Tuesday, April 2, 2013
George Carley, the retired chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court, administered the oath of office to Scott Drake.
Decatur has five city commissioners again. On Monday night, Scott Drake was sworn in as the commissioner for District 1, Post B. George H. Carley, the retired chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court, administered the oath of office at the city commission meeting. Carley, a Decatur resident, noted that he'd known Drake since he was a boy. Drake takes the seat that Bill Floyd held for more than 20 years. Floyd resigned Jan. 7 to take a consulting job, leaving the board of commissioners with only four members until Monday night. Drake defeated Greg Coleson March 19 in a special election.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
The office is located at 113 Clairemont Ave., across from the Courtyard Marriott.
The City of Decatur will hold a grand opening for its Visitors Center on Saturday, April 6. A ribbon cutting will be held at 11 a.m. The center, which shares space with the Decatur Arts Alliance, will be open all day with refreshments and prizes. The center is located at 113 Clairemont Ave., just down from the old courthouse and across the street from the Courtyard Marriott. The center opened for business about two months ago, Manager Sherry Jackman said. The hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. The phone number is 678-615-0915. The city earlier planned to locate the center in the DeKalb History Center, but that plan was dropped because the building is closed on weekends except for weddings, receptions and other events.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Reader Judd Owen writes: "CSD has made it plain that it wants to be consulted on annexations. So we need to evaluate this policy as a policy, separate from individual petitions, which make the question personal."
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Wednesday, March 27
Judd Owen lives in Decatur with his wife and two children. He has served on the Enrollment Committee and Annexation Committee for the City Schools of Decatur. He teaches political science at Emory. The second of a two-part series. The first part appeared Tuesday. By Judd Owen [Yesterday] appeared my obituary of large-scale annexation for Decatur. It was an idea that was pushed hard by some of the City’s political leadership without having been adequately evaluated. The most massive blind spot was the impact on the school system (CSD) and on school taxes in Decatur. The idea was originally presented as being about tax relief, but with scant attention paid to the impact on the larger school side of residents’ tax bills. Once CSD got …
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Reader Judd Owen writes: "Somewhere, on this big issue at least, there arose a disconnect between the vision of Decatur that I think is generally held by its residents and the vision held by its political leadership: Indie vs. Walmart."
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Tuesday, March 26
Judd Owen lives in Decatur with his wife and two children. He has served on the enrollment committee and annexation committee for the City Schools of Decatur. He teaches political science at Emory. The first of a two-part series. By Judd Owen Decatur Metro directed readers last week to a brief story in the print edition of the AJC reporting that Decatur City Manager Peggy Merriss had said that “potential annexation of two heavily commercial areas outside the city limits has apparently died quietly in the legislature.” I have been keenly interested in the push for large-scale annexation that has just died, and I’ve followed it closely since I first learned of it in October 2008. So I decided to write an obituary. I have tried always to be…
Monday, March 25, 2013
The annexation plan never got a sponsor in the General Assembly, the city manager says.
Decatur's plan to annex two commercial areas died in the General Assembly. City Manager Peggy Merriss said no legislator could be found to sponsor a bill in support of the annexation, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. In December, the city commission voted to annex two heavily commercial areas that included Suburban Plaza and the Publix-anchored Emory Commons Shopping Center. No referendum was needed because few residences were affected, Merriss said at the time. However, the plan would need legislative support, which it never got. The city went through long discussions before approving the failed annexation plan, including the potential annexation of six areas, a move that would have added about 2,000 new residents. Here are …
Friday, March 22, 2013
It's time to get that junk out of your garage and attic. City crews will pick up garbage and trash that's not accepted in pay-as-you-throw bags.
The City of Decatur is starting its annual Neighborhood Cleanup Days on Saturday in Oakhurst. Public works crews will will collect yard trimmings, building materials (as long as they're not from private contractors), tires, appliances (as long as they don't use Freon) and trash that would not normally be placed in pay-as-you-throw bags. Some things will not be collected: Liquids, dirt, bricks, blocks, stone, rocks, concrete and motor vehicle batteries or parts. The city website says crews will visit these spots in Oakhurst on Saturday, March 23, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. or until they're finished: Maxwell Street Third Avenue (Eastlake Drive to Northern Avenue) Oakview Road (East Lake Drive to Second Avenue, south side from Second to 1736…
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Kathie Gannon, a resident of the 335 West Ponce condo building, says the parking garage proposed for the 315 West Ponce project will be bad for her building as well as the city.
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Wednesday, March 20
(Editor's note. Decatur Patch editor Ralph Ellis is a resident of the 335 West Ponce building, as is the author of this letter, DeKalb County Commissioner Kathie Gannon.) To the editor: For full disclosure I will state that we know each other as neighbors at 335 W Ponce de Leon Ave and I am not writing on behalf of our neighbors or our condo association but as a resident of downtown Decatur. I am writing in response to your articles about the new Carter development that will be next to our homes. Many of the 70 homeowners of the 335 W Ponce Condominium are following the Carter development in downtown Decatur with both anticipation and concern because we adjoin the Carter property. Over half of our homes will have our living rooms and …
Friday, March 15, 2013
People who live near the 315 West Ponce mixed use development are worried the project will create traffic and parking problems and change the neighborhood's personality.
(Editor's note: The writer is a resident of the 335 West Ponce condo building, which is adjacent to the proposed building site.) People living next to a proposed mixed-use development in downtown Decatur are trying to convince the developer to tweak or scale back plans to build 235 apartments, 10,000 square feet of retail space, a traffic circle and a seven-story parking garage. Residents complained about traffic and parking, with some saying the sheer size of the 315 West Ponce project would alter the neighborhood's character. Four-and-five-story apartment buildings would look down on single-family homes. "There's going to be four stories of balconies overlooking my private space," said Lindsay Averett, who lives in a single-family home …
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Here's a list of polling places, where to cast early ballots and other information for the Decatur City Commission special election.
Greg Coleson and Scott Drake are running for the District 1, Post B seat formerly held by Bill Floyd, who stepped down after holding the post more than two decades. The special election is Tuesday, March 19. No matter who you vote for, here's some information you'll need to know, courtesy of City Clerk Janet Kindelberger and the City of Decatur webpage. Who can vote? Only registered voters in District 1, which lies mostly, but not completely, to the north of College Avenue. What are the polling places? What are the voting hours? 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Who will put on the election for Decatur? The City of Decatur has an agreement with DeKalb County to conduct the special election. What's the location for early voting? Advanced/…
33.78318
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735 Sycamore Dr, Decatur, GA
/articles/what-you-need-to-know-about-march-19-election
/locations/8991446
33.77555
-84.28936
515 E Ponce de Leon Ave, Decatur, GA
/articles/what-you-need-to-know-about-march-19-election
/locations/8991445
33.77469
-84.3051
601 W Ponce de Leon Ave, Decatur, GA
/articles/what-you-need-to-know-about-march-19-election
/locations/8991443
33.77887
-84.29646
First Baptist Church of Decatur
308 Clairemont Ave, Decatur, GA
/articles/what-you-need-to-know-about-march-19-election
1104756
/locations/8991444
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
After purchasing from DeKalb County, the city plans to sell the property to a developer who will turn it into a mixed-use development.
The Decatur Urban Redevelopment Authority (made up of city commission members) voted 4-0 Monday night to move ahead with the purchase of the Callaway Building and surrounding property from DeKalb County. The authority voted on the sales agreement. The city plans to sell to Cousins Properties, which would demolish the building and convert the property into a mixed-use development, though that project wouldn't be finished for years. "That will put the property back on the tax rolls, which has been the objective from the beginning," Assistant City Manager Lyn Menne said. Before signing a contract, the city has 90 days to perform due diligence on the Callaway Building and the surrounding five acres. If city buys the property, the county would …
Jen Holt
7:58 pm on Tuesday, April 2, 2013
+1. Congrats to Commissioner Drake! more ›