Decatur Residents for a Downtown Park Decatur City Commission April - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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

2282

500 1000 1500 2000 2500 1996 2001 2006 2011 2016

Downtown Homes

2135 of Decatur’s 8400 Families Will Live in Just Thirteen Buildings & Allen Wilson

• 335 Ponce

70

• Alexan

167

• Allen Wilson

111

• Arlo

210

• Artisan

127

• The Clairemont

68

• Clairmont Oaks

297

• Ice House Lofts

101

• Oliver House

80

• Park Trace Apts.

170

• Philips Tower

225

• Place on Ponce

234

• Renaissance

170

• Town Square

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

NEW PARK

COMMERCE 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
• ffice 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

U.S. AVG Atlanta Decatur Decatur w/cemetery

2 4 6 8 10 12

PARK ACRES PER 1,000 RESIDENTS

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

U.S. AVG Atlanta Decatur Decatur w/cemetery

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

% OF LAND AS PUBLIC PARKS

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

Decatur Decatur w/cemetery Downtown Decatur

1 2 3 4 5 6

PARK ACRES PER 1,000 RESIDENTS

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

And Decatur Has Committed to Creating a Park and Greenspace Plan in 2017 Decatur Has a Greenway Plan Decatur Has an Athletics Facilities Plan

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?

NEW PARK

COMMERCE PONCE

ONE OF EVERY NINE DECATUR HOMES IS WITHIN A ¼- MILE WALK OF THE PROPOSED PARK

NEW PARK

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

NEW PARK 1200’

Area Within ¼-Mile Walk of New Park

Splashpad with arbor like Piedmont Legacy Fountain Tree-lined promenade Tree-lined promenade

LAWN

Clairemont Church

What Could the New Park Look Like?

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

Area Within ¼-Mile Walk of the Cemetery

FEW DOWNTOWN HOMES ARE WITHIN ¼- MILE WALK OF THE CEMETERY

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- Acre Athletic Field is fenced

• ff from regular

public access

Pool is fenced off, closed 9 months

3.6 Acre Ebster Park

Rec Center 1.55 acres

Fire Dept. 0.67 Acres

Scott Park listed as 3.6 acres, 60% is dedicated to buildings

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 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

The Argument that Taking Downtown Land off the Tax Rolls Would Hurt City Financing…

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