Rezoning clears way for future development

Decatur’s commission recently approved rezoning 66 parcels, or 45.5 acres, in east Decatur from heavy commercial/light industrial to mixed use. This is consistent with the strategic intent of the Avondale MARTA Station Livable Centers Initiative Study dating back to 2002, and sets the foundation for future development in the area.

The area includes roughly the north side of Talley Street to College Avenue and west to east from South Columbia Drive to the city limits. About 70 percent of the property is owned by East Decatur Station LLC, but also includes non-EDS properties AT&T and the old Ace Hardware tract.

“Under (the previous) zoning it would’ve been easy to do drivethru restaurants and big box retail, said Assistant City Manager Lyn Menne. “With mixed-use zoning we’ll have green spaces, planned streets, trails and a walkable district. We also envision some creative office projects, retail and restaurants.”

Also approved was a regulating master plan delineating a street plan, including the extension of New Street, Weeks Street and Freeman Street. It creates new streets and a network of “alleys” for bikes and pedestrians. There’s a planned storm water detention pond, park, preserved wooded area and trails on and near the current AT&T site—the city’s been attempting to purchase that property for several years.

The master plan can be viewed by going to https://decatur.civicweb.net/document/2420.

Menne said it’s likely development will occur incrementally, probably over the next 20 years. There are no developers currently proposing any projects, and there’s no timetable for development.