If you'd like to get a seat at the County Commission's February 6 business session, you might want to get there early. The Commission is expected to rule on a host of potentially volatile issues that night, including rural development standards, placement of new fire stations, and restrictions on cell phone use while driving.

In early January, Commissioner John Barrow proposed a $150 fine for using hand-held cellular phones while driving in Clarke County, and submitted an ordinance from Suffolk County, New York, as a model for a local law.

At the Commission's January 16 agenda setting session, Barrow said that approximately eight other municipalities around the country have adopted similar legislation. Barrow, who proposed the law to reduce the number of accidents and near-accidents caused by distracted drivers, pointed out that it would only apply to hand-held devices while cars are in motion. Hands-free phones and headsets would be exempt from the restrictions, as would emergency calls using hand-held phones. Barrow said he has been pleased with the overall response from citizens regarding the ordinance.

Sheats made an allusion to cell phone use as an "inalienable right" protected by the United States Constitution.

Certain Commissioners, however, have been less enthusiastic. Most notably, Alvin Sheats wondered if the Commission might extend the ban to include eating hot dogs while driving, and made an allusion to cell phone use as an "inalienable right" protected by the United States Constitution.

Mayor Doc Eldridge, who uses his cell phone when he drives, said he would not back the measure because of its possible effect on businesspeople who work out of their cars, and because there is no data showing how many accidents in Athens-Clarke are caused by cell phone use.

Some states are beginning to track how often the phones contribute to traffic accidents. Georgia is not one of those - yet. State Sen. Mike Egan (R-Atlanta) has introduced a bill in the state legislature that would make using a cell phone while driving a misdemeanor in Georgia, punishable by up to a $1,000 fine and a year in jail. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently reported that a 1997 study by the New England Journal of Medicine "concluded that cell phone users were nearly as dangerous as drunken drivers."

Following two public input sessions over the past two months, the Commission will narrow the possible locations for new fire stations in the Five Points and Hawthorne Avenue-area neighborhoods. Commissioner Cardee Kilpatrick, chair of the fire station site selection committee, submitted a list of recommended locales at the agenda setting session.

The apparent favorite for the Five Points station, the Downtowner Motor Inn site, was among those recommended. But the front-runner for the Hawthorne firehouse - a commercial lot at the corner of Hawthorne and Oglethorpe Avenues - may be out of contention. A permit application has been filed with the county for an office building to be constructed on that site.
The Commission will consider the selection committee recommendations, then send them back to the committee for further discussion.

Commissioners will also determine whether to pursue the concept of a mixed-use firehouse, as suggested by UGA Dean of Environmental Design Jack Crowley (See City Pages, Jan. 17, at flagpole.com).

Crowley's design, a multi-story structure housing the fire department, retail and residential space, is "an exciting idea," Kilpatrick said. "Unfortunately it's an extremely expensive idea."
Kilpatrick said that costs and safety concerns were among the reasons her committee could not support building a mixed-use firehouse.

Such stations, which have been built in other cities, are normally financed by a developer, who then leases the fire station portion to the government. Kilpatrick said the site selection committee has concerns about leasing fire station space.

Commissioner Barrow said he had not made up his mind on the mixed-use concept - mainly because of the lack of information provided to the Commission. The site selection committee, for example, made its recommendations without asking Crowley for his suggestions on how to resolve potential problems with such a project.

http://flagpole.com/Images/jpgs/city-hawthoglelot.jpg BORDER=1 ALIGN=left hspace=5>A mixed-use station would bring new businesses and more parking, all financed by a private developer, Barrow noted.
"As a mixed-use, I'm sure we could get Eckerd Drugs to buy into this," remarked Harry Sims.
Commissioner Sims - vice chair of the site selection committee - was referring to the Downtowner Motor Inn site, a potential spot for the new Five Points firehouse. His comment reflects what citizens who like Crowley's idea feel is a dismissive attitude by some Commissioners. Acting ACC Manager Bob Snipes told the Commission his office would consult with Crowley as soon as possible.

Since it was classified as a planning and zoning matter, no public comment was accepted at the agenda session concerning Charles Carter's proposed change to the new ACC development ordinance. If approved, Carter's amendment would give the Commission final approval over the construction of "conservation subdivisions" in the county's rural areas.
Carter says constituents worried about unsightly "greenbelt" development prompted his proposal. The ACC Planning Commission unanimously recommended against the change in part because it would politicize what should be a design review process.

In other business, the Commission is expected to move forward with SPLOST-funded bus stop improvements. Eventually, 150 of the 500 bus stops in Athens will be updated with amenities including new signs, benches, shelters, route information, trash cans, bike racks, landscaping and bus bays.

A second transportation-related item slated for quick approval is a local government subsidy for US Airways Express. In spite of a steady decline in commercial departures from Ben Epps Airport, the privately-owned company could receive just over $180,000 from Athens-Clarke County over the next 16 months to expand its shuttle service from Athens. Under the agreement, the airline would add a flight to Charlotte, NC, and would receive money from the county if the venture fails to break even.

During the agenda setting session, Commissioner Barrow questioned the investment, saying various airlines have been "jerking us around" for the past 30 years. Barrow said he wonders about the feasibility of carrier service in Athens - much of which involves charter flights for UGA athletes. Still, the item was placed on the Commission's consent agenda.

Also up for a vote on February 6 are Commissioner Hugh Logan's request to waive leaf and limb charges for landfill drop-offs; county acquisition of 12 acres of recently decontaminated land near Foundry Street; and a request by newly-elected Sheriff Ira Edwards for a salary increase.

The Commission will hold its regular monthly business session at City Hall at 7 p.m. Public comment will be accepted.

Greenbelt Proposal:
Too Little, Too Late?

All is quiet on the land use front, though the first significant change to the county's new development ordinance will soon come to a vote before the Athens-Clarke County Commission.
Charles Carter's proposal to give the Commission final approval of rural "conservation subdivisions" hasn't generated much of a stir amongst Athenians who lobbied hard last year - to no avail - to get Commissioners to adopt "smart growth" land use policies.
"It's a step in the right direction," says Beth Gavrilles of the Athens Grow Green Coalition. "But it seems like it wasn't a dramatic enough improvement that we wanted to get out and push for it."

That's understandable, in light of the Commission's recent history toward public opinion on land use policy. Consider last December, when some 500 citizens stood outside City Hall before a Commission meeting, holding candles to show their support for rural green space preservation. Most Commissioners refused to even look outside.

But ACC Commissioner Carl Jordan, elected last November on a smart growth platform, thinks Carter's proposal is "an enormous step back to where we were before."
"I don't think it's trivial in that respect. At least you're providing an opportunity for public input that you didn't have before."

As it stands, one-unit-per-acre conservation subdivisions may be built anywhere in the county's AR (Agricultural Residential) zone, as long as they meet basic subdivision requirements. No public hearing is required. Jordan points to the lack of design standards in the new development ordinance, and says Carter's amendment is important, "if you have any intention of applying true conservation criteria to the decision."

"You're providing an additional level of review," says Jordan.
Jordan joins Commissioners John Barrow and States McCarter in publicly endorsing Carter's proposal. In a January 17 phone interview, Carter told Flagpole he believes it will pass. The Commission will vote on the measure at its February 6 business session.

Downtown Block
To Change Hands

The scheduled sale of nearly a block of downtown buildings doesn't seem to worry its commercial occupants, despite an air of secrecy surrounding the transaction.
"I've seen inspectors coming and going, but they're keeping it quiet," says Ernie Battinelli, owner of the Whiskey Bar, one establishment on the Broad Street side of the block, which spans to Clayton Street between Jackson and Wall streets.

http://flagpole.com/Images/jpgs/city-michaelbrosbldg.jpg BORDER=1 ALIGN=left hspace=5>The block houses eight businesses, including Whiskey Bar, Broad Street Bar and Grill, Frontier gift store, and the tenants of the stately building that formerly housed Davison's department store: Toppers International Showbar, Compadres Restaurant, Lotus Eaters, and the Loef Gallery.

East-West Bistro, on the southeast corner of the block, would not be involved in the sale. That building's owner, Henry Nelson, says he has no plans to sell his property.
"I expect East-West Bistro to be there a long, long time," Nelson says.

The rest of the block, owned by Loef Blumberg Realty, is in the process of being sold to George Matta, who will reportedly, in turn, sell the buildings to at least two other buyers.
Business owners point to long-term leases tying them to their locations and expect to continue business as usual.

"We have a 10-year lease," Battinelli says, adding that he expects to stay in business despite any sale.

Mike Wayne, chief operating officer of the group that recently bought the Compadres from Matta, talks of possibly extending his current lease, and believes the sale of the building will work well for his business.

"I expect new owners to develop the building more, possibly adding offices or apartments in the upper floors, which are mostly unused," Wayne says. (Carley Wetherington)

UGA Parking Decks:
Solution or Scourge?

For those who still harbor hope that Athens might be able to slow the rapidly spreading disease known as "urban sprawl," take comfort. Efforts are being made to reduce the number of cars, and subsequently the number of parking decks, in and around the University of Georgia. Whether or not those efforts will be squashed by campus administrators who claim that the construction of more parking decks is the only way to accommodate the ever-growing student population in Athens, only time will tell.

The External Affairs Chair of UGA's Student Government Association, Matt Edwards, is developing a proposal for a new parking system at the University. Edwards believes that, despite general agreement that the increasing number of automobiles on campus is degrading the quality of life in Athens, students need their cars.

"Our main goal is to reduce students' need for cars on campus," Edwards says. "That way we can work toward preserving green space and the aesthetic qualities of the University."
According to Edwards, cars present three main problems to the community: they are not environmentally sound, they cause road congestion which threatens the safety of pedestrians and bikers, and they conjure a slew of extraneous costs to provide spaces to park them.
To accomplish his goal of reducing car dependency, Edwards proposes three amenities. The first is a system of on-campus convenience stores to provide students with necessities within walking distance. The second is extended weekday and weekend bus schedules, giving students an alternate mode of transportation to access the town beyond daytime business hours. The third accommodation would be the institution of a car-pooling deck pass for off-campus residents.

"I'm not expecting to see all of this in place next year," says Edwards. "It's going to take some persuading of the administration, but if the University Council votes in favor of my proposal, I believe it can be done."

Edwards' plan represents a compromise between those who believe new parking decks are imminent and those who want to keep them out no matter what.
Richard Mullendore, Vice President for Student Affairs, considers the construction of more decks to be inevitable.

"Our Master Plan includes more parking decks located on the perimeter of campus, but many of the parking lots will be converted to green space," Mullendore says.

The university's Master Plan is a 20-year project boasting of the ability to double the capacity of campus as well as make it more of a living-learning environment for students. The plan includes converting most of the 150 acres of land now used for parking lots into open space, and using only 20 acres of land for the new decks.

"This will create a balance of land," comments Campus Architect Danny Sniff, "which will make campus more walker-friendly."

Sniff thinks the plan will alleviate street congestion because of campus amenities which will encourage drivers to leave their cars in the decks rather than using them throughout the day.
"We're really hoping that it will be so convenient that people will just leave their cars in Atlanta," says Sniff.

However, others believe that more parking decks will only cause the communities around the campus to suffer by continuing to encourage students to bring their cars. Jason Henderson, director of BikeAthens, a local organization devoted to multimodal transportation, argues that the administration's lack of a commitment to change is illustrated by their one-sided interest in appeasing drivers.

"As long as we keep providing the infrastructure for cars and drivers, nothing is going to change," says Henderson, "and this town will continue to be unsafe for bikers and pedestrians." (Nadine Randall)