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.

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.

The Medlock Area Neighborhood Association website has an excellent report a June 27th meeting with Selig, which includes design concepts and some other general updates on the redevelopment of Suburban Plaza.

The Medlock Area Neighborhood Association breaks the news that area neighborhood groups have been working with Selig/Walmart to gain concessions on the Suburban Plaza project in exchange for their support of the parking variance that the property owner is hoping to get from DeKalb County.  Here’s a piece from their latest post…

Selig has asked MANA to support their parking variance request. This is not a decision the Board took lightly. After much consideration and discussion, the Board decided that it is in our neighborhood’s best interest to do so. In return, the MANA Board is negotiating an agreement that addresses a number of our concerns. The Boards of surrounding neighborhoods will also support this agreement. These negotiations are ongoing and we will post the contract as soon as it is finalized.

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.”

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?