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Decatur begins process of annexing properties to clean up boundaries

Annexation and new cities Decatur

Decatur begins process of annexing properties to clean up boundaries

Decatur City Hall.
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Decatur City Hall

Decatur City Hall

While Decatur’s larger plans to annex more commercial property into the city may be on the back burner for now, the city continues pick up parcels that straddle the line between the city and unincorporated DeKalb.

During the Oct. 19 City Commission meeting, commissioners accepted petitions from the owners of 12 parcels requesting annexation into Decatur.

The addresses are:

172  Willow Lane

2292 Ferndale Drive

2367 N. Decatur Road

552 Willivee Drive

543 N. Superior Avenue

417 Pensdale Road

232 Willow Lane

240 Willow Lane

111 Scott Blvd.

2203 W. Ponce de Leon Avenue

649 Kirk Road

2584 McKinnon Drive

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City Manager Peggy Merriss said during the meeting she sent out about two dozen letters to property owners who had parcels that were split between the two jurisdictions. She said the impact on the school system would be negligible. Five of the property owners already have children in City Schools of Decatur, and one has a child in a private school, she said.

After the commissioners accepted the petitions, Merriss said she would begin talking to DeKalb County and other officials to officially move the parcels into Decatur.

“Our intention would be to do this process and probably not do it again any time soon, wait a couple or three years before looking at it again,” Merriss said.

Interim Commissioner Bill Bolling asked why the city hadn’t done this earlier.

Merriss explained that the city tried to do it as part of its larger annexation efforts, but those died in the state Legislature this year. Some off the affected property owners made requests to Decatur to move their entire parcel into the city. Merriss said she is unsure why the lines were split to begin with.

“If I could figure out who did this in 1940 we’d have a really long conversation,” she said.

In other business commissioners:

– Approved an alcoholic beverage license for Grindhouse Killer Burgers, which is expected to open early next year.

– Approved traffic calming measures for Sycamore Drive. The recommendations include installing a median at the entrance to the Decatur Heights neighborhood in the 900 block of Sycamore Drive. Commissioners also approved a $104,000, change order to its paving contract to help pay for the traffic calming measures and for other projects. Deanne Thomas, president of the Decatur Heights Neighborhood Association, spoke in support of the traffic calming efforts. “I’d like to thank City Staff for moving it along,” she said.

– Approved modifications to a federal grant to purchase flood prone properties. According to the memo attached to the city commission agenda, the city applied for a grant to buy properties at 115 Willow Lane and 453 Superior Avenue. But the property appraisals for the property show the combined value of both exceeds the grant amount by $122,000. The property at Willow Lane is appraised at $315,000 and the property at Superior Avenue is appraised at $370,000.

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Editor’s note: Due to an illness, Decaturish was unable to send a representative to the Oct. 19 meeting and watched the meeting via the city’s live video feed. 

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