DEACTUR, GA — As the City Schools of Decatur prepare to unveil two preliminary options for a new Early Childhood Learning Center, some residents are raising concerns about the project’s timing, cost, and environmental impact.

The Decatur School Board plans to build the new facility at 346 West Trinity Place, a site currently used as a community green space. Neighborhood groups say that space has served as a park for years and question whether the development would take away a valuable public area.

“For the last ten years, people have been using that space as a park, and so we’ve been trying to work with both the school board and the city to have at least a good portion of that space become a park for all of the residents of Decatur,” said Mary Karwoski, chairwoman of the Decatur Neighbors Planning Committee.

Karwoski and other residents have also voiced frustration about what they describe as a rushed timeline and unclear financial strategy. She added that removing green space could worsen environmental and public health issues, particularly for vulnerable communities.

“We can’t say that yes it’s a problem and then continuously pave each area of the city and expect that the little tree cutouts are going to be adequate to compensate for that,” she said. “People within vulnerable communities in our city don’t have adequate housing or adequate air conditioning, and this becomes a public health problem.”

The city’s sustainability and strategic plans have also urged officials to consider environmental repercussions in new development.

The Decatur Board of Education is expected to present its two preliminary site options for the Early Childhood Learning Center to the public Monday afternoon.

WSB’s Mary Ryan Howarth contributed to this story