper, the city is in conversations with AT&T to acquire the site, which according to the City’s Lyn Menne is mostly wetlands and ” build a regional retention center, and….turn the land into a park with a lake, similar to what they have at Atlantic Station.”

That would be quite a transformation from the “employee hub and vehicle storage site” that currently occupies the site.

Here’s a photo of the lake at Atlantic Station for your reference…

Photo courtesy of Cooperative Conversation of America

New York Times Describes Decatur as “The Brooklyn of Atlanta”

littlefreetoypark

While a recent feature in the New York Times travel section went with the old, go-to “Mayberry Meets Berkeley” descriptor of Decatur, this recent blurb at the end of the New York Times’ “Atlanta For Kids” feature gets a bit more creative in describing our city.

Feel free to ignore or express your exasperation at the slightly exaggerated city population figure. 🙂

Where to Take a Field Trip

The City of Decatur, population 75,000, shares a boundary with the city. It’s essentially the Brooklyn of Atlanta, but with fewer hipsters and more strollers. The center of town is called “The Square.” It serves as a base camp for eating, play and shopping, which should include a visit to the Little Shop of Stories, a great bookstore that is a regular stop on the book tour circuit for some of the best children’s authors in the nation.

Families looking for a really local experience should head to the Decatur Toy Park at the corner of East Ponce de Leon Avenue and Nelson Ferry Road. It’s owned by a church and is the repository for seemingly every plastic wheeled vehicle and playhouse outgrown by the city’s toddlers.