Has Decatur's neighborhood revitalization effort stalled?
The City of Decatur has demolished 0 derelict properties year-to-date through May 2025. By comparison, year-to-date through May 2024, the city demolished 58 properties. It is unclear why the city has not been able to remove a single one of these safety hazards, some of which include burnt down houses in the middle of residential neighborhoods. The city does have the ability to accelerate demolitions in emergency situations yet has not done so. The city budget includes funding for 100 residential property demolitions in 2025 but has not moved forward on demolishing any of the 143 properties on the demolition list.
One could argue that demolitions should not proceed without a city-wide plan. To that end, the city manager has indicated that there is funding in the 2025 budget to develop a community revitalization plan, yet city staff have provided no indication that even a request for proposals has been made to create one. At this point, it is highly unlikely that a plan will be in place prior to developing the 2026 budget. Thus, residents may experience another year when the city council claims community revitalization is its number one priority without knowing what residents want in their revitalized neighborhoods and how much it is going to cost to achieve it. Furthermore, every two or three years, the city surveys the condition of properties in the urban core. City staff have provided no progress report on this effort to date, and it is unclear when this information will be available so it can be incorporated into the planning process.
Decatur has demonstrated that crime is reduced, and quality of life increases, when neighborhoods are improved. For example, the city received a $1.25 million grant from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation in 2020 to fund demolitions, cleanups, and lot acquisitions in the Johns Hill Neighborhood. The neighborhood experienced a substantial reduction in crime since the neighborhood was improved (36% reduction in the count of offenses in July-June 2022-2023 vs. July-June 2018-2019), and a large increase in civic engagement that is critical to building the community.
WILL DECATUR SEE MORE DRIVE THRU LIQUOR WINDOWS AND NEIGHBORHOOD LIQUOR STORES?
Decatur already has a large number of drive-thru or walk-up liquor windows, and it is commonplace for citizens in our city (but not others) to purchase alcohol in this manner. While it may be more convenient, these windows are considered to be the easiest way for those with DUI convictions to purchase alcohol, and sales of alcohol at drive-thru windows have previously been connected to large street parties taking place in the city’s residential neighborhoods. Furthermore, the widespread sales of alcohol in this manner sends the wrong message about one of the leading causes of traffic fatalities in the United States.
In an effort to reduce the number of these windows, several years ago, the city reduced the hours of operation of the windows. The city also placed a cap on the number of establishments that could sell pre-packaged liquor and every time the license of such an establishment was not renewed, the cap was reduced. This led to a reduction in the number of liquor stores in the city that could sell pre-packaged liquor. At the June 16 city council meeting, the majority of council members voted to reverse course, and removed the cap on the number of establishments that sell pre-packaged liquor. In doing so, it is reasonable to predict that residents will see more liquor stores in the urban core and more establishments that include drive-thru windows at their establishments.
The vision statement for the city is that we “… will be identified regionally as a compassionate family-friendly community with a sustainable commitment to better physical and mental health … .” It is difficult to see how leaving burnt down houses in the middle of neighborhoods is family friendly, and how having no limit on the number of packaged liquor stores and their associated drive-thru windows is better for one’s physical and mental health. Instead, these decisions could further exacerbate the challenges the city faces.
CITIZENS ARE ENCOURAGED TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS
If you would like to discuss this or any other city issues with a council member, phone numbers and email addresses for each council member can be found at the following link: https://www.decaturil.gov/300/Mayor-Council.