For three days in early May, city staff, assisted by planner/architect Bruce Tolar, will work together with surrounding neighbors to develop designs for the city’s cottage court demonstration project at 230 Commerce Drive. On Thursday, May 5, from 7-8pm, interested Decatur residents are invited to attend an open house at 104 Sycamore Place to see what they’ve come up with.
Working to balance city housing goals, market viability, and the input of adjacent property owners, the collaborative process will include daily opportunities for neighborhood review and comment, which will then inform continued design work the next day. By Thursday the 5th, a workable plan — one viable for market developers — is expected for review by the community.
Though cottage courts have been allowed since passage of the Unified Development Ordinance in early 2015, local builders have been reluctant to veer from the dependable single family homes they’re accustomed to. So in response to extensive resident requests for action on housing affordability — via 2010’s Strategic Plan, the Lifelong Community Advisory Board, and the recently completed Better Together initiative — Decatur is pursuing this as an opportunity to explore a more affordable, neighborhood-friendly alternative to large-format single-family infill.
In doing so, the city hopes to demonstrate unmet demand for cottage homes sized roughly 700 to 1,200 square feet, and to identify and address any regulatory barriers that might be preventing the development of similar projects by others.
Per-unit pricing will be dependent on the emerging design, though something around $250,000 is sought. Compliance with the Old Decatur local historic district will be required. The target property was purchased by the city in December, 2015.
