Decatur, GA — The Decatur Planning Commission will meet on Tuesday, May 9, at 7:30 p.m. at Decatur City Hall, 509 N. McDonough Street, and virtually via Zoom.

During the meeting, the planning commission will make recommendations on requested amendments to Smarties Academy’s conditional use permit and comprehensive site development plan.

The planning commission considers matters related to land use and zoning. The board does not make final decisions on agenda items, but makes recommendations for the Decatur City Commission to consider.

To access the meeting, follow these instructions:

To view the 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.

2. Register in advance at https://zoom.us/j/96702970360. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. You may also participate by phone by calling (301) 715-8592 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 [email protected] by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, May 8th.

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

Smarties Academy is seeking to increase the enrollment at the daycare from 148 to 300 students and construct an additional building on the property at 465 Clairemont Road. In April, the planning commission deferred a vote until May.

The existing buildings are connected and have one- and two-story portions. It is 13,592 square feet. The proposed addition would include a new two-story structure, with a ground floor level with the parking lot and a second floor above.

The proposed addition would be located at the rear of the classroom building.

“The applicant has filed an application to amend the conditional use permit to allow an increase in the daycare/pre-school enrollment from 148 to 300 students, construct a new 16,500 SF building addition, increase impervious surfaces by 23,000 SF, and increase off-street parking from 47 spaces to 67 spaces,” the staff report from the city says.

The parking space would be located near the entrances of Erie Avenue and at the rear of the property. The staff report outlines five concerns related to the parking lot reconfiguration.

The concerns include the additional paving required for more space impacts tree conservation and stormwater management, additional parking would be placed in the front yard near Erie Avenue, and the parking design doesn’t meet the city’s requirements for landscaping.

In other business, the planning commission will make recommendations on changing the land use and zoning for the properties at 1121 and 1123 Clairemont Road and 1119 Clairemont Avenue.

The commission will additionally consider a conditional use permit for the properties to allow a medical office and consider a special exception from the city’s unified development ordinance to construction parking between the sidewalk and the front of the building. Emory Heights, LLC., has requested the CUP.

The city commission will ultimately consider an annexation petition for the properties at 1121 and 1123 Clairemont Road, but the planning commission only looks at land use and zoning. The property at 1119 Clairemont Ave. is already in the city limits.

The current zoning of 1119 Clairemont Ave. is R-60, single-family residential. According to DeKalb County’s zoning code, the current zoning of 1121 and 1123 is R-75 and R-60 (single-family residential) and office institutional. The proposed zoning for all three properties is professional office per Decatur’s zoning code.

The applicant has requested a C – commercial and high-density residential land use designation.

The properties would be consolidated to develop an office campus. Humanly, a private office and co-working space for mental health therapists is currently located at 1123 Clairemont Road.

“The existing structures would not be enlarged, and no significant work will be done to the exterior of the building,” the application states. “1119 Clairemont would be converted to extend the Humanly operation that is currently existing at 1123 Clairemont.”