Decatur considering building a quadplex at 600 Commerce Drive - Decaturish.com

Decatur, GA — The city of Decatur is considering building a quadplex with an accessory dwelling unit at 600 Commerce Drive. The city hosted a community meeting to discuss concepts for the project on Thursday, May 2.

The city purchased the property at 600 and 604 Commerce Drive in 2022 and is working with MicroLife Institute to develop a conceptual design for the site. Together, those parcels are about 0.57 acres, and there is a 4,000-square-foot vacant home on the property. They are zoned R-60 single-family residential.

The home is slated to be demolished soon. The city commission approved a contract with JNB Services in March for the demolition work.

During the meeting on May 2, MicroLife Institute and the city shared two examples of concepts for the site, each with a quadplex in an ADU. The missing middle housing ordinance allows up to a quadplex with an ADU. The inclusionary housing ordinance will also kick in if there are five units on the site.

Option A had an ADU with a basement unit about 390 square feet, and the units would range from 1,000 to 1,050 square feet. The entrances to each unit would be accessible through interior hallways. This option also has a one-way internal driveway, with the entrance on Commerce Drive and the exit on East Ponce de Leon Avenue, and six parking spaces.

In Option B, the ADU is a detached cottage that’s about 400 square feet. Each unit in the quadplex would be 1,050 square feet with exterior entrances and porches. There would be one curb cut to enter and exit the property off of Commerce Drive. There would also be a parking lot between the quadplex and the ADU.

MicroLife plans to design the quadplex with the same footprint and location as the existing house on the property.

MicroLife Executive Director Will Johnston also said the design was process is aimed at educating residents about the missing middle housing ordinance and housing types.

“We wanted to make sure people have the ability to interact with it,” Johnston said. “We’re hoping to have strong conversations and better conversations to make sure we add a little bit better density to allow everyone to enjoy the awesome attributes of Decatur.”

The city hosted a charette in March to discuss the design. The key takeaways from the charette were:

– Make sure the design fits into the general neighborhood context with scale and style

– Occupy the location of the existing footprint of the house that’s there now

– Provide the maximum number of residential units allowed within the current zoning

– Take into account the road safety and traffic issues that prevail at the intersection of Commerce Drive and East Ponce de Leon Avenue, including on-site parking

– Address the stormwater issues that impact the surrounding properties

The design is not final yet. MircoLife is still working on the design and plans to present it to the Decatur City Commission.

“We are still working with the city of Decatur and the different departments that are going to help us understand what is the path of least resistance to make sure we have the best design for the property,” Johnston said.

Johnston also told Decaturish that the presentation to the city commission would allow them to update the commission on the community engagement process.

He added that some things to consider with the project include the construction and financing, a market analysis, compatibility with Decatur, conversations with GDOT about Commerce Drive, traffic flow, parking requirements, stormwater management, and the tree ordinance.

Neither of the example designs includes building a structure on the rear end of the lot. The trees there would remain, and the space may be used as an outdoor space for stormwater management and greenspace.

“It’s going to stay greenspace. I’d love it to be accessible for people to hang out there, but first and foremost, it needs to do its stormwater duty,” Devin Vermeulen, MicroLife’s director of development and design told Decaturish.

Residents have said they would like an improved sidewalk on Commerce Drive going to the cemetery.

Planning and Economic Development Director Angela Threadgill said the city will explore pedestrian improvements on Commerce Drive. The concept designs presented showed the sidewalk’s existing conditions.

“If we take a look at our downtown master plan, the Town Center Plan 2.0, we are looking at expanding what has already been done on the western part of Commerce Drive and continuing it around,” Threadgill said. “In future iterations, you’ll start seeing those streetscapes enhanced with wider sidewalks, whether it’s a continuation of the cycle track or a planted median if GDOT allows it.”

The downtown master plan also calls for a road diet on Commerce Drive to reduce it by one lane.

Johnston told Decaturish that the neighborhood has seemed to be ok with a fourplex so far.

“The consensus is something that’s going to assimilate into the neighborhood and compliment it,” Johnston said.

Residents have seemed to like both options, Vermeulen added.

“Our inclination was to match the style of the rest of the houses on Ponce,” Vermeulen said.

The biggest concerns MicroLife has heard so far have been traffic and safety on Commerce Drive and watershed management. Residents at the May 2 meeting also encouraged MicroLife and the city to consider accessibility when designing the units.

Here’s Example A: