Decatur’s Callaway Building property is the future site of a collaborative mixed-use development between the city and Cousins Properties. The property is next door to Decatur High, and state law prohibits sales of alcoholic beverages for “off-premises consumption” within 200 yards of a school. Although this limits the location of a much-desired grocery, Assistant City Manager Lyn Menne said Cousins is still planning to include a still-unknown store with the project. Menne also said there “might be an opportunity for shared parking” with the high school, but there wouldn’t be anything built exclusively for the school.
Jeff Prine, project manager for rebuilding Decatur High said the school system can’t afford its own parking deck, which would cost at least $14 million for the needed 280 spaces. Callaway demolition should begin by the first quarter of 2016, with the subsequent construction taking 18 months.
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