John Maximuk, Decatur’s Director of the Design, Environment & Construction Division, isn’t sure how many of the city’s mixed-use and residential-only developments remain active during COVID-19. On March 30 the city posted a directive on what is and isn’t allowed on all development projects, large and small, but essentially it’s still providing permitting and inspection services during the pandemic.
“It’s up to the builder if they want to continue with [an already active] project, as long as they are consistent with [the governor’s shelter-in-place mandate] and practice social distancing,” Maximuk said. “If personnel on a construction site can’t maintain six feet of distancing, than it must be shut down.”
Work can also continue on individual single-family homes if already in progress.
Those large-scale projects still active include the 136-unit residential-only development across from the Talley Street Upper Elementary School, although it temporarily suspended operations two weeks ago and apparently (as of Tuesday) hasn’t resumed.
Work continues on the Bank of America project at Commerce Drive, Clairemont Avenue and Church Street, specifically on the new bank building on the site’s northeast corner. Eventually, however, the 2.8-acre development will include 194 apartments and about 25,000 square feet of retail.
Additionally the 101-apartment project at Winn Way and North Arcadia Avenue, just inside Decatur’s eastern city limits appears active and close to completion.
Outside of these three Maximuk said he wasn’t sure what other projects continue operations through the pandemic.
Besides providing permitting and inspections, the March 30 directive specifies that plumbing permits, HVAC permits and electrical permits will be administered as usual. Also administered as usual are right-of-way permit, revisions to plans that have already been submitted and planning and zoning services.
But the directive points out that as of now Decatur has stopped accepting new projects into the design and planning process. It’s also not accepting any new non-emergency building permits, new land disturbance permits including soil erosion and sediment control plan review, no new demolition permits and no new tree removal permits.
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