Between the apartments at Trinity Triangle, Paces Clairemont and The Place on Ponce, in addition to a spate of John Wieland townhomes, Downtown Decatur is fixin' to pack on more than 600 new residences in a relatively short amount of time. The centrally located Place on Ponce has begun delivering more than 230 units, while the other two apartment projects are in construction. Wieland, the AJC reports, was recently approved to build 11 townhomes on East Howard Avenue across from a separate development of 24 townhomes. On the apartment front, an overwhelming amount of units — 70 percent — will be one-bedroom rentals. Decatur Metro dug into the mystery of the city's lopsided unit breakdown and came away with a pretty interesting answer.
Of the 600 apartments in Decatur's pipeline, 29 percent will be two-bedroom units. Which leaves an anemic 1 percent — roughly six units total — for renters seeking a third bedroom, a category that would include most families.
So what gives in a city known for its family-friendly ways?
Decatur's assistant city manager, Lyn Menne, told Decatur Metro the market and price points steered developers toward smaller units, but city officials also encourage builders to skew smaller "for fear of impact on schools." The site notes that Decatur schools have struggled to keep up with swelling enrollments, but the market for two-bedroom units appears pretty strong, too. All two-bedroom apartments at The Place on Ponce have been leased. But ditto for the one-bedrooms.
· New Decatur town homes/apartments surpass 600 [AJC]
· Lots of One Bedroom Apartments Coming to Downtown Decatur [Decatur Metro]