Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Theater group left Suburban Plaza because of the Wal-Mart development.
Onstage Atlanta, the theater group that called Suburban Plaza home for 11½ years, has moved to its new location at 2969 East Ponce de Leon Ave. in Decatur. The theatre will open its first show — "The 39 Steps" — in its new space later this month. Onstage Atlanta had to move from its Suburban Plaza digs because of the planned and controversial Wal-Mart for that site, Barry West, the theater's managing director, told Decatur Patch. The landlord told them they'd have to find a new location. In the end, it ended up being a blessing in disguise as the new spot is larger than the old location, he said. Even so, the some construction and building delays have pushed back some plans. "The 39 Steps," based on the Alfred Hitchcock film, was to have …
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 …
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Good Growth DeKalb's lawsuit against DeKalb County must be resolved before Selig Enterprises can move forward with construction in North Decatur, a Selig official said.
Good Growth DeKalb's lawsuit against DeKalb County over the construction of a Walmart Supercenter in Suburban Plaza will delay the project's start, the North Decatur shopping center's management said Tuesday. The lawsuit, which focuses on the county's issuance of a construction permit to Walmart in January, must be resolved before Selig Enterprises – which owns the shopping center – and Walmart can begin construction, said Scott Selig, the company's vice president. “I believe that you can still possibly move forward but you do so at your own risk," he said. "So, the reality is that, yes, this needs to play out before we move forward." The lawsuit also will also likely delay redevelopment of the larger shopping center, he said. Selig …
Saturday, March 16, 2013
The group claims its appeal of a construction permit was incorrectly heard and dismissed by the DeKalb County Zoning Board of Appeals.
Good Growth DeKalb, the local group fighting the construction of Walmart Supercenter in North Decatur, sued DeKalb County on Friday for granting the international retail giant a construction permit. The suit, filed in DeKalb County Superior Court, contends that the county violated its own ordinances when it heard the group's administrative appeal of the permit issuance in January with the Zoning Board of Appeals rather than the Technical Board of Appeals, which Good Growth DeKalb claims is required by county law. The county does not currently have a Technical Board of Appeals. At the February hearing, attorneys with Good Growth DeKalb also said county ordinances related to trucking, trees and hydrology were not followed when the permit was…
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
The development is now clear to proceed unless the organization decides to continue its legal fight.
The DeKalb Zoning Board of Appeals has rejected an appeal by a local organization fighting the construction of a Walmart Supercenter in Suburban Plaza. The board rejected the challenge by Good Growth DeKalb, the local organization fighting the project, during its Wednesday afternoon meeting. The project is now cleared to move forward, unless Good Growth DeKalb decides to file additional lawsuits to block the project. The group filed the appeal Jan. 9, which they said was a "necessary precursor to filing a lawsuit," according to a note from the group sent out to residents who signed an online petition over the summer protesting the Walmart. Bill Wertz, spokesman for Walmart, said, “We are delighted to be partners with Selig Enterprises in …
Monday, January 28, 2013
The issue will go before the DeKalb County Board of Appeals on Feb. 13.
Good Growth DeKalb, the local organization fighting the construction of a Walmart Supercenter at Suburban Plaza in North Decatur, has filed an appeal against the redevelopment and will get a chance to argue its case next month. Selig Enterprises, which was recently issued a building permit to move forward, will go before the DeKalb County Board of Appeals on Feb. 13 at 1 p.m., according to county signs posted at the site. The group filed the appeal Jan. 9, which they said was a "necessary precursor to filing a lawsuiti," according to a note from the group sent out to residents who signed an online petition over the summer protesting the Walmart. The Medlock Area Neighborhood Association offered more details last week on what basis Good …
Monday, December 3, 2012
The anti-Walmart group says it has 30 days to file a lawsuit.
Good Growth DeKalb, the North Decatur group fighting the construction of a Walmart Supercenter in Suburban Plaza, says a lawsuit to stop the international retailer is imminent after the shopping center's owners were granted a permit last week to begin construction. "DeKalb County finally granted Selig Enterprises their first permit (for land disturbance) this past week," the group wrote in an email to supporters. "This means that we have 30 days to take legal action." Suburban Plaza is an aging shopping center located just outside the Decatur city limits. It's one of the areas Decatur is considering for anexation. The group has said for months on its website that its lawyers, hired in February, have identified an issue in the development …
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Fuqua Development, created earlier this year by a former Sembler executive, wants to build Decatur Crossing, a new retail center at the intersection of Scott Boulevard and North Decatur Road.
A former Sembler executive and one of metro Atlanta's most prolific retail developers is behind the effort to buy Scott Boulevard Baptist Church and turn it into a 40,000-square-foot retail center. Atlanta-based Fuqua Development, started earlier this year by former Sembler president Jeff Fuqua, wants to redevelop the church into Decatur Crossing, which will include a bank, restaurants and retail shops, according to a company flier about the project. That development does not yet include the residences adjacent to the church along Barton Way and Blackmon Drive that were contacted last week by Atlanta Land Group about selling their homes and land to redevelopers. The Fuqua Development flier shows a redevelopment area only where the church …
Friday, October 19, 2012
A developer is looking to buy Scott Boulevard Baptist Church and residential homes behind it for a new commercial site.
Could we see new development next to a newly renovated Suburban Plaza? It's possible if a developer gets its way. Atlanta Land Group is interested in coaxing residents along Barton Way and Blackmon Drive to sell their land to make way for new commercial development, according to a letter acquired by the Medlock Area Neighborhood Association. The developers met with residents from those streets at Scott Boulevard Baptist Church, which will be part of the proposed sale, according to the association's second post about the development meeting. From MANA's post on the development: Read the full post for more details, and expect forthcoming coverage from Patch. What do you think about development in this area? Should the residents sell? Tell us…
Tom
10:25 am on Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Finally, a place to buy cigarettes on the square. more ›