Economic Development Update

• Restaurant Growth - Restaurants are the economic driver for our commercial districts. They create destination traffic that has benefited our retail businesses and sparked a growth in our retail/service sector.

  1996: 38 restaurants
  2001: 65 restaurants
  2005: 79 restaurants
  2006: 86 restaurants

• Retail Growth - Emphasis on locally owned, one of a kind businesses. Since 1999, we have added 50,000 square feet of new retail space in downtown Decatur. All new construction in our downtown district, whether it's a parking deck, condominium or an office building must have retail space on the ground floor. One commercial development and two mixed use projects that have been approved for construction will add an additional 25,000 sf of much-needed retail space in the Ponce de Leon Avenue corridor

  1996: 54 retail businesses
  2001: 93 retail businesses
  2005: 90 retail businesses
  2006: 00 retail businesses

• Housing - A major component of our downtown development strategy has been the construction of residential projects in the central business district. Since 2000, the following units have been added in the central business district:

  Townhouses:
  13 unit - Maple Street Townhouses
  15 unit - Commerce Drive Townhouses
  37 unit - Knob Hill on Church
  23 unit - Candler Grove

  Condominiums:
  20 unit - Historic Decatur Condominium Conversion
  105 unit - Town Square Condominium
  170 unit - Decatur Renaissance
  68 unit - The Clairemont
  70 unit - 335 Ponce de Leon
  75 unit - Artisan Phase I
  56 unit - Artisan Phase II

• Apartments:
  101 unit - Ice House Project

• Building Permits - Decatur continues to enjoy unprecedented development. Agnes Scott College is completing a $75 million development program. In addition to construction downtown, homeowners are expanding and renovating in record numbers.

  1995: 349 Building Permits issued. Total construction value - $19 million.
  2000: 688 Building Permits issued. Total construction value - $41 million.
  2001: 433 Building Permits issued. Total construction value - $51 million
  2005: 728 Building Permits issued. Total construction value - $92.5 million
  2006: 753 Building Permits issued. Total construction value - $56.5 million
  

• Traffic - In spite of increased development, traffic counts in Decatur have remained relatively unchanged. We have worked to discourage through traffic and encourage the use of MARTA, bicycling and walking as alternatives to driving.

  Year	PDL*	WPDL	EPDL	Scott	Clairemont
  1992	33,449	10,921	17,810	32,432	22,561
  1999	42,471	11,415	13,013	33,664	17,814
  2004	32,100	10,960	11,870	30,300	18,940

  *PDL=Ponce de Leon (measurement taken at East Lake Drive), WPDL=West Ponce de Leon and EPDL=East Ponce de Leon

• Parking - Yes we do have enough parking! We have over 500 metered parking spaces and 2,200 spaces in surface parking lots and parking decks. Look for new directional signs throughout the downtown area that indicate parking. The Artisan Project includes 113 public parking spaces to provide additional retail/restaurant parking for the downtown district.

• Public Sector Improvements - The City of Decatur completed a $2.5 million expansion of the downtown Decatur Streetscape Master Plan in 2002 bring the total amount of streetscape improvements to $4 million. The project was completed on time and under budget allowing for the completion of two additional blocks that were bid as alternates. This public sector commitment to improving the pedestrian quality of the downtown district has had a direct impact in stimulating private sector investment downtown.

  Decatur received a $5 million grant from the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) to implement improvements to the Decatur MARTA station in the heart of the downtown business district.
  
  An additional $80,000 grant from ARC allowed the City to complete a redevelopment master plan for the 40+ acres along E. College Avenue that surround the Avondale MARTA station parking lot located in the city limits. This former industrial park offers a prime opportunity for Smart Growth development. The plan outlines a 20-year development strategy and makes the area eligible for over $300 million dollars in ARC grants for public sector transportation improvements. As a result of the plan, the City received an additional $3 million ARC grant to construct a parking deck and streetscape improvements for Phase I of the project scheduled to break ground in the summer of 2006.