Decatur Neighborhoods To Meet Nov. 30 With Suburban Plaza Developer

Decatur folks will soon have a chance to ask developers about their plans to renovate Suburban Plaza, an aging shopping center, and build a Walmart.

At 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 30, Scott Selig and Bill Stogner of Selig Enterprises will meet at DeKalb Medical with the Decatur Heights Neighborhood Association and residents of neighborhoods in the Sycamore Drive, Forkner Drive and Church Street areas.

Though the shopping center is outside the city limits, these groups are worried about the effect the development could have on their neighborhoods.

A web posting by the Decatur Heights group said:

"They'll be addressing submitted concerns from the neighborhoods, and they'll take questions at the end. Because seating is limited to 120, the meeting is for the above residents and the nearby businesses located along Church St. and Sycamore Dr. ... Deck parking (a contracted service) is $2/hour. Neighbors are encouraged to carpool."

At 1 p.m. Dec. 14, the DeKalb County Zoning Board of Appeals will hold a public hearing on Selig Enterprises' plans in the Maloof Auditorium at 1300 Commerce Drive in Decatur.

Selig Enterprises of Atlanta wants to build a Walmart as part of the renovation of the aging shopping center at Scott Boulevard, North Decatur Road and Church Street.

The firm is seeking a parking variance and would like to build an underground parking garage.

If you want to know what the developer has in mind, Decatur Metro posted Selig's application and parking study online Wednesday.

According to a Development of Regional Impact statement filed by DeKalb County, the project calls for the "Demolition of approximately 144,000 sf of existing commercial space and the addition of 149,000 sf for a new total shopping center square footage of 324,614 sf."