Decatur Next

Our Commitment

A Decades-Long Work in Progress

Marta Opens Decatur Station

Completed 1979

Marta Opens Decatur Station
As proposals emerge for massive redevelopment, citizen concerns generate creation of the Downtown Redevelopment Task Force.
Redevelopment Task Force

1980-1982

Redevelopment Task Force
Public input sessions propel new visioning effort and result in creation of the Town Center Plan.
Town Center Plan

Adopted 1982

Town Center Plan
With formal adoption, the Town Center Plan charts a new course for downtown, becoming the basis for Decatur's renaissance.
One Town Center Comes Online

Completed 1985

One Town Center Comes Online
The Town Center Plan's first tangible outcome emerges with construction of a new downtown office building.
Restaurant Renaissance

Beginning 1987

Restaurant Renaissance
Entrepreneurial investment in downtown establishes the local business community as key implementation partners.
Downtown Hotel and Convention Center

Completed 1988

Downtown Hotel and Convention Center
Unique public-private partnership makes good on key Town Center Plan directive.
Ponce Plaza Offices Open

Completed 1991

Ponce Plaza Offices Open
Deft negotiating by the DDA finds a common ground solution with developer.
Streetscape Enhancements

Funded 1993

Streetscape Enhancements
New sources of funding launches years of downtown streetscape improvements.
Bus Relocation and Bandstand

Completed 1996

Bus Relocation and Bandstand
Livability takes a big step forward with key enhancements to the downtown Marta station and surrounding area.
CVS Development Challenges Assumptions

Completed 1998

CVS Development Challenges Assumptions
Development proposal reveals weaknesses in the city's downtown vision and spurs revisions for more predictable results.
Ice House Lofts Open

Completed 1999

Ice House Lofts Open
Creative design overcomes an ideological impasse with the U.S. Department of the Interior and brings the city's first new apartments in ten years online.
2000’s Ten Year Strategic Plan

1999-2000

2000’s Ten Year Strategic Plan
Residents and businesses unite to address conflict and chart a new course forward.
Towne Square Condos Open

Completed 2000

Towne Square Condos Open
Downtown's first residential development sets the standard for a whole new neighborhood.
Title Acquired to Depot

Acquired 2001

Title Acquired to Depot
Creative partnering saves a community landmark, then slowly brings it back to life.
Avondale Station Area Plan

Completed 2002

Avondale Station Area Plan
Transit-oriented neighborhood master plan builds upon the success of the city’s on-going revitalization efforts
SunTrust Building Replaces Parking Lot

Completed 2004

SunTrust Building Replaces Parking Lot
A willingness to compromise on both sides fosters redevelopment of key downtown parcel.
Renaissance Condos Open

Completed 2005

Renaissance Condos Open
Innovative structural design transforms existing parking deck into new, mixed-use building.
Comprehensive Plan

Updated 2005

Comprehensive Plan
State mandated policy document provides for a midterm check-up of our larger strategic goals and accomplishments.
335 W. Ponce Condos Open

Completed 2005

335 W. Ponce Condos Open
West Ponce's Deco/Modern past is augmented with a new, mixed-use, postmodern project.
Artisan Condos Open

Completed 2006

Artisan Condos Open
Signature project furthers downtown housing through redevelopment of surface parking lot at key intersection.
2007 Transportation Plan

Completed 2007

2007 Transportation Plan
Ambitious 2007 plan gets Decatur on the move, with equal focus on mobility, access, choice, and health.
Cultural Arts Master Plan

Completed 2010

Cultural Arts Master Plan
Arts-minded residents work with city to examine and leverage assets citywide.
2010’s Ten Year Strategic Plan

2010-2011

2010’s Ten Year Strategic Plan
City residents and businesses repeat and build upon the success of 2000's Strategic Plan, completing a new blueprint for the coming decade.
Zoning Task Force

Convened 2011

Zoning Task Force
Resident-led committee addresses areas where city ordinances fail to support the Strategic Plan.
Environmental Sustainability Plan

Adopted 2012

Environmental Sustainability Plan
Decatur gets green with a hard look at sustainability goals.
Unified Development Ordinance

2013-2015

Unified Development Ordinance
Extensive community process picks up where Zoning Task Force left off.
Place on Ponce Opens

Completed 2015

Place on Ponce Opens
Long pursued project leads the pack in new, downtown rental housing.
Better Together

Accepted 2015

Better Together
Expansive community conversation generates ideas for making Decatur a more fair, welcoming, and inclusive city.
Alexan 1133 Opens

Completed 2016

Alexan 1133 Opens
Residential building fills key hole in Commerce Drive streetscape.
The ARLO Opens

Completed 2016

The ARLO Opens
For-rent trend continues, adding to the diversity of the city’s residential offerings.
Comprehensive Plan

Updated 2016

Comprehensive Plan
State mandated policy document provides for a midterm check-up of our larger strategic goals and accomplishments.
PATH Connectivity Plan

Adopted 2016

PATH Connectivity Plan
Collaborative plan sets out to improve walking and biking as viable modes of transportation citywide.
E. Decatur Mixed-Use Zoning

Passed 2018

E. Decatur Mixed-Use Zoning
As market pressure intensifies in East Decatur, new zoning rules ensure compatible development.
2018 Transportation Plan

Adopted 2018

2018 Transportation Plan
Keeping Decatur mobile in an era of growth and change.
East Lake MARTA Master Plan

ADOPTED 2018

East Lake MARTA Master Plan
Transformative, transit-oriented plan for long underutilized station area emerges from lengthy community process.
Decatur Housing Summit

CONVENED 2018

Decatur Housing Summit
Day-long event, months in the planning, puts focus on housing affordability.
Legacy Park Master Plan

Adopted 2018

Legacy Park Master Plan
Community participation lays out long-term goals for the city's new, 77-acre green jewel.
Cortland Decatur East Opens

Completed 2019

Cortland Decatur East Opens
Decatur welcomes its first transit-oriented development outside of downtown.
Hampton Inn + Suites Opens

Completed 2019

Hampton Inn + Suites Opens
New hotel expands lodging options and conference possibilities in downtown Decatur.
AMLI Infill Block Opens

Completed 2019

AMLI Infill Block Opens
Mixed uses put key downtown site back on the city's tax rolls.
Legacy Park Housing Plan

Adopted 2019

Legacy Park Housing Plan
Additional efforts put finer point on Legacy Park affordability ambitions.
Affordable Housing Task Force

Accepted 2020

Affordable Housing Task Force
Citizen task force report gets tactical with affordable housing recommendations
Arcadia Decatur Opens

Completed 2020

Arcadia Decatur Opens
Three story apartment complex continues trend in transit-oriented development.
Inclusionary Zoning Enacted

Passed 2020

Inclusionary Zoning Enacted
City Commission takes swift action following release of Affordable Housing Task Force Report.
Stormwater Master Plan

Adopted 2020

Stormwater Master Plan
Decatur gets serious about the challenges of urban stormwater with this extensive community process.
2020 Strategic Plan

Adopted 2021

2020 Strategic Plan
A community-driven opportunity to map out priorities, policies, and projects for the next ten years.
Publix + Notion Project Opens

Completed 2021

Publix + Notion Project Opens
Mix of uses brings walkable retail, including grocery, to eastside residents.
Clean Energy Plan

Adopted 2022

Clean Energy Plan
Decatur offers regional leadership on local climate action via clean energy.
Missing Middle Housing

Passed 2023

Missing Middle Housing
Decatur creates a pathway for more middle income earners to find housing within city neighborhoods.
Recreatur Plan

Adopted 2023

Recreatur Plan
Decatur works out its parks and recreation master plan.
Modera Decatur Opens

Completed 2023

Modera Decatur Opens
Mixed use project replaces suburban-style, automobile-focused bank branch.

Decatur Diary | July 11, 2014

UDO Draft Ready for Prime Time: Series of meetings scheduled

Those who've followed along and participated in the Unified Development Ordinance process so far know the road we've been down. Last fall, in Phase 01, we began by revisiting the Decatur Strategic Plan, considering areas where city goals were not supported by existing ordinances, and identifying areas to focus on. General approaches to addressing those areas were then integrated with the overall clean-up effort and, in a meeting January 8, were affirmed by residents -- together with a request that four areas (character, stormwater, sustainability/green building, and new zoning districts) be given further opportunity for community consideration and discussion...

Decatur Diary | June 2, 2014

UDO Effort Enters Final Phase: Details here

The city’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) process wrapped up its second phase in May after four drill-down sessions explored  a variety of regulatory topics where additional resident input was needed...

Decatur Diary | April 24, 2014

Missing Middle Found: Participants consider tools for more diverse housing types

One thing that emerged during 2010’s Strategic Planning process was the need for more housing types. In short, market demand for single family homes here in Decatur is well served, as is the desire for downtown condos, but what about the types that tend to fall in between?

Decatur Diary | April 21, 2014

The Missing Middle: UDO meeting April 23 explores new zoning categories

The Strategic Plan’s goals for a more diversified housing mix reflect a gap — what we’re calling the missing middle — between our predominantly single-family residential and our downtown. This session explores the idea of transitional districts to accommodate things like live/work units, downtown-friendly townhouses, small-scale apartment buildings, neighborhood-scaled mixed use, cottage courts, and more, and gauges the circumstances under which such solutions might make sense...

Decatur Diary | April 18, 2014

Greening Up: Meeting explores UDO’s sustainability options

Among the community priorities to emerge during 2010’s Strategic Plan effort was sustainability. Specifically, Principle C of the adopted plan, which states “Serve as good stewards of the environment and community resources” and, beneath that, Task 12B, which instructs city leadership to “update and create a unified land development ordinance that requires sustainable building practices throughout the community...”

Decatur Diary | April 11, 2014

Green Performance: UDO meeting considers sustainability April 16

While the bulk of the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) project is cleaning up and better organizing our existing codes, it also presents opportunity to dig down into certain areas that have been identified by the community for further study. On Wednesday, April 16, that digging will lead us to focus on issues related to sustainability: high performance buildings, outdoor lighting standards, and parking...

Decatur Diary | March 27, 2014

The Rundown on Runoff: Residents gather to discuss stormwater

Resisting the urge to describe the subject matter as “dry,” engineering consultant Bob Williams began last night’s presentation with an acknowledgement of the obvious: stormwater is not an especially exciting topic for most people. And yet, perhaps unsurprisingly here in Decatur, a healthy crowd turned out nonetheless -- drilling down on some key issues, speaking one-on-one with specialists, even staying late...

Decatur Diary | March 22, 2014

Mopping Up: UDO Stormwater meeting Wed., March 26

As the densest city in Georgia, Decatur’s all too familiar with the challenges presented by stormwater. Clearly, our ability to grow and develop is crucial to many of our long-term community goals -- from aging-in-place, to broader diversity, to supporting our schools and services with sound economic strategies -- but that doesn’t make the water go away...

Decatur Diary | March 13, 2014

Community Character: Regulate or don’t regulate? And if so, how?

Drilling down on unresolved issues associated with the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) got underway last night as roughly 50 residents, staff and elected officials gathered to consider the idea of community character: What it is, if it matters, and how/if it should be regulated. Perhaps unsurprisingly for a Decatur audience, sentiments were diverse -- very diverse -- from increased control over details like house size and lot coverage to loosening up regulations currently in place to removing some regulations altogether...

Decatur Diary | March 10, 2014

Time to Drill Down: UDO Community Character meeting Wed., March 12

On March 3, the city commission approved Phase Two of the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) process, clearing the way for our next steps: drilling down on currently unresolved issues; and preparing a comprehensive draft for community review...
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