Decatur, GA — The Decatur City Commission will meet on Tuesday, Sept. 5 for its regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. There will also be a dinner session at 5 p.m., an executive session at 5:30 p.m., and a work session at 7 p.m. The meetings will be held in person at Decatur City Hall, 509 N. McDonough Street, and virtually via Zoom.
The work session will focus on the Metro-Atlanta Cities Wellbeing Initiative. While executive sessions are not open to the public, the community can join to see the city commission enter into the executive session and adjourn. The city commission can discuss legal, personnel, or real estate matters during an executive session.
During the regular meeting, the city commission will consider approving an agreement with CGS LLC for about $124,329.21 for renovations to the dugouts at McKoy Park Field.
To access the meeting, follow these instructions:
To view the agenda, click here.
This meeting will be held in-person. Members of the public wishing to participate during either the “Public Comment” or “Requests and Petitions” portions of the meeting may attend the meeting in one of two ways:
1. Attend in-person by coming to Decatur City Hall, 509 N. McDonough St.
2. Register in advance at https://zoom.us/j/95871118277. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. You may also participate by phone by calling (929) 205-6099 and entering the meeting ID (The 11-digit number shown in the Zoom registration link.)
NOTE – This meeting will utilize virtual meeting technology. We cannot guarantee it will operate as planned. If your participation must be a matter of public record, attend the meeting in person or email your comments to City Manager Andrea Arnold at andrea.arnold@decaturga.com by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 5th.
Members of the public may also view the live broadcast of the Decatur City Commission meeting at https://www.decaturga.com/citycommission/page/streaming-video
Parks and Recreation Director Greg White said in a memo that the challenges with the dugouts include damaged roofing, lack of storage, and drainage issues. The dugouts are also a small and cramped space.
“New construction of the dugouts will include a new storage room, locker room, new steps, rails, drainage system, and roofing,” White said. “The project will include new netting as specified to remove the chain link fencing and to repair failing concrete on the bleacher seating area. Dugouts will be used for Decatur Parks and Recreation adult softball and Decatur High School baseball.”
In other business:
– The city commission will consider issuing revenue bonds by the Decatur Housing Authority for the acquisition, rehabilitation, and operation of Philips Tower and Calvin Court.
The city commission approved the issuance of the bonds at its Sept. 6, 2022, meeting. The city will have no financial obligations for the bonds.
“We do not, shall not, will not ever have any kind of indebtedness because of these bonds,” City Manager Andrea Arnold previously said.
DHA Executive Director Doug Faust said in a memo that the TEFRA authorization expires after 12 months, so the bonds have to be approved again. The project bond financing and low-income housing tax credit application was preliminarily approved by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs and closing is scheduled for December 2023.
Philips Tower is located at 218 E. Trinity Place and the multifamily housing bonds would be for $35 million. Philips Tower was built in 1971 and has 219 one-bedroom units. About 30 units may be converted to project-based vouchers.
Calvin Court is located at 479 E. Paces Ferry Road NE in Atlanta, and the multifamily housing bonds would be for $35 million. The property was built in 1970 and is made up of 116 efficiency units and 121 one-bedroom units.
Since Calvin Court is located in the city of Atlanta, DHA will also have to get approval from the Atlanta City Council for the issuance of the bonds. The Decatur City Commission has to approve the bonds since DHA is based in Decatur.
Hallmark Development Partners and SCG Development Partners plan to renovate the property, including interior unit repairs and replacements, exterior work, and repairs and replacements in common areas. The developers have a preliminary budget of about $57 million for Philips Tower and about $60 million for Calvin Court, according to memos from Faust.
Presbyterian Homes of Georgia has owned and managed the properties as affordable housing for a while and will continue to do so long term.
– The city commission will also consider approving a memorandum of understanding between the city and the Decatur Land Trust to implement the Decatur Home Rehabilitation Program.
The commission approved $300,000 in funding for the program in December 2022. The funding will be disbursed over a three-year period.
“The MOU serves to formalize the terms and conditions under which the DLT will manage all aspects of the ReHAB Program,” Planning and Economic Development Director Angela Threadgill wrote in a memo. “The ReHAB Program was created to reduce some of the financial pressures experienced by low-income and legacy property owners by assisting them with major and minor home maintenance projects. The program seeks to enable Decatur’s low-income and legacy property owners to age in place, and remain in safe, accessible homes.”
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