It took seven months but on Monday night Cousins Properties came before Decatur commissioners with revisions for its mixed-used development just south of downtown, including an office building not originally included.
Chris Sciarrone, Development Authority chairman, along with Oakhurst Realty’s Fisher Paty and former Mayor Bill Floyd had several meetings to convince Cousins that office space was vital.
“We did research on new office construction throughout metro Atlanta,” Sciarrone said after Monday’s meeting, “and we did several focus groups with Decatur business owners. It took a lot longer than we expected but in the end [Cousins] saw that this was healthier for Decatur.”
The developer eliminated 32 residential units and added a 40,000 square foot, four-story (the ground floor could include retail, the upper three stories are office only) building planned for the northeast corner of the Callaway building property.
Decatur hasn’t had a downtown office building constructed since 1991.
The Callaway Building is scheduled for demolition this summer. Construction may begin late this year.
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