Decatur City Commission to discuss South Housing Village project plan
The city of Decatur had board's up at the South Housing Village open house on Feb. 28, 2022 showing the plan for the project. This board shows the area of trees that will be preserved. Photo by Zoe Seiler.
Decatur, GA — The Decatur City Commission will meet on Monday, April 4 for a work session on the South Housing Village project plan at 6 p.m. and a regular meeting at 7:30 p.m.
To access the meeting, follow these instructions:
To view the meeting agenda, click here.
This meeting will be held in-person. Members of the public wishing to participate during either the “Public Comment” or “Requests and Petitions” portions of the meeting may attend the meeting in one of two ways:
1. Attend in-person by coming to Decatur City Hall, 509 N. McDonough St. A temperature check and wearing of a face covering are required for entry into the building.
2. Register in advance at https://zoom.us/j/92314288628. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. You may also participate by phone by calling (929) 205-6099 and entering the meeting ID (The 11-digit number shown in the Zoom registration link.)
NOTE – This meeting will utilize virtual meeting technology. We cannot guarantee it will operate as planned. If your participation must be a matter of public record, attend the meeting in person or email your comments to City Manager Andrea Arnold at [email protected] by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, April 4th.
Members of the public may also view the live broadcast of the Decatur City Commission meeting at https://www.decaturga.com/citycommission/page/streaming-video
The city and the Decatur Housing Authority held an open house in February to gather feedback on the project. The initial design concept includes 132 units of affordable housing for a range of incomes from 30-80% of the area median income.
There are four apartment buildings, each with a mix of one-bedroom and two-bedroom units. Three of the buildings have 24 units and the fourth will have 30 units.
The plan calls for four stacked flats, each with six three-bedroom units, as well as three duplexes, each with two two-bedroom units.
Community spaces will be featured in the plan, too. Amenities will include a community center, a shared outdoor recreation space, community gardens and an entry plaza.
David Hamilton, the architect from Praxis3 working on the project, said at the open house that the development team is trying to match the original planning that’s in the housing addendum of the Legacy Park master plan.
The South Housing Village will be completed in two phases. In the first phase, the stacked flat, duplexes, some apartments and the amenities will be constructed. The second phase will include the remaining apartment buildings. The project is being phased because DHA can’t get enough financial resources to build the project all at once, DHA Executive Director Doug Faust said at the open house.
During the regular meeting, the city commission will consider a resolution accepting funding through the American Rescue Plan and discuss the administrative guidelines related to the funding.
Part of the funding provided to state and local governments through the American Rescue Plan was designated as Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. The city of Decatur was allotted about $9.6 million to be paid in two parts. The city has received about $4.8 million as of July 2021, according to a memo from City Manager Andrea Arnold.
The United States Treasury released its final rules on the ARPA funding, which created and affirmed some administrative guidelines, which took effect on April 1.
“In the final rules, the lost revenue replacement provision was changed for government service expenditures so that local jurisdictions could either select a standard allowance of up to $10 million or use the continued calculation of actual revenue loss,” Arnold wrote in the memo. “This category allows the city to expend funds on a broad array of services and investments that are defined as ‘government services.’ This includes road building and maintenance and other infrastructure; general government administration and administrative facilities; the provision of public safety services; as well as numerous other opportunities.”
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