Community group stands
up to mega developer
Schools vote not to sell land for Sembler mini-city
by Andy Phelan
andy@dekalbchamp.com
Toco Hills resident Tom Peterman shows his displeasure Jan. 18 of the proposed mini-city at the corner of North Druid Hills and Briarcliff roads by Florida-based developer Sembler. Photo by Andy Phelan
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Community stalwart Bill Lide stood up, raised his arms as if launching into a victory lap, and let out a bold yet muted “Yes!” like he just won $500 at a bingo game.
Lide, along with other concerned members of StandUp DeKalb Inc., a group opposed to the proposed Sembler mega project at Briarcliff and North Druid Hills roads, had just earned its first battle victory.
The DeKalb County School Board voted unanimously Jan. 18 not to sell its 30-plus acres in which three schools, a learning center and stadium sit to the Florida-based developer after they revised the offer to the school system.
The land was to be part of a more than 100-acre mini city -- replete with 3,700 residential units, 1.5 million square feet of retail, two hotels and 300,000 square feet of office space -- Sembler had planned at the traffic-choked intersection in mid-DeKalb near I-85.
Sembler President Jeff Fuqua said the company would try to recreate a Decatur-like atmosphere and call it Town Briarcliff.
But Sembler, which once was offering the school system $64 million for the property, backed off in recent days instead asking for only 10 acres and offering $20 million for the land.
Superintendent Crawford Lewis recommended the board not approve the deal, and they agreed. All negotiations between Sembler and schools have now been called off.
“Now we’ll turn our attention to the zoning,” said Lide, who does not want any additional retail development in the area. “We will tell our commissioners to listen to their constituents and recognize this [proposed development] is not very popular.”
The zoning, which must be changed by the Board of Commissioners for Sembler to move ahead with its revised plans for about 70 acres it still owns next door to the schools, will most likely be addressed this spring.
Sembler spokesman Angelo Fuster said the developer, which is now proposing a mixed-use site with 2,000 residential units, 900,000 square feet of retail, one hotel and 150,000 square feet of office space, is prepared to move forward without a deal with the school system.
“The school land is not essential for this project,” Fuster said. “We anticipated these changes.”
Fuster said not only did the downturn in the economy, especially to the housing market, lead to a revised and reduced plan but input from the community as well.
“All the issues raised by the community also led us to scale back this plan,” he said.
Tom Peterman of Toco Hills stood with a StandUp sign on North Druid Hills just as the sun peaked over the horizon Friday morning.
The CDC epidemiologist took a more practical view of the scaled-back plan and news that the schools would not sell its property.
“Developers always announce a larger project than they need, then make the community think they’ve scored a victory when they pull back,” said Peterman. “If there is a victory, it’s for the county not selling the schools. Once you sell them, you can’t get them back.”
Former city planner and now a real estate broker John Steinichen warned his fellow concerned citizens not to get caught up in the proposed mini-city’s numbers.
“All these details about the number of offices, townhomes, condos and retail space proposed is clouding the bigger picture,” he said, leaning against a sign across the street from DeKalb School for the Arts.
“The question should be is this development what’s in the best interest for the area? And I think if they do what they want to do the answer is ‘no.’ It’s going to make traffic much, much worse.”
A public meeting scheduled for Jan. 28 to address the school property sale has been cancelled.
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