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Planning Commission recommends approval of Creative Village conditional use permit at Legacy Park
Summary
On April 15, 2025 the Decatur Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of a conditional use permit to allow residential use in the Creative Village portion of Legacy Park (vote recorded as 6‑0). The application covers three former group‑home buildings to be restored as artist housing with some units targeted to 60–80% AMI and phased repairs funded in part by a federal grant.
The Decatur Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of a conditional use permit for the Creative Village at Legacy Park on April 15, 2025, after a public hearing and commissioner discussion. The motion — which the chair read aloud as an ordinance approving multifamily residential use at 500 South Columbia Drive in accordance with the Legacy Park master plan and the Decatur Unified Development Ordinance section 11.2.3 — passed with the result announced by the chair as "Motion passes 6 6 0."
Madeline Henner, executive director of Legacy Decatur, presented the application to repurpose three buildings (Edwards, Trustees and Smith) for artist housing and studios. She said the proposal follows community priorities identified in the 2018 Legacy Park master plan and includes phased repairs for Edwards and Trustees supported by a federal grant secured through Congressman Hank Johnson. Henner said the units in phase 1 would target households at about 60–80% of area median income (AMI).
Commissioners asked about property boundaries, ownership, building conditions, parking and operational separation between private units and public park space. Henner described physical needs — burst pipes in Edwards, HVAC and plumbing repairs, and mold remediation — and said the structures have been unused since 2017. She gave a rough unit count: Edwards contains four apartments near the front entrance and a fifth at the back door; Trustees has three apartments with separate entrances; Smith is slated as a later phase with seven efficiency units and two one‑bedrooms. Henner estimated phase 1 would house roughly 16–25 residents.
A nearby resident who identified their address as 681 Midway Road spoke in opposition during public comment, saying "It's a nice, quiet, peaceful place, and I'd like to see it stay that way," and asked whether neighbors had been consulted. Henner responded that Legacy Decatur would seek to balance activation and quiet pockets in the park, and she reiterated that residential use has historic precedent on the property.
Commissioners noted that the staff report addressed the six findings required for conditional use approval and that the application appeared consistent with the master plan and historic use. Staff clarified the commission's vote is a recommendation to the City Commission and that subsequent technical reviews (building permits, arborist and engineering checks, and fire marshal review) are required before occupancy and final certificate of occupancy.
The chair read the ordinance text for the record, including the master plan adoption date (Dec. 3, 2018) and the standard in section 11.2.3 of the Decatur Unified Development Ordinance. After discussion and a motion to approve the amended (single‑sheet) ordinance that limits the approval to the Creative Village configuration, the Planning Commission approved the recommendation to the City Commission (vote announced as 6‑0).
