Updates & Progress on Housing Affordability
MISSING MIDDLE COMMISSION MEETING DATES
You may have noticed the nearly 600 blue Public Hearing signs posted throughout Decatur from September 22nd to October 18th. The signs were posted in compliance with a newly-passed bill of the Georgia State Legislature — HB1405 — which requires the posting of signs every 500 feet in areas where proposed zoning changes, if adopted, would allow for a greater diversity of housing types beyond just single family homes. The signs were posted to make the community aware of the two Public Hearing dates related to the ordinance and in compliance with state law, because Decatur is looking to re-allow the compatibly-sized duplexes, triplexes, and quads (often referred to collectively as “missing middle housing”) that were once so common within our neighborhoods.
The Public Hearings were held at the October 10th Planning Commission meeting and the October 17th City Commission meeting. City Staff is taking the public comments from these meetings into account while drafting the final recommendations for the missing middle ordinance. The final ordinance will be voted on by the City Commission over two separate meetings January 17th and February 6th, 2023. A Decatur City Commission work session on December 5th, 2022, addressed further education on this topic and community concerns.
Why are these proposed changes necessary when Decatur already has duplexes, triplexes, and quadplexes in its neighborhoods?
All housing types except for single-family homes were disallowed in Decatur’s neighborhoods in 1988. In the time since, as much of the remaining stock has been converted or redeveloped to single family homes, we’ve experienced a considerable decline in income, age, and racial diversity.
Why is Decatur considering this zoning change?
Concern for this diminishing diversity has been consistently voiced through 15 years of community process and plans, resulting in a variety of initiatives along the way — culminating as a recommendation of the 2020 Affordable Housing Task Force and adopted as a goal of Destination 2030: the City of Decatur 2020 Strategic Plan.
How would this recommendation broaden economic diversity?
Human diversity follows housing diversity as options expand for homebuilders and affordable housing providers like the Decatur Land Trust to serve a wider range of incomes.
Choice and flexibility for Decatur homeowners is also increased by allowing existing homes to be sub-divided into additional units. This creates downsizing and additional income opportunities for the homeowner and rental or home ownership possibilities for middle income and workforce earners.
What are the next steps?
In the fall of 2022 and the winter of 2023, the City of Decatur will bring two proposed modifications to the Unified Development Ordinance to both the Planning Commission and the City Commission. Dates and times of these meetings are posted on the signs and as follows:
City Commission Work Session: December 5th
City Commission Meetings: January 17th, February 6th (7:30PM)
Where can I learn more?
Decatur has a website with information at www.decaturga.com/affordablehousing. Information is also found on the AARP site: https://www.aarp.org/livable-communities/housing/info-2020/missing-middle-housing.html
AFFORDABLE HOUSING PIPELINE
3 Affordable Condominiums at Park 108 (Toll Brothers / Decatur Land Trust): Anticipated Completion 2023
70 Affordable Senior Units at Columbia Residential Decatur East Phase II (Columbia Residential / Decatur Housing Authority): Anticipated Completion 2023
6 Affordable Homes at Decatur Cottage Courts (Decatur DDA Partnership with ANDP): Anticipated Completion 2023
41 Affordable Rental Units at HALO East Decatur (Northwood Ravin / Decatur Mandatory Inclusionary Housing Ordinance): Anticipated Completion 2024
132 Affordable Rental Units at Village at Legacy (Decatur Planning Commission Recommends Approval of Permit for Legacy Park Affordable Housing): Anticipated Completion 2024
TBD Affordable Homes / Rental Units at Legacy Park's North Housing Village (Legacy Park's North Housing Village): Anticipated Completion 2025-2026
PAST REPORTS / CURRENT UPDATES:
DECATUR HOUSING SUMMIT
The City of Decatur held a Housing Summit on November 10, 2018 and invited all who wanted to establish a shared understanding of Decatur’s housing context, define the often subjective term affordability as it relates to Decatur, explore viable approaches and strategies, and conclude with ways for all participants to be a part of local solutions. In the words of Mayor Patti Garrett, “Through the Housing Summit, we want to define Decatur driven strategies that reflect community expectations about affordable and inclusive housing.”
A link to the report can be found here.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING TASK FORCE
The 2019 Affordable Housing Task Force was created as a collective recommendation of the Decatur Housing Summit. A summary of the work of the 2019 Affordable Housing Task Force and a link to the 2020 Report on the Findings and Recommendations for Decatur’s Future Affordability and Inclusivity can be found here.
DECATUR ACTS ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING TASK FORCE REPORT
Provides an update of the progress as of October 2021. Updates can be found here.
FOCUSED CONVERSATIONS FOR MISSING MIDDLE HOUSING POLICY
View the video recap of each session here.
AUGUST 17TH, 2022 MISSING MIDDLE HOUSING POLICY FORUM
A Missing Middle Housing Forum was held on August 17th from 6-7:30PM. Watch the video here.
October 17th CITY COMMISSION PUBLIC HEARING
A presentation followed by public comments was held on October 17th. Watch the video here.
The City of Decatur hosted three virtual community “focused conversations” to discuss missing middle housing (duplexes, triplexes, and quadplexes) in single-family neighborhoods. The sessions will help the City gather input from residents that will help shape the policy recommended by Decatur’s 2020 Affordable Housing Task Force Report for consideration by the Decatur City Commission.
Session Recap
Below are questions, recently posed by the Decatur community, regarding housing affordability and policy proposals to re-allow missing middle housing in Decatur's neighborhoods, and answers to these questions.
Where can I view the latest updates on the Missing Middle zoning progress?
The Affordable Housing Task Force wrapped up their work in February 2020 with a presentation of findings and recommendations on how to preserve and increase housing affordability in Decatur. Since then, the City of Decatur has already implemented several of the recommendations and is pleased to share the following list as an update:
“To undo the inequitable practices of the past, communities must both leverage and work against the dynamics of the private housing market, and they must acknowledge the historical patterns of racial and economic segregation, and work to mitigate them as they play out in the current environment.”
Decatur Affordable Housing Task Force Report, February 2020
