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The Affordable Housing Task Force wrapped up their work in February 2020 with a presentation of findings and recommendations on how to preserve and increase housing affordability in Decatur. Since then, the City of Decatur has already implemented several of the recommendations and is pleased to share the following list as an update:

The first measure to address Decatur’s shortage of accessible for-sale and rental housing is a Mandatory Inclusionary Housing policy. Prior to this policy, developers were encouraged to add affordable new rental units to new developments by allowing a density bonus. The new policy adopted July 2020 requires that any new development with five or more units set aside at least 10% of the units for moderate-income households. This policy should bring its first inclusionary units in 2022 with new developments that are now in the permitting process.

A full-time Affordable Housing Fellow was hired by the City in November 2020 to research and implement Task Force recommendations.

The Decatur Land Trust (DLT) was incorporated as a non-profit entity on July 23, 2021 to facilitate the purchase and development of homes, rental units, and land with 99-year renewable land leases for permanent affordability. To start off, the DLT will partner with the Decatur Development Authority on the Cottage Court Pilot Project at 230 Commerce Drive and Legacy Project Board on the north housing village at Legacy Park.

With extensive assistance from the Atlanta Regional Commission through their Community Design Assistance Program (CDAP), a year-round Housing Rehabilitation Program will be established to facilitate home repairs for low-income and senior homeowners. The CDAP report provided City staff and leaders with the nuts and bolts on how best to operate the program and funding sources.

Up next for consideration are amendments to the City’s Unified Development Ordinance. One of the recommendations from the Task Force is to revise the RS-17 zoning areas, and another is to increase the variety of housing options in traditional, single-family zoning districts by allowing low-density duplexes, triplexes and quadplexes. City staff are at the beginning of public participation on this topic and the community at large is asked to participate.

The Missing Middle Housing Community Survey will be open until November 15 to collect input from the public on these potential zoning changes to Decatur’s neighborhoods. 

To gather input from residents on missing middle housing policy, the City of Decatur will host three Focused Conversation Sessions to inform final policy recommendations. Each session include panelists to answer questions and will allow for participants to go into breakout rooms for further discussion.

Sign up to attend a Focused Conversation session. These are scheduled to take place virtually using Zoom.

Wednesday, Oct. 20 ●  6-7:30 p.m.- https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMsfuuqrDMoHNe8ooKg16k4Vb5ENo_ReBL1
Tuesday, Oct. 26 ● 11:30-1 p.m. –  https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEtf-muqjIoHtGfrlJ7gFprOCA3SzzAI8WO
Thursday, Nov. 11 ● 6-7:30 p.m. –  https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYod-utpzwoEtVlXw6nvK2MhB_2CXFjJoVn

hotline will be available 1-4 p.m., Tuesday thru Thursday, Oct. 26 – Nov. 11 for the public to call to ask questions, make comments or learn about specific events. During this time period, call 470-868-5114.

For more information on Decatur’s affordable housing efforts, visit decaturga.com/affordablehousing or email kristin.allin@decaturga.com.

The October test of the Tornado Outdoor Warning Siren System will happen tomorrow (10/06/21) at 5:00 p.m. The test should last approximately one minute. Should the weather become inclement, the test will be postponed until Thursday, 7 October 2021.

If you have questions or want more information about the siren system, check out the Tornado Outdoor Warning Siren System page on the City’s website or contact Police Lt. Barry Woodward at 404-373-6551.

Residents and property owners are invited to an open house to learn about proposed revisions to the City’s tree canopy conservation ordinance. The open house will take place from 4 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, October 21, 2021, in the dining hall at Legacy Park.- 500 S. Columbia Dr. A temperature check and wearing of a face covering are required for entry into the building.

The City Commission is considering changes to the City’s tree canopy conservation ordinance, including additional protection for trees located on single-family residential, townhome and multiple-family residential properties and new requirements for commercial developments.

Learn more about the tree ordinance at decaturga.com/dec/page/decatur-tree-canopy-conservation-ordinance-update. In addition to attending the open house, comments can be emailed to treeordinance@decaturga.com.

This Week in Decatur 10.4.21

***UPDATE: New webinar link for Oct. 6 Art for the People Workshop

Meetings

  • City Commission Meeting | Monday, Oct. 4 @ 7:30 p.m.
  • Active Living Board Meeting | Tuesday, Oct. 5 @ 8 a.m.
  • Better Together Advisory Board Meeting | Tuesday, Oct. 5 @ 6:30 p.m.
  • Decatur Develop Authorities Meeting | Friday, Oct. 8 @ 8 a.m.
  • Environmental Sustainability Board Meeting | Friday, Oct. 8 @ 9 a.m.

Visit decaturga.com/bc for additional meeting details. 

Events

This Weekend in Decatur 10.1.21

  • Amplify My Community Concert | Friday, Oct. 1 • 7-11 p.m.
  • Amplify My Community Concert | Saturday, Oct. 2 • 4-11 p.m.
  • AJC Decatur Book Festival | Saturday, Oct. 2 • 10 a.m.
  • Decatur Arts Festival: Artists Market | Saturday, Oct. 2 • 10 a.m.- 6 p.m.
  • Art for the People Workshop: Decolonize Through Culture (4 Week Course) | Saturday, Oct. 2 • 5 p.m.

    Webinar link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89646549715?pwd=aTB1MVV3K0pNbDlEazU5d1hJekNpdz09
    Passcode: 740651

    Wednesday, Oct. 6 • 7 p.m.
    Webinar link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86573786630?pwd=Lzl1c1A0UFZ0eHpEL0dFTHRMWkpqUT09
    Passcode: 568223

    Saturday, Oct. 16 • 5 p.m.
    Webinar link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86260990674?pwd=RWtKSkFNM0F2YnpqRmlob1FIMUNZZz09
    Passcode: 461784

  • Neighborhood Clean Up Day: Oakhurst Neighborhood #4 | Saturday, Oct. 2• 7:30 a.m.

    West Hill St.
    East Hill St.
    East Benson St.
    West Benson St.
    Mckoy St. (100 to 400 block)
    Adams St. (600 to 700 block)
    McDonough St. (600 to 700 block)
    Green St. (100 block)
    Oakview Rd. (400 to 800 block)
    Mead Rd.
    Olympic Pl.
    Jefferson Pl.

    MAK Neighborhood (rescheduled from October 9)
    Ansley St.
    Greenwood Av.
    Greenwood Pl.
    Evans Dr.
    Kings Highway
    Adams St. (100 to 500 block)
    South McDonough St. (100 to 500 block)
    West College Ave. (100 to 700 block)
    West Dougherty St.
    West Davis St.
    West Hancock St.
    East Hancock St.
    East Davis St.
    College Pl.

    All items to be collected should be placed at the curb no later than 7:30 am. This ensures that we do not have to rerun routes for late setouts. Collections run until 3:30 pm, or until finished-whichever is sooner.

    Visit decaturga.com/publicworks/page/neighborhood-clean-days for a list of acceptable items and to view the full schedule. If you have any questions, contact Sean Woodson at sean.woodson@decaturga.com or 404-377-5571.

City Updates & Reminders

This Week in Decatur 9.27.21

Meetings

  • City Commission Meeting | Monday, Sept. 27 @ 7:30 p.m. (rescheduled from Monday, Sept. 21)

  • Lifelong Community Advisory Board Meeting | Tuesday, Sept. 28 @ 6:30 p.m.

  • Historic Preservation Commission Special Called Meeting | Wednesday, Sept. 29 @ 6:30 p.m.

Visit decaturga.com/bc for additional meeting details. 

Events

City Updates & Reminders

As of mid-September, the City’s recruiters have held over a dozen internal and external stakeholder interviews reaching over 100 individuals to learn what each group is seeking in the City’s next Police Chief. Using feedback from the interviews, a community survey has been developed to gather additional feedback about the community’s priorities for the next Chief. This survey may be found at surveymonkey.com/r/Decatur-PoliceChief and will be available through October 3, 2021. The information from the stakeholder interviews and community survey will be used to prepare a position announcement that will describe the qualifications, skills, and expertise required of the position. After applications have been reviewed and interviews conducted, candidates will be selected to participate in an assessment center. An assessment center is used to evaluate candidates using real world scenarios that reflect actual activities for a Police Chief. Shortly after the assessment center, the City Manager should be prepared to select the Police Chief. It is anticipated that this decision will be made in January 2022.

This Week in Decatur 9.20.21

Meetings

  • City Commission Meeting | RESCHEDULED for Monday, Sept. 27 @ 7:30 p.m.
  • Historic Preservation Commission Meeting | Tuesday, Sept. 21 @ 6:30 p.m.

Visit decaturga.com/bc for additional meeting details. 

Events

  • Truckin’ Tuesdays | Tuesday, Sept. 21 • 6 p.m.
    Gather your friends, family, blankets, chairs, and most importantly, appetites! The area’s best food trucks will be offering up delicious fare from 6-9 p.m. at Legacy Park (500 S. Columbia Dr.).
  • Fleet Feet Wednesday Runs | Wednesday, Sept. 22 • 6:30 pm.
    Join Fleet Feet Decatur’s Wednesday Run club for 2, 3, & 4 mile routes every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
  • Art for the People Workshop: Decolonize Through Culture (4 Week Course) | Begins Wednesday, Sept. 22 • 7 p.m.
    Wednesday, Sept. 22 • 7 p.m.
    Webinar link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82950216731?pwd=cjdXbjM1Y2pQWU5nSWZ6ZGtZTUpEUT09
    Passcode: 852411

    Saturday, Oct. 2 • 5 p.m.
    Webinar link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89646549715?pwd=aTB1MVV3K0pNbDlEazU5d1hJekNpdz09
    Passcode: 740651

    Wednesday, Oct. 6 • 7 p.m.
    Webinar link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86573786630?pwd=Lzl1c1A0UFZ0eHpEL0dFTHRMWkpqUT09
    Passcode: 568223

    Saturday, Oct. 16 • 5 p.m.
    Webinar link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86260990674?pwd=RWtKSkFNM0F2YnpqRmlob1FIMUNZZz09
    Passcode: 461784

  • Neighborhood Clean Up Day: Oakhurst Neighborhood #3 | Saturday, Sept. 25 • 7:30 a.m.

    Spring St.
    Fayetteville Rd.
    Underwood St.
    Pharr (100 to 500 block)
    Russell St.
    East Lake Dr. (700 to 1000 block)
    McKoy St. (500 to 700 block)
    Adams St. (1000 to 1100 block)
    Lenore St.
    Sterling St.
    McDonough St. (800 to 1000 block)
    Lenore Pl.
    Oakhurst Common Dr.

    All items to be collected should be placed at the curb no later than 7:30 am. This ensures that we do not have to rerun routes for late setouts. Collections run until 3:30 pm, or until finished-whichever is sooner.

    Visit decaturga.com/publicworks/page/neighborhood-clean-days for a list of acceptable items and to view the full schedule. If you have any questions, contact Sean Woodson at sean.woodson@decaturga.com or 404-377-5571.

  • Fleet Feet Saturday Runs | Saturday, Sept. 25 • 8 a.m.
    Join Fleet Feet Decatur on Saturday mornings at 8 am for an open group run. The group meets in front of Fleet Feet Decatur, 431 W. Ponce de Leon Ave., and the run starts and end there. 

City Updates & Reminders

Nominations are now open for the 2021 Better Together Advisory Board Welcoming Business Award. The purpose of the award is to:

Reward and publicly recognize leadership actions that create a welcoming and inclusive business environment in the City of Decatur; Encourage businesses to prioritize inclusivity as a “best practice;” and Publicize and share “best practices” among local businesses.

The deadline to submit nominations is October 25. Award criteria and nomination forms can be found at decaturga.com/welcomingbusiness. You may submit the form online, or return the form via email to Linda Harris linda.harris@decaturga.com or mail it to her attention at City of Decatur, PO Box 220, Decatur GA 30031. For more information, contact Linda Harris linda.harris@decaturga.com or Renae Madison, renae.madison@decaturga.com.

September ZBA Meeting

September 13th, 7:30 p.m. – We are experiencing technical difficulties with the live broadcast of this evening’s Zoning Board of Appeals meeting and the Zoom virtual meeting. Please send questions or comments to john.maximuk@decaturga.com or kay.evanovich@decaturga.com or attend the meeting in person. City Hall is located at 509 N. McDonough Street.