Development Authorities
The Decatur Downtown Development Authority (DDA) was founded in 1982 to implement the Decatur Town Center Plan and to provide day-to-day management of the downtown development program. Since that time, our role has expanded to include responsibility for all of Decatur's commercial districts. The Downtown Development Authority works with the traditional, downtown business district and the Development Authority has jurisdiction over the neighborhood districts. Both Authorities share a board and staff and exist to provide assistance to prospective business owners and developers interested in investing in Decatur's economic development plans. These programs are housed within the City's Community & Economic Development Department.
The DDA has one full-time staff person devoted to economic development and provides assistance in marketing and promotion through other employees of the Community & Economic Development Department. The DDA maintains lists of available property and rental rates, works with prospective retail and restaurant tenants and assists commercial tenants in contacting property managers for many office buildings located in the City of Decatur. The DDA provides assistance with gathering accurate demographic data and produces a variety of marketing studies and reports to assist prospective developers and business owners. The DDA takes the lead in identifying development opportunities in commercial districts and working with property owners and developers to assure that projects fit the long-term vision and goals of the community.
