Decatur Residents Concerned about the Development of 315 W. Ponce De Leon Ave http://www.decaturresidents.com

December 31, 2007
RE: Development plans for mixed income apartments on the Wachovia Bank Property, at 315 W. Ponce de Leon Avenue, Decatur, GA.

Dear Neighbor and Decatur Resident:

This letter is written to alert you to a large-scale high-impact development project at the Wachovia Bank property that is very likely to be approved with little or no input from us as neighboring property owners.  On December 19th a letter was given to tenants of the Wachovia Bank Building announcing plans to convert the property to mixed-use purposes including “an apartment community and a boutique hotel on West Ponce de Leon with a …restaurant on the corner of West Ponce and Ponce de Peon Place” (copy attached).  The developers will be requesting multiple variances to present ordinances to allow development we believe to be detrimental to the neighborhoods adjoining Montgomery Street, Ponce De Leon Place, Fairview Ave., West Ponce De Leon Ave, Northern Ave., Oakland Rd., Wilton Dr., Beaumont Ave., Plainview Ave., and the Clairemont-Great Lakes neighborhoods.

Our understanding of the planned development is that the developers want to split the ‘Wachovia’ property into two separate properties. The first property, or business use development facing W. Ponce de Leon Avenue, will include the hotel, commercial building, bank and restaurant.  The second development will be residential apartments facing Montgomery Street and Ponce de Leon Place. The proposed plans are for small one and two bedroom unit apartments as allowed in current codes; 800 sq ft and 1000 sq ft for one and two bedroom units.  This could mean having 200 or more units at this planned location.

Why should this plan matter to you?  There are three basic reasons. First, the developers plan to build high-density housing in an area already congested for traffic and parking.  The current proposal calls for the property to have ‘shared parking’ where daytime commercial tenants ‘share’ parking with apartment residents. Imagine, two hundred units with insufficient parking as part of the plan!  Where are we to expect the overflow to park? Second, the developers are planning to request variances to city codes designed to protect the character and scale of neighborhoods. Please read the excerpts from the current code below to judge if you might or might not wish those changed. Third, the developers and city have already ‘fast tracked’ the project in such a way we see as severely limiting substantive input from affected neighboring property owners and putting us in a disadvantage in understanding plans and variance requests. We are not opposed to new and re-use development at all.  However, we believe that affected property owners must have the right to participate in the decision and development plans that affect our property values and quality of life.

These development plans will require variances that must be approved by the City of Decatur Planning Commission and City of Decatur Commissioners. The Planning commission meets on January 10th and again on February 7th 2008.  The developers will be submitting requests for variances very soon, perhaps at these meetings.  So the time for us to consider our position and action plan, if any, is now.

What must we as neighborhood property owners do?  The developers are professionals and have hired powerful and expert legal counsel and consultants who are proficient at moving projects, largely unchanged, rapidly through municipal approval processes.  Therefore, if we are to participate or help shape the proposed re-development of the Wachovia property, we must respond thoughtfully, professionally and soon.  We must engage in the process as an affected community with common purpose and common voice or we will, in the end, have no voice at all.   This could be very much like the case of the stealth property tax increase of 2006.

Accordingly, we are inviting interested neighbors to meet tomorrow evening Thursday, January 3, 2008 at 7:30 pm. The purpose of the meeting is to share information, determine if we as residents want to coordinate a response to the proposed development and to establish a means for further communication. Other community members of our community have met with Lyn Menne and the developers and have an established ‘Focus Group” and we hope to hear from them about current developments and thinking. 

The meeting place is set for the 1st Baptist Church at 308 Clairmont Ave, in the 3rd floor conference room. (Enter under the right side portico, and take the elevator to the 3rd floor.) Please call 404-687-0555 and leave a message or send an email to confirm your planned attendance.

A website has been created with information as well as copies of relevant documents. The address of the website is http://www.decaturresidents.com

If you would like to receive information about future events and meetings please send an email requesting to be added to the electronic mailing list to info@decaturresidents.com

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Excerpts from the current Code of Ordinances and Code for the City of Decatur
(available at: http://www.municode.com/resources/gateway.asp?pid=12110&sid=10)

“Uses Permitted under Current C2 Zoning

{section } OTHER USES PERMITTED WITH CITY APPROVAL

            …

• Attached town homes of at least 1000 sq ft on minimum lot of 2,500 sq ft, 3 story, maximum height 40 feet
• Multifamily dwelling with minimum 800 sq ft for 1 br or 1000 sq ft for 2 bedroom or 1200 sq ft for 3 bedroom
• Building cannot exceed 3 stories or 35 feet unless approved by city.
• Units could be rental or sale.”

The maximum number of units permitted in C2 zoning may be INCREASED BY 20% for multifamily rental or sale units if designated “life cycle” dwellings for people of “moderate income”.