Jun 22, 2023 - Development

New rendering: Downtown Decatur's next chapter

Downtown Decatur, it's time to grow up.

Driving the news: On Tuesday, the Decatur City Commission gave its blessing to a plan to give the suburb's popular and growing downtown a boost.

Why it matters: Decatur hasn't updated its downtown plan since 1982.

Details: The 164-page plan calls for creating “pedestrian-first” streets, making over the MARTA bus turnaround, and adding open spaces.

In the plaza outside the courthouse, the document envisions a statue of John Lewis where an obelisk honoring the Confederacy once stood, along with a new stage or pavilion.

The study also daydreams about the potential of the former Kroger site and USPS facility near downtown.

Yes, but: Some residents said the plan focused more on economic development rather than community development, the AJC reports.

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