Decatur, GA — The Decatur City Commission will meet on Monday, April 15, for a regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. at Decatur City Hall, located at 509 N. McDonough Street, and virtually via Zoom. There will also be a dinner session at 6 p.m. and a work session at 6:30 p.m.

The work session will focus on the fiscal year 2024-2025 fee schedule.

During the regular meeting, the city commission will consider a request from Smarties Academy to modify the zoning conditions and conditional use permit to increase the enrollment to 178 students, an increase from the current 148 students.

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/91338228565. 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 15th.

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

Since Smarties has a conditional use permit and zoning conditions that include the enrollment cap, the owners must come before the city to increase the enrollment or make other changes to the property. The planning commission recommended denial of the modification of zoning conditions and the conditional use permit with votes of 6-1.

In March 2022, the daycare requested a zoning change from low-density residential and single-family residential to institutional. The daycare has also requested a conditional use permit to operate the daycare, as it became the primary use of that facility. The Decatur City Commission approved the conditional use permit on March 21, 2022, with the condition that the enrollment was capped at 148 students.

Last year, Smarties sought to increase its enrollment to 255 and construct an additional building on its property. Smarties Academy appeared before the planning commission in May 2023, and commissioners unanimously rejected the proposed changes to Smarties Academy’s conditional use permit and comprehensive site development plan. The plan faced significant opposition from residents.

Due to the pushback from residents, Smarties withdrew its application and the city commission accepted the withdrawal at the May 25, 2023, meeting. Smarties Academy was not proposing any construction of new buildings on Tuesday night.

This new request is only to increase the enrollment to 178 students.

“This modest increase in student enrollment will allow Smarties to offer more flexible programming year-round and will have little to no impact on surrounding properties,” the application from Smarties says. “Importantly, no building additions are proposed in connection with this requested student enrollment increase.”

In other business:

– The city commission will consider approving an alcoholic beverage license for consumption on premises of beer and wine at Bench Warmers Sports Grill, located at 240 West Ponce de Leon Ave.

– The city commission will consider approving an agreement with Dianna Hunt & Associates, Inc. for up to $34,200 for easement acquisition services for the Derrydown Way storm water improvements requiring 18 temporary construction easements.

“Once the easements are acquired, the project’s first phase will be bid and construction will be able to begin,” Project Civil Engineer Jennings Bell wrote in a memo. “This project is located in the area of Derrydown Way, Hilldale Drive and South Columbia Drive that drain west to Shoal Creek as identified in the Storm Water Master Plan. The drainage improvements will include new piping, inlets, bioswales, curb, gutter, and asphalt.”

– The city commission will also consider awarding a contract for $194,920 to Big Apple Services and establishing a project budget of $220,000 for pavement striping and marking on Coventry Road and East and West Ponce de Leon Avenue.

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