As reported on Patch the other day, the DeKalb County Zoning Board of Appeals will hold a public hearing on the planned renovation of Suburban Plaza on Wednesday, December 14th at 1pm (how convenient!) at the Maloof Auditorium at 1300 Commerce Drive in downtown Decatur.

Interested in reading Selig’s parking exception application and parking study for yourself?  Well, we just happen to have a copy.  CLICK HERE to read all 24 pages.

Initial highlights…

• Selig hopes for a reduction from 1,786 spaces (or 5.5 spaces/1000 SF) to 1,269 spaces (or 3.9 spaces/1000 SF) because they believe that “the character of use of Suburban Plaza is such that the full provision of parking spaces required by the Zoning Ordinance is not necessary because actual demand for parking will be much less than the number of spaces required by the Ordinance.”
• Selig points to other “successful shopping centers in similar urban locations in the Atlanta area” that are functioning adequately with” the parking ratios being proposed by Selig.
• They note that MARTA buses currently serve Suburban Plaza and there’s “the possibility of being an integral component of the proposed Clifton Corridor Line.”
• The applicant is “committed” to participating in the Decatur Shuttle system, Emory Shuttle system, and other mass transit systems.
• They argue that the variety of uses in the shopper center allows to “shared parking.”  They go on to detail how grocery stores need more parking on the weekend and in the evening, while restaurants require parking during lunch and dinner, and the bowling alley will have higher demands for parking at night.
• Construction of an underground parking deck will locate 79% of Walmart’s parking underground
• Sidewalks will be built on all street frontages.  “The center will be a hub of transit activity including the Decatur and Emory shuttles over both the near and long term.”
• Selig puts DeKalb County “on notice” that the owner believes “any action other than to approve the application as requested…will result in a violation of the owner’s constitutional rights, including Article I, Section I, Paragraph I; Article I, Section I, Paragraph II; and Article I, Section III, Paragraph I of the Georgia Constitution and the 5th and 14th Amendments to the United States Constitution.”

Back in April, we reported that the vacant building at  542 Church Street had been bought by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education.

Through a city staff report attached to a parking variance submitted to the Zoning Board of Appeals (see page 52 of materials), we learn the Association’s future plan for the site…

The applicant proposes to demolish the existing building and build a new 2-3 story, 19,000 square foot building with one level of parking underneath the building.

The variance itself asks to have the current 48 spaces required under current zoning laws reduced to 24 spaces.