I hadn’t been too educated on the details of the Mound Road annexation controversy, so I decided to attend the packed meeting last night, which had been moved to the Decatur Civic Center auditorium to accommodate a large crowd.

An $11 million dollar low-income senior housing project is proposed for a parcel of land already purchased by the Decatur Housing Authority along West Mound Rd.  The money came from a federal grant.

Last month the city voted down the annexation request, after several owners objected to the project, however the council revisited the vote last night after some strong persuading by the DHA, who wasn’t prepared for the amount of objection they encountered last month.

When I stepped into the Civic Center lobby I was greeted by DHA supporters asking if I was in favor or against the vote. I told them I was just there to learn more about the issue but they handed me a sticker anyway in case I decided to support them later. There were senior citizens sitting front and center before the council in the first several rows, obviously planted strategically by the DHA.  

Several residents spoke before the council, first on the vote to revote and then on the actual annexation vote itself. There were several moments of loud applause for both sides. It remained, for the most part undramatic, until Councilwoman Dr. Dana Ray spoke her mind.

Ray expressed how she was in favor of the low-income housing plan, stating she wanted seniors to have a safe location to reside in, however she stepped in it when she said that Wabash Crossing, another low-income housing project in Decatur was unsafe because of criminal activity there. That perked the ears up of opponents who shouted out, “That’s our point!” and feared the same thing would happen to their area. Ray then raised her voice and pointed at the audience and told them that they had their time to speak and now it was hers. She then went on to proclaim herself the champion of those in the community with no voice. I have a feeling this stems from the recent decision by the city council to revoke the taxi license of a minority owned business.  She was the lone vote against revoking the license.

Before Ray’s statements last night, Councilwoman Julie Moore-Wolfe expressed her concerns that voting in favor of the annexation would be a stamp of approval for the entire project, to which she is opposed, at least at the proposed location. She agreed with a resident who spoke before the council that the project would be a better fit in a part of town which needed redevelopment. Moore shook her head in agreement as the woman spoke.

I agree with Moore and many others, who feel the development could be a great thing in another part of town that needs revitalized. Let’s face it, there are parts of Decatur that no private home builder will ever invest in. An $11 million dollar project would be more than welcomed in another part of town.  Lowering property values in a stable neighborhood doesn’t make economic sense, when we can bring up property values in another area that desperately needs it.

Beyond looking at it from merely a means of economic development for the city, the social issues it brings up didn’t go unnoticed by me.  It brings up social, racial and economic disparity issues in the community.  I wouldn’t call the area affluent, as has been suggested.  That has never come to my mind when driving though the area.  It seems more average middle-class to me.  Homeowners in the area worry about their homes losing value because of a low-income housing unit being next door.  They also worry crime will be introduced to the area. Others feel that the development should be able to go anywhere and not discriminated against because of the economic status of its tenants.  I see their point as well.  It’s basically a big ol’ can of worms dropped onto the city council’s lap.

The discussion isn’t over.  We’ll be hearing much more about it in the months ahead.