Decatur continues working with Cousins Properties to refine the projected mixed-use development on the Callaway Building property to both sides’ satisfaction. City and developer disagree about the limited retail currently planned for project, and there’s even been some speculation Decatur might seek another partner.

But Assistant City Manager Lyn Menne said recently the city is still committed to working with Cousins. Decatur wants more ground-floor retail, though a grocery—or at least a full-sized grocery—seems unlikely given the topography and layout makes it difficult for large delivery trucks.

Menne added the city also wants top-floor office, with an open-floor plan and loft-type spaces.

“We think there is a market for contemporary downtown office space,” she said. “The last [downtown] office building was built in 1991.”

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Fulton DA Fani Willis (center) with Nathan J. Wade (right), the special prosecutor she hired to manage the Trump case and had a romantic relationship with, at a news conference announcing charges against President-elect Donald Trump and others in Atlanta, Aug. 14, 2023. Georgia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, upheld an appeals court's decision to disqualify Willis from the election interference case against Trump and his allies. (Kenny Holston/New York Times)

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