Promising a “mix of urban convenience and Southern suburban charm,” a relatively dense new housing community is slated to come to market soon with a Decatur address—but without the city’s million-dollar prices.

Veteran suburban homebuilder David Weekley Homes has returned to a site Inside The Perimeter for the first time in years for an 80-unit project called Celesta.

Located in the unincorporated (and some would say underrated) DeKalb County community of Scottdale, the Celesta project will echo zero-lot line, high-density homes the builder has put together (and sold out) in other metro Atlanta markets.

Project reps tell Urbanize Atlanta the first Celesta homes will be available sometime this spring, with prices in the $500,000s. The three-story floorplans are dense enough to resemble townhomes from afar, but none are attached.

Examples of two finished David Weekley Homes communities—Belmont in Smyrna, at left, and Hargrove in Decatur—that resemble what Celesta will be. Courtesy of David Weekley Homes

The 80-home site in relation to downtown Decatur, Avondale Estates, Interstate 285, and other landmarks. Google Maps

Plans for the 731 Valley Brook Road site also call for extensive greenspace, walking trails, and a dog park tucked around the community. Several modest single-family homes were cleared from the acreage as infrastructure including streets was put in several years ago.

The site is tucked off East Ponce de Leon Avenue, about a mile and ½ due north of Your DeKalb Farmers Market. Downtown Decatur’s shops and eats are three miles away by car, while Avondale Estates’ commercial village is two miles south.

We’ve asked for information on the range of sizes for Celesta homes and will update this story should those details come.

Owning at Celesta will require HOA dues, but those will cover lawn care, according to project leaders. (The project's website lists those fees as $1,000 annually, following a $2,800 initiation fee.) 

The initial site plan for the 80-unit Celesta community in Decatur. (Homesite placement is correct here, but homebuilders are working to increase onsite park space, per project reps.)Courtesy of David Weekley Homes

The community will be districted to Druid Hills High School, which developers call a selling point. Beyond nearby commercial hubs, other perks of the location include proximity to major employers such as Emory University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, plus Interstate 285 and Ga. Highway 78, per project heads.

“It’s been several years since we’ve opened a community inside the perimeter, and we have high expectations that [Celesta] will be well-received,” Adam Cornett, David Weekley Homes’ Atlanta division president, said in a statement. “Stylish homes will line stunning streetscapes—proving the perfect fit for that signature Decatur aesthetic.”

The cleared site along Valley Brook Road in Scottdale last summer. Google Maps

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