Between the Suburban Plaza project with its new Walmart and the Decatur Crossing mixed-use development just across the street, the intersection of Scott Boulevard and North Decatur Road is a hotbed of activity these days. Now that the DeKalb County board of commissioners has approved Phase II of Decatur Crossing — allowing Fuqua Development to demolish the homes along Blackmon as well as the Scott Boulevard Baptist Church and nine homes along Barton Way — traffic conditions will be changing to keep up.
As part of the development's Phase II negotiations with the Cross-Neighborhood Committee, 27 conditions were put into place, including the stipulation that Fuqua Development will donate $40,000 for off-site improvements. Those include a new traffic light on Scott Boulevard at Blackmon Drive and a crosswalk with a pedestrian island at that crosswalk. Blackmon will be extended to become the primary street through the development but to avoid cut-through traffic, the street will be partially closed off. Only right turns will be allowed for drivers turning onto Scott from Blackmon, and only emergency vehicles will be able to turn into Blackmon from Scott.
The Medlock Area Neighborhood Association stated, "This decision was a hard one for us as there was no ideal solution and we are aware that the partial closure will cause inconvenience for many neighbors who currently exit the neighborhood by taking a left turn onto Scott from Blackmon Drive. However, left unrestricted, this intersection would have invited significantly more traffic into our neighborhood and negatively impacted the quality of life for those living on cut-through streets, such as Blackmon Drive, Sunnybrook and Desmond. We realize that this change may push cut-through traffic to other streets in the neighborhood. Since Dekalb County does not require impact studies about traffic in a larger context, we are only able to plug holes."
Construction is expected to take about 18 months for each phase, but Phase I does not need to be completed for Phase II to begin. Once both phases of the development are complete, Decatur Crossing will feature 80,000 square feet of retail, 15,000 square feet of office space, 700 apartment units priced around $1.65/square foot and a one-acre park open to the public. Retail will reportedly be a mix of local and national brands with a natural grocery store and drive-through "deli cafe,"
· Phase II of "Decatur Crossing": negotiation summary [Medlock Area Neighborhood Association]
· Fuqua Projects are Barreling Ahead in Grant Park, Decatur [Curbed Atlanta]
[Images via Medlock Area Neighborhood Association]
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