Decatur’s commission approved zoning changes Monday night to four acres on South Columbia Drive and Katie Kerr Drive, laying the groundwork for a 63-unit residential development.
Tentatively titled South Decatur Village, it features a mix of townhomes and single-family detached homes, 1,650 square feet to 2,650 square feet, ranging from the mid-$300,000 to high $500,000.
The property was annexed into the city in 2007. Under previous zoning it could’ve attracted a subdivision of up to 172 houses, or any number of commercial or light industrial uses like a shopping center or warehouse complex.
Developers Bruce Gunter and Stephen Arms said closing is scheduled for October. Though he wasn’t ready to give an exact figure, Arms said the land costs between $3 and $4 million. Site work will begin in February and construction should start late next summer and take 2 to 2½ years to complete.
Arms said he isn’t sure how many school-aged children the development will attract, though he believes it won’t be many.
“Our goal,” he said, “is to have a community attractive to empty-nesters. We feel there are a lot of folks looking to downsize, but they don’t want to take a step down in quality.”
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