Master Plans
As the first comprehensive look at Downtown Decatur in more than 40 years, the Town Center 2.0 Plan evaluates how past planning efforts have been implemented, takes stock of the current state of downtown and the region, and creates a new vision that carries downtown forward into its next phase of evolution
Recreatur the City of Decatur Parks and Recreation Master Plan offers a unique opportunity for the city to:
• Expand recreational facilities,
• Protect additional green space, and
• Consider community needs through its programming.
Recreatur will also explore opportunities to collaborate with community organizations to respond to as many of the community’s goals as possible.
Additionally, the city intends to utilize this Parks and Recreation Master Plan for:
Decatur’s Clean Energy Plan is intended to guide Decatur’s energy transition and address the City's contributions to the climate crisis, while also improving living conditions and addressing equity issues. This plan describes a path to a Clean Energy Future, while facing an aggressive goal and conditions outside of Decatur’s control.
The Storm Water Master Plan (SWMP) addresses the City’s future management of storm water. This plan is focused on improving how the City manages its storm water to address and prevent flooding and improve water quality in the City’s streams. This plan evaluates storm water concerns across the City and prioritizes solutions to address these concerns.
Decatur Legacy Park Master Plan
The visioning process for the UMCH property spanned roughly eight months, launching with collective big picture dreaming, then fleshing out ideas in greater detail, and working with the community to create a Final Concept. The process included four phases: Investigate, Illuminate, Ideate, and Innovate. The Decatur Legacy Park Master Plan was adopted by the City Commission on December 3, 2018.
The Decatur Community Transportation Plan Update reflects progress since the 2007 Community Transportation Plan and is largely guided by the vision outlined in the 2016 Decatur 360 Comprehensive Plan. While the 2007 Community Transportation Plan is the basis for this Update, the 2016 Decatur 360 Comprehensive Plan’s transportation section guides the purpose and vision of this Update.
The purpose of this plan is to show a holistic, place-based strategy to transform the Oakhurst neighborhood by addressing critical problems and challenges identified by the citizens, as well as public and private community partners. The plan represents Decatur’s commitment to investing in its most valuable asset: its residents.
The City Commission has adopted the Decatur PATH Foundation Connectivity and Implementation Plan. The plan identifies 9.2 miles of bicycle and pedestrian trail improvements in seven segments at a cost of approximately $12 million over a 10-year period. When implemented, it will provide a safe network of protected bike lanes throughout Decatur and beyond, including connections to important regional destinations such at the Atlanta BeltLine and Emory University.
Background
Decatur’s primary planning document, the Strategic Plan, affirms our city’s big picture vision, defines our principles, and lays out a decade-long task list for city leaders, staff, and citizens. It’s completed in ten year increments and is due to be updated again in 2020. Each year, all department goals and budgets are tied directly to the plan and its myriad objectives.
Better Together is a citizen-led, government supported effort to build deeper connection, understanding, and mutual respect among the Decatur community.
What is the Decatur Environmental Sustainability Plan?
The Decatur City Commission adopted the Environmental Sustainability Plan in 2012. The plan is a direct response to a charge from the people of the City of Decatur from the 2010 Strategic Plan (Task 12A). Decatur residents submitted hundreds of ideas of how Decatur can become even more environmentally responsible, and specifically tasked the government with creating a citywide plan to address these issues.
The Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) has been nationally recognized for its success in leveraging public investment to promote quality growth and private development in the towns and population or employment centers of the Atlanta region. Decatur’s citywide 2000 Strategic Plan was grandfathered as a Livable Centers Initiative study. Two years later, an LCI study was conducted for the area near the Avondale MARTA Station.
The Strategic Plan
The City of Decatur 2000 Strategic Plan proved to be a living guide for policy, funding, and programming decisions. Many of the benefits for which Decatur is known -- urban living, an active community life, vibrant restaurants, great recreation facilities, clear communication between government and citizens -- are the result of specific improvements recommended by the 2000 plan.
Decatur's Cultural Arts Master Plan process began in 2009 with an inventory of existing cultural arts facilities, programs, and public art located throughout the city, identification of program and facility needs, and recommendations for partnerships to meet those needs. Next, several public input sessions were held to gather information about the arts from the community.
For more information call 404-371-8386.
Affordable housing is a critical component to support economic development and enhance quality of life for families. The City of Decatur has been working diligently to build a sustainable community. Affordable housing is the next step for a progressive community like Decatur in reaching that sustainability. This analysis aims to define what affordable housing means in the City of Decatur and to recommend policies and programs that would effectively address affordable housing needs in the future.
The creation and support of a healthy and active community is at the heart of the Decatur Community Transportation Plan. For this plan and the City of Decatur, that means establishment of a safe, integrated, transportation system that promotes bicycling and walking as a viable alternative to automobile travel, increased connectivity between neighborhoods and destinations, and equity for users of all ages and abilities.
This study is a strategic assessment and recommendations for a network of connectivity throughout Decatur, providing neighborhood gateways, pedestrian and bicycle streetscape improvement recommendations, linkage with most major civic and park spaces, prime commercial areas and historic landmarks, and identification of potential preservation sites.
Each component of the Master Plan is available here in .PDF format:
Avondale LCI Master Plan
The Decatur Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) is an exciting plan that builds upon the success of the city’s on-going revitalization efforts. The goals of the Decatur LCI are:
Recognizing the need for improved recreation facilities and the opportunity presented by a wide range of public and private providers, seven organizations formed a partnership to develop a city wide athletic facility master plan. The master plan was initiated to identify opportunities for partnerships and collaborative efforts to assist in meeting Decatur's recreation needs.
The decision to create a ten-year Strategic Plan for the City of Decatur came from a growing concern among residents and community leaders that with Decatur again "on the map" for developers, and with changes in demographics resulting from the sharp escalation in property values, Decatur was in danger of losing the qualities that are so valued by its residents, businesses and visitors.
The overall goal is to achieve the image of a traditional and intimate small-town center while encouraging development of modern high-rise offices, a new hotel, new residential areas, and new commercial facilities.
