DECATUR, GA - A showdown is shaping up between a developer who wants to build a high-end apartment complex in downtown Decatur and nearby residents who worry the project will be far too large, eroding the quality of life in their neighborhood. The developer, JLB Partners, plans to build 220 apartments in the parking lot of the 10-story Decatur Court office building, a few blocks west of Decatur's old courthouse square.
The project promises to be the largest housing complex built in Decatur in years, effectively doubling the number of homes in the surrounding neighborhood. Residents are concerned that newcomers will park in front of their homes and increase traffic. "It's just way too much," Kathy Britt said. "There's no way our neighborhood can sustain that type of development overnight." JLB officials have been meeting with a group of residents, including Britt, for several months in an effort to work through the neighborhood's concerns.
Last week, the company showed the group details of its proposal, which includes a parking deck; a 160-unit apartment building on the back side of the property; and a separate 60-unit apartment building with ground-level retail on West Ponce de Leon Avenue, Decatur's main commercial strip. The development would include one and two bedroom units with "condo-quality" features such as stainless steel appliances and granite countertops, said Hudson Hooks, manager of JLB's Atlanta office. Rents will average $1,450 per month, he said. Efforts have been made to minimize the project's impact on the neighborhood.
Two large courtyards would be cut into the larger apartment block. The building would also "step down" from five to three stories, with the tallest portion closer to the office tower, away from single-family homes across the street. And developers hope to funnel apartment traffic onto Ponce de Leon, away from the single-family homes.
Hooks noted that the current proposal is less dense than the previous plan, which included a hotel on West Ponce. "There's been a lot of give and take," he said. "We've tried to work closely with the neighborhood." Hooks also said the complex might convert to condos in the future, after the housing market improves.
Decatur has boomed in recent years, with restaurants, shops and cafes joining a growing number of multifamily housing units. The development has created a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly atmosphere hard to find in car-loving metro Atlanta. But the commercial corridor borders quiet residential streets in several areas, setting up conflicts over how the city should grow.
Gil Rogers, an attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center, said he and his wife moved to Decatur three years ago from Midtown in search of a slower pace of life. Their house is near the proposed apartment complex. "We enjoy being on a quiet street with families all around us," he said. "I'm not opposed to growth in general, but it needs to be placed appropriately." Most residents who viewed the company's plans said they liked the design and layout but remain opposed to the project's size.
Residents offered suggestions for scaling down the development, from offering fewer and higher priced apartments to replacing some apartments with townhomes or single-family homes. Hooks said the company would not budge on the number of units. The office tower and surrounding parking lot were purchased last fall by Atlanta-based Day Capital Partners for $16.3 million, according to Databank. Day Capital plans to keep the office building and has entered into an agreement to sell about 3 acres to JLB for a multifamily housing development, said Day Capital partner Bob Day.
The property is zoned for commercial use, which permits construction up to 80 feet in height, said Lyn Men
Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution