Decatur City Hall

Crews are converting DeVry property on Arcadia Avenue into a VA Medical Clinic and it looks like more changes are in store.

City Commissioners will be considering a request from GP-Govt. Properties I, LLC at its meeting tonight.

The March 17 meeting begins with a 6:45 pm work session. The regular meeting begins at 7:30 pm. Meetings are open to the public and are held at City Hall, located at 509 North McDonough Street in Decatur. Govt. Properties recently split the 21-acre DeVry parcel into three tracts. The developer wants to amend the master site plan for the smallest of those tracts, the 4.55 acre northern tract, and change it from a transit sub-area to a village sub-area classification. Changing the plan will mean the parcel will be developed at a medium density, at 43 units per acre compared with 70 units an acre under a transit-sub-area classification.

Why the change?

According to documents posted on the city’s website, the developer thinks the lower density will be a better fit for intended use the property.

“Based on the topography of the site and market demand, actual realizable development of this area of the property will be more compatible with the Village Subarea than the Transit Station Subarea designation,” wrote Laurel David, an attorney for Govt. Properties. “The purpose of the Transit Station Subarea is to encourage higher density commercial and residential uses adjacent to major transportation corridors and transit nodes. This area of the property is outside the pedestrian watershed of the Avondale Estates MARTA Station, i.e. more than one·half mile from the MARTA Station, or more than a ten minute walk. It also incorporates a large area that contains steep topography and a stream buffer that can’t be developed, but part of which could be used for passive recreation for a medium density residential use.”

When the renovation on the 14.5 acre parcel is complete, it will be 83,000 square feet of office space that will house dental offices, a women’s clinic and a radiology clinic.

The city’s development staff prepared a report on the Govt. Properties application.

“There is a 60 foot wide easement identified on the preliminary plat, but there is no explanation of the purpose of that easement,” the staff report says.

In other commission business at the Monday meeting:

– Commissioners will consider raising the fees for commercial and residential garbage service.

– Commissioners will consider approving a $181,000 contract with Dynamo Pool Management to operate Glenlake, McKoy and Ebster pools from May 1, 2014 through September 1, 2014. It’s an increase from the 2013 contract, which cost the city $165,000.

A memo from Decatur Active Living says, “The increase of $16,000 is due to extended hours at Ebster Pool for the 2014 pool season. In years past, Ebster Pool closed for the season once City of Decatur schools started the new school year, while the other pools remained open. This year, Ebster Pool will remain open on the weekends until Labor Day in anticipation of increased use of the renovated facility. Decatur Active Living also increased guard coverage during the weekdays from 1pm -4pm while the pool is being heavily used by City of Decatur summer camps and the Decatur Housing Authority.”