An interesting post on the CHCA website, if you’ve ever found yourself head-on with one of these lovely holes in North Decatur Road lately…

From local resident Jim Smith: I went to the DC R&D website and filled out the online paving/pothole “Request for Assistance” form to get them to repave the westbound curb lane of N. Decatur Road. I am hoping that if enough folks do the same that we will get a response. The potholes in the section of N. Decatur Rd. from Medlock to N. Superior are so bad that folks are constantly swerving into the other lane to avoid them. Please fill out the request form and let’s try to get some results from our tax dollars !! http://www.dekalbcountyga.gov/infofroma-z.html#p Fill out the form online and click the “Submit by Email” button at the top.  There is also an email address you could use:   if you prefer.  Thanks… Jim Smith

UPDATE: Deanne points out that Medlock residents are joining with CHCA in opposing annexation.

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Yesterday, Decatur City Manager Peggy Merriss stated that the City Attorney Brian Downs “did not believe that a referendum would be required if the properties annexed by local Act of the General Assembly were less than 50% residential.”, according to Patch.

Not 24 hours later, the Clairmont Heights Civic Association website has launched a petition stating “strong opposition” to annexation.  Here’s the petition in full…

We the undersigned strongly oppose the City of Decatur plan to annex several commercial properties along North Decatur Road. The inevitable tax increases will undoubtedly be a hardship for the tenants and owners of these properties, which are owned by families and individuals who have been long-time owners of their centers and have served our community well. To rip them out of the unincorporated area in order to enrich the Decatur city coffers seems excessively greedy, not in the best interest of surrounding neighborhoods, and in serious conflict with the positive image the City of Decatur has cultivated for years. We are also extremely concerned that our own property taxes will also have to be raised to cover the loss of their tax contribution to the county coffers. We are residents in and around the affected areas, and we strongly urge you to drop your plans to annex these properties.

Since my first post back in June, I’ve heard from more than one trusted anonymous source that Walmart was indeed part of the Suburban Plaza redevelopment plan.  Clairmont Heights Civic Association’s website reports that the property’s owner, Scott Selig, presented at a county community council meeting earlier this week and confirmed that Walmart is part of the plan.  According to the CHCA…

The plan has Walmart as an anchor. Other retailers were approached, but Walmart was apparently the only one with funding and interest. Walmart has offered to place underground all of their parking spaces and to add extensive landscaping. The county has expressed interest in making the N Decatur/Scott/Medlock intersection more pedestrian friendly.

All of this is in-line with what Tomorrow’s News Today originally reported back in June and what I’ve continued to hear from reliable sources who wouldn’t go on the record.

Photo courtesy of Google Streetview

Remember that story from a few days back about Walmart’s plans to open in Suburban Plaza?  You do?? Excellent.  But, do you remember the follow up where both the developer and Walmart were emphasizing that nothing was confirmed?  OK, good!

Well, here’s another element of the story.

The Clairmont Heights Civic Association blog posts a letter from County Commissioner Jeff Rader who says that both he and Commissioner Kathy Gannon have met with Selig to go over their big-box development plans.  Here’s most of Rader’s email to the CHCA president…

Selig has come in to vet their redevelopment objectives. A big box development is permissible under the existing C-2 zoning, but I got the impression that the space requirements of their desired building program and required parking would eat up a lot of space on their site if conventionally developed, so in order to retain shopping center strip that houses Big Lots, etc., they would like to do an “urban” store with underground parking at the corner of Medlock and N Decatur, where the thrift store and mattress outlet are currently.

This would cost them more than a conventional layout and they are therefore suggesting public financing assistance for underground parking and the renovation of the facade of the remaining shopping center strip.

Commissioner Gannon and I listened without making any pronouncement on the project, and will be interested in what they might propose when next we meet. Any action by us or the Development Authority of DeKalb County to assist them with financing would require a public process, but again, provided they meet the requirements of the current zoning, no discretionary decision is required to build a big box store.

An urban store in Suburban Plaza?  Won’t that rip a hole in the space-time continuum or something?

From the Clairmont Heights Civic Association…

Initial plans called for the closing of Emory’s Dowman Drive for several weeks as part of the DeKalb County streetscape and roundabout construction in Emory Village. Originally, the contractors believed that they would have their work done near Dowman Drive in December. Due to severe weather and other delays, it is likely that Dowman Drive will remain closed into January. It is unsure how long the delay will last.

Keep in mind, that once the work by Emory’s Haygood-Hopkins gate is complete, construction work will shift to South Oxford Road near Everybody’s Pizza. During this phase, South Oxford Road will close for approximately 60 days. When this occurs, the traffic lights will be removed, and the intersection of North Decatur and North Oxford roads will operate as a three-way stop. Please check the Alliance to Improve Emory Village website for updates.