Decatur Residents for a Downtown Park Decatur City Commission April 18, 2016
Downtown Decatur Neighbors Boundaries
28% of Decatur Homes will be Downtown in 2016 Downtown Homes 2500 2282 2000 1500 1000 500 0 1996 2001 2006 2011 2016
2135 of D ecatur’s 8400 Families Will Live in Just Thirteen Buildings & Allen Wilson • 335 Ponce • Ice House Lofts 70 101 • Alexan • Oliver House 167 80 • Allen Wilson • Park Trace Apts. 111 170 • Arlo • Philips Tower 210 225 • Artisan • Place on Ponce 127 234 • The Clairemont • Renaissance 68 170 • Clairmont Oaks • Town Square 297 105
Multi-Family Communities Generate Significant Tax Revenue & Demand Few Services • $1.2 million annual subsidy to schools because most downtown residents don’t have children in public schools (September 2015 Decatur Focus) • “the downtown neighborhood…provides much of the market support for Decatur’s restaurant and retail businesses” (September 2015 Decatur Focus) • No internal roads or public utilities requiring maintenance (every 100 detached homes require more than ½-mile of residential roads, sidewalks, water & sewer lines) • No municipal waste pickup, recycling consolidated at a single location • Internal security systems and restricted access limit demands on public safety; No streets for police to patrol (grateful that they do patrol our parking decks) • Internal sprinkler and alarm systems hooked up to Fire Department • Stormwater detained on site
Multi-Family Housing Residents Have Unique Needs • A transportation system that prioritizes non-vehicular forms of travel • Restaurants (well provided for in Decatur) and retail within walking distance • Public spaces that build community and provide a place for children, seniors, pets and adults to play (in lieu of yards) • Accessible natural spaces that enhance residents’ health, improve quality of life and meet our inherent need for nature
One of those Needs is a New Downtown Park, and This Is the Best Location COMMERCE NEW PARK PONCE
Decatur Says the Parks Are Important • CITY VISION “ The City of Decatur will assure a high quality of life for its residents, businesses and visitors both today and in the future ” • 2010 STRATEGIC PLAN “ Again and again, citizens said they wanted more green spaces ” (page 25) • Environmental Sustainability Board Wrote letter to Commission expressing need to acquire land for a Downtown Park.
So Does the American Planning Association
And so Does the Bottom Line 1. Parks increase property values. 2. Municipal revenue grows. 3. Affluent retirees are attracted and retained. 4. Parks attract talented professionals to live, work and play. 5. Homebuyers want to live near parks.
A New Downtown Park Would: 1. Create the only public greenspace in Downtown 2. Improve the quality of life for all Decatur residents 3. Further define Decatur and strengthen its brand 4. Help Decatur compete against other metro jurisdictions to attract millennials 5. Help Decatur compete for economic development and decrease office vacancy rates. 6. Be a net revenue generator for the City 7. Create another walkable destination in downtown
As Noted Before, Decatur Public Parkland Is More than 50% Below National Average PARK ACRES PER 1,000 RESIDENTS 12 Atlanta 10 U.S. AVG 8 6 Decatur w/cemetery 4 Decatur 2 0 SOURCE DATA: The Center for City Park Excellence (Trust for Public Land); City of Decatur web site. U.S. AVG1 is data for cities with medium-high density. U.S. AVG2 is data for cities with medium-low density (Atlanta is classified as medium-low)
By Two National Standards % OF LAND AS PUBLIC PARKS 9 U.S. AVG 8 7 6 Atlanta 5 Decatur w/cemetery 4 3 Decatur 2 1 0 SOURCE DATA: The Center for City Park Excellence (Trust for Public Land); City of Decatur web site. U.S. AVG is data for cities with medium-high density.
And Downtown Decatur Has Less Parkland Per Resident than the Rest of the City PARK ACRES PER 1,000 RESIDENTS 6 Decatur w/cemetery 5 4 Decatur 3 Downtown Decatur 2 1 0 SOURCE DATA: OneMap Decatur GIS, estimate of Downtown as 240 acres (per DDN boundaries).
Decatur Did Acquire Five Parcels of Greenspace Last Year. But None Are within a ½-Mile Walk of Downtown
A New 6-Acre Park – Also Not in Downtown – Would be Funded by Tax Allocation District
Decatur Has a Greenway Plan Decatur Has an Athletics Facilities Plan And Decatur Has Committed to Creating a Park and Greenspace Plan in 2017
Unfortunately, It Does Not Have a Plan to Save Existing Downtown Greenspace or Create New Parks Downtown
A New Downtown Park Would Be Good, Why is This Is the Best Location? COMMERCE NEW PARK PONCE
NEW PARK Area Within ¼-Mile Walk of New Park ONE OF EVERY NINE DECATUR HOMES IS WITHIN A ¼- MILE WALK OF THE PROPOSED PARK
NEW PARK 1200’ Area Within ¼-Mile Walk of New Park IT WOULD BE ONE OF EVERY EIGHT IF DECATUR BUILT TWO MID-BLOCK CROSSWALKS REQUESTED BY DDN
What Could the New Park Look Like? Tree-lined promenade Clairemont Splashpad Church with arbor LAWN like Piedmont Legacy Fountain Tree-lined promenade
Turning This
Into Something Like This
With a Water Feature Modeled After Piedmont Park’s Legacy Fountain
We Will Address the Arguments that We Have Heard Against a New Downtown Park • Downtown Residents Can Walk to Decatur Cemetery • The City Cannot Afford a New Park • Too Much Downtown Real Estate is not Paying Taxes
Cemetery Area Within ¼-Mile Walk of the Cemetery FEW DOWNTOWN HOMES ARE WITHIN ¼- MILE WALK OF THE CEMETERY
And The Walk is Far from Pleasant
The Walk to the Cemetery is Far from Pleasant
The Walk to the Cemetery is Far from Pleasant
3.6 Acre Ebster Park Pool is fenced off, closed 9 3- Acre Athletic months Field is fenced off from regular public access
Scott Park listed as 3.6 acres, Rec Center 1.55 acres 60% is dedicated to buildings Fire Dept. 0.67 Acres
Adair Park is not in Downtown, Per City’s Own Definitions Adair Park is not in Downtown Decatur
As For Park Funding, There are Many Options 1. Tax Increment Financing (like TAD created for East Decatur Station) 2. Park Impact Fee (City announced at January DDN meeting that it is exploring) 3. Leveraging concessions from developers 4. Sell current assets 5. Repurpose existing public land (streets & parking lots) 6. Open space and stormwater banking 7. Transfer of Development Rights 8. Private funding 9. Collaborate with governmental partners (CSD, DHA) 10. General obligation bond/property taxes
Peer-Reviewed, Academic Research 1. Parks increase property values. 2. Municipal revenue grows. 3. Affluent retirees are attracted and retained. 4. Parks attract talented professionals to live, work and play. 5. Homebuyers want to live near parks.
The Argument that Taking Downtown Land off the Tax Rolls Would Hurt City Financing… The City Already Owns Land that Pays No Taxes – Like The Conference Center (1.3 Acres) …which also Pays No Rent until 2024 …and Is Allocated More than $150,000 Annually in the City’s Budget
Peer-Reviewed, Academic Research 1. Parks increase property values. 2. Municipal revenue grows. 3. Affluent retirees are attracted and retained. 4. Parks attract talented professionals to live, work and play. 5. Homebuyers want to live near parks.
The Only Question is How Strongly Do Residents Want a Downtown Park?
Decatur Residents for a Downtown Park March 29, 2016
Recommend
More recommend
