A splurge of press releases yesterday announced the ending of the two year dispute between Selig Enterprises, which owns Suburban Plaza and wishes to redevelop it, and a group  citizens concerned about building a Walmart on the site.

Selig’s release reads in part…

“Selig Enterprises, Inc. is pleased to announce that after an almost two year legal delay over the redevelopment of Suburban Plaza, all litigation between Good Growth Dekalb (GGD) and Dekalb County has been resolved and the redevelopment can resume. During lengthy discussions with GGD, Selig was able to address most of GGD’s concerns in a manner that will only improve our planned redevelopment of Suburban Plaza, including agreeing to the installation of additional sidewalks along Medlock Road, as well other improvements such as landscaping and fence repair next to the neighborhood of homes located directly to the rear of the shopping center.

You can read their full release on the Medlock Area Neighborhood Association website HERE.

Good Growth DeKalb also issued a release stating in part…

Faced with increasingly limited legal options, we accepted an invitation to meet with Selig Enterprises, owner of Suburban Plaza, on April 17. This was a difficult decision and a difficult process and, while we continue to believe a Walmart is wholly unsuited to this location, our legal battle is now over.

In exchange for agreeing not to pursue further legal action against DeKalb County over the granting of the Walmart building permit, we were able to obtain some relief for the individual plaintiffs whose homes are adjacent to the plaza. We also negotiated gains for the community, including a commitment from Selig to contribute a significant amount of money for a sidewalk along Medlock Road between North Decatur Road and Church Street. In addition, Selig Enterprises will arrange a meeting between Good Growth DeKalb and Walmart to discuss issues of importance to the community.

You can read the full release from Good Growth DeKalb at the end of Decaturish’s post on the subject.

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Selig has sent a letter, which is posted on the Medlock Area Neighborhood Association website, stating they are confident they will “prevail over Good Growth DeKalb’s attempts to stop the redevelopment of Suburban Plaza.” They continued that “Judge Tangela’s Barrie’s dismissal of our motion to intervene was not surprising and was expected. Selig has the same position as DeKalb County, so there was no reason for two sets of lawyers to stand up in court and repeat the same argument. Duane Pritchett the county attorney handling the case did an excellent job presenting the facts in response to the claim that ordinances weren’t followed when permits were issued for this project.”

Late last week, Good Growth DeKalb also sent out a letter stating that they were”…pleased with the outcome” of the judge’s decision to defer motions that the group had brought before the DeKalb County Court against the Suburban Plaza redevelopment. They noted “that their attorneys represented them with strength and clarity, and that the Judge is taking a serious look at their case. In addition to studying the zoning code, Judge Barrie is giving Good Growth DeKalb until September 1 to submit arguments against the County’s motion to dismiss specifically on the issue of standing. “Standing” refers to whether or not the plaintiffs meet the criteria for parties who have the legal right to sue.”

In addition to that, Walmart spokesperson Bill Wertz has contacted us stating that “Walmart is looking forward to Judge Barrie’s decision in this matter and remains firmly committed to the Suburban Plaza redevelopment.”

Selig’s letter also details a longer list of potential tenants at Suburban Plaza. The letter notes that Selig has already executed lease agreements with Walmart and L.A. Fitness (which will include a daycare facility).

Additionally, they state that they are in “serious negotiations” with Home Goods, Joann’s, and Ross Dress for Less “to anchor the balance of the center”. As for restaurant prospects, the only mention is of a Starbucks Coffee shop with a drive-thru.

From WABE…

The issue now pending in court:  whether the group Good Growth DeKalb (GGD) has legal standing to appeal DeKalb County’s decision to issue developer Selig Enterprises a building permit.

The county says GGD has no legal standing. GGD representatives say, even if the organization loses this round in court, it will take the County to court on its primary allegation: that the county violated its own ordinances when it granted Selig the permit.

And then this…

But DeKalb County lawyers said in court Friday that Selig plans include not only Walmart but also a Ross Dress for Less, Joann’s Fabric and Crafts, and a HomeGoods store.

AJC reports that Good Growth DeKalb has filed a lawsuit on Friday against DeKalb County “claiming the county didn’t follow its ordinances in granting a building permit.” A bit more detail…

Good Growth DeKalb said a Jan. 9 appeal it filed against granting a building permit to Selig Enterprises, which will tear down the plaza to make room for the Walmart, was improperly directed to the Zoning Board of Appeals instead of the county’s Technical Board of Appeals.

 

Yesterday, the Champion Newspaper published a story about Good Growth DeKalb’s ongoing efforts to stop a Walmart from opening at Suburban Plaza.

Today, the Medlock Area Neighborhood Association has posted a letter from property owner Scott Selig, addressing a July 12th meeting between Selig and Good Growth DeKalb – which was also mentioned in the Champion article – and encouraging feedback from the community.  As is mentioned in both the letter and the Champion article, Selig says that Walmart is not up for discussion, but they are encouraging feedback through community liaisons on other potential tenents and/or the architectural design of the redeveloped property.