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Planning commission recommends Cook Museum expansion parking deck and Holly Street vacation, 8-0
Summary
The Decatur City Planning Commission on May 19 recommended approval of a parking deck and a 0.33-acre Holly Street vacation to support a Cook Museum of Natural Science expansion, forwarding the vacation to City Council; the commission voted 8-0 and imposed requirements for landscaping and utility relocation at owner expense.
The Decatur City Planning Commission recommended approval May 19 of a site plan to build a parking deck and a companion street vacation to facilitate an expansion of the Cook Museum of Natural Science, forwarding the vacation to City Council by an 8-0 vote.
Staff read site plan 730-26 for a new parking deck at 4th Avenue and Holly Street that is part of a multi-phase development including a hotel and a museum expansion. "The applicant is Pew Wright McAnally, owner Cook Properties LLC," staff said, and noted the site is currently a parking lot in the downtown urban core. Staff told commissioners that any relocation of utilities "will be at the owner's expense" and that landscaping, stormwater and district standards must be met.
The commission also considered a separate agenda item to vacate approximately 0.33 acres of Holly Street NE (vacation request 601-26) to facilitate the museum expansion. Staff said the proposed street vacation is intended to create a more cohesive campus layout for the museum and that fire and Decatur Utilities had no site-specific comments. Commissioners confirmed that the vacation requires a public hearing and final City Council approval before it can be enacted.
Engineering review raised several technical points that staff said the applicant must address, including demolition of an elevated crosswalk, verification of storm structure sizes and locations, and questions about whether the city would need easements for storm structures associated with the new deck. Staff also flagged that certain frontage and perimeter landscaping will be required in accordance with the City of Decatur zoning ordinance.
Commission discussion focused on ensuring the project meets landscaping and stormwater requirements and that any utility relocations be coordinated with Decatur Utilities. After clarifying that the vacation will be taken to council for final action, the commission voted to recommend approval of the Holly Street vacation and to approve the parking-deck site plan with the stated conditions. The chair announced the vote as "8 to 0." The vacation will proceed to City Council for a public hearing and final decision.
Next steps: the parking-deck site plan will move forward with the listed engineering and landscaping conditions, and the Holly Street vacation will be set for the required public hearing before the City Council.
