Decatur had six builders bid to construct the city’s first cottage court development. Site work on the half-acre property at 230 Commerce Drive should begin in summer with construction scheduled to start in the fall.
A total of six houses will be built with the smallest at 468 square feet, the largest at 1100 and the remaining from 900 to 1,000 square feet. All, except for the tiny house, will be 1½ stories, with the price points from $100,000 to $250,000. Assistant City Manager Lyn Menne said she hopes the houses will come to market in spring 2018.
The architect is Mississippian Bruce Tolar, a veteran of New Orleans’ post-Hurricane Katrina rebuilding, who has designed cottage courts for years.
Houses will probably be made available by lottery, with the target buyer earning 80 to 100 percent of the city’s median income. According to the December issue of the Decatur Focus, 80 percent of the median income in a one-person household is $37,840, and in a two-person household is $43,200.
The 100 percent median income of a one-person household is $47,300, and $54,000 for two-person home.
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