Decatur's Marta Station Lot Ready for Development

DECATUR, GA-Redevelopment is the byword in metro Atlanta these days. The latest site is the 40-acre Avondale Marta station in this suburb where the local Housing Authority plans to break ground in January 2005 on 200 apartments, 120 condominium units and a parking deck.The Atlanta Regional Commission is budgeting $3.9 million for the project’s first phase. As part of the deal, the DeKalb County Commission gave the City of Decatur 7.4 acres. The Avondale station redevelopment is part of a 20-year-plan ARC has to transform a row of industrial buildings between College Avenue and Columbia Drive on the city’s east side into a compact community, brokers familiar with the project tell GlobeSt.com.Always eager to encourage development around transit stations where neighborhood residents can walk to and shop, ARC is providing a total $73 million in grants to other communities for similar redevelopment ventures.At the same time, private developers are noting the new redevelopment trends and partnering with local government entities on new projects. The Talley Street Lofts, behind the Avondale Marta station, is an example, brokers tell GlobeSt.com. The Talley Street project will have about 90 condo units with an average living area of 1,000 sf, say brokers familiar with the project. The price range is expected to be $115,000 to $199,000 per unit.