What Will Go Here? Senior Housing
DeKalb County says Forest Heights Apartments, located on Columbia Drive just outside the Decatur and Avondale Estates city limits, will be demolished in January.
The now-empty Forest Heights Apartments at 1048 Columbia Drive, Decatur, will be demolished soon to make way for 80 units of senior housing.
DeKalb County spokesman Burke Brennan said the demolition will start in January. The old apartment complex occupies about 5 acres on Columbia Drive a few blocks outside the Decatur and Avondale Estates city limits.
There will be 70 one-bedroom units and 10 two-beroom units.
Brennan said this is one of the three housing developments in DeKalb recently approved by the Ga. Dept of Community Affairs for 9 percent tax credits. DeKalb County is a stakeholder
The developer is Columbia Residential.
The project narrative and sketches are attached to this article in PDF form.
Dorothy Clark
6:59 am on Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Senior housing in south Decatur is very much needed, assuming the units are not terribly expensive. However, these all look like two-story units. Senior housing with stairs??? Someone has not thought this through terribly well, unless there is something there that I don't see. And will they be rentals or purchases?
Julia Ewen
7:32 am on Tuesday, December 18, 2012
My thoughts exactly--stairs??? And are the interiors adapted to seniors' bathing needs ( walk-in tubs or at least with grab bars) and are doors wide enough to take a wheel-chair or other mobility aid? Are these units public or subsidized housing?
Melissa O'Shields
8:43 pm on Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Exactly Dorothy. I think we all should start calling DeKalb County or this could turn out to be a disaster.
Julia Ewen
7:42 am on Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Just now saw the description in the document attached to the article. There ARE elevators. However, in emergencies such as fires or storm related power outages would they operate? And two miles is a long walk to Marta for folks who don't walk well. Yes, busses stop nearer to the units, but have you climbed up the steps into a bus lately? And has MARTA improved on all the problems they have been having getting handicap equipped special buses to people who need them?
Ralph, how about an article about how the budget slashing has been affecting public transportation and other services related to seniors' needs in Avondale-Decatur ?
Melissa O'Shields
8:45 pm on Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Julia I think we all should start calling DeKalb County or this could turn out to be a disaster.
Ralph Ellis
7:49 am on Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Thanks for the comment, Julia. I will try to work on that.
Melissa O'Shields
8:49 pm on Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Ralph thank you for this story. I ride by those boarded up apts. often and have wondered what was going to happen to them. If you have anymore information please let us know how we can stay on top of this.
kensington palace
9:38 am on Tuesday, December 18, 2012
I think this development will target the seniors who can live independently and may need some assistance with medication management given the multistory design. Ground level tenants could be targeted specific to seniors with ambulatory impairments. Independent-living communities will be a welcome development for the area.
Tomi
11:32 am on Tuesday, December 18, 2012
DeKalb County already has some excellent apartments for rent for seniors over near South DeKalb Mall (Magnolia Circle, off Rainbow Drive). None of the apartments have stairs. The rent is based on income. They have MARTA disability buses that come into the gated apartment complex. A number of seniors walk to the bus stop on Rainbow Dr. A number of seniors are very agile and walk to the nearby Kroger. Maybe the planners for this complex could check out the Magnolia Circle apartments for seniors. (?)
Melissa O'Shields
12:43 pm on Tuesday, December 18, 2012
I agree the housing should not have stairs. Seniors with arthritic problems need 1 level housing. Is this housing to be sold or for rental only? I would prefer to see Senior cluster housing with a garage offered "for sale" for Seniors who may want to size down from a larger house.
Nancy Wilkinson
11:31 pm on Tuesday, December 18, 2012
The developer is not new to senior housing - their website is at http://www.columbiares.com They have at least ten other senior housing communities in the Atlanta area so DeKalb County should be able to look into their track record easily enough. It seems like this is an independent-living type of setup.
Melissa O'Shields
11:10 pm on Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Very impressive. I hope they will consider making these brick rather than the style in the artist's sketch. It would be more in keeping with the neighborhood.