Decatur To Demo Affordable 'Cottage Court' Concept

DECATUR, GA -- The public will get a first hand look this week at a Decatur project aimed at spurring affordable housing within city limits.

As part of Decatur's Cottage Court Demonstration Project, city staff, including planner/architect Bruce Tolar, will work with neighbors in the area of 230 Commerce Dr. to develop designs for the project.

On Thursday, interested residents are invited to an open house from 7-8 p.m. to see what they've come up with.

The open house will be at 104 Sycamore Place in Decatur.

"Working to balance city housing goals, market viability, and the input of adjacent property owners, the collaborative process will include daily opportunities for neighborhood review and comment, which will then inform continued design work the next day," the city said in a news release. "By Thursday the 5th, a workable plan — one viable for market developers — is expected for review by the community."

Cottage courts are a form of housing that has been allowed in Decatur since an ordinance passed early last year. The concept calls for several smaller homes sharing the a common green space.

But Decatur officials say builders have been reluctant to veer from the tried-and-true single-family home developments they are used to.

Decatur launched the demo project as a way to spur more affordable, neighborhood-friendly housing in the city.

"In doing so, the city hopes to demonstrate unmet demand for cottage homes sized roughly 700 to 1,200 square feet, and to identify and address any regulatory barriers that might be preventing the development of similar projects by others," the release said.

Decatur officials hope cottage-court units could be put on the market somewhere around the $250,000 range -- significantly lower than typical single-family home prices in Decatur.

The target property being used for the demo was purchased by the city in December, 2015.