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Affordable Apartments, New Subdivision Up for ACC Commission Votes

The Athens-Clarke County Planning Commission signed off earlier this month on the Athens Land Trust’s plan for an affordable apartment complex off Bray Street last week, and recommended approval of a single-family subdivision near Holland Park. Both will come before the ACC Commission for a final vote next week.

Planning commissioners on Mar. 2 unanimously approved a rezoning from RS-5 (small single-family lots) to RM-2 (low-density multifamily) for the Bray Street complex near Stroud Elementary School, consisting of two three-story buildings and 46 one-, two- and three-bedroom units, despite planning staff’s concerns about access. The 3.6-acre parcel doesn’t have any street frontage, so the land trust would have to make an arrangement with an adjacent property owner to build a driveway. However, a strip of land that is likely an abandoned ACC alleyway could be used. Planning staff also said the design lacks diverse housing types and bike/pedestrian access.

Athens Land Trust board chair Lara Mathes told the planning commission that the group is applying for low-income housing tax credits from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, but needs the zoning in place first. The plan will “change substantially” if DCA approves the funding, Mathes said.

If the access problem can be solved, Planning Director Brad Griffin said, the apartments would be near a cluster of services along North Avenue, including a daycare, the Department of Labor and the Division of Family and Children Services.

“While I’m very aware of our housing crisis, I would like to see more detail as far as this development goes,” Commissioner Tiffany Taylor, who represents the area, said at the county commission’s Mar. 21 agenda-setting meeting. “The location is accessible for residents as far as being on the transit, as well as having retail and a grocery store, but I just need more information. We can say yeah, and they say more housing, but then when stuff gets worked out, it doesn’t always end that way.”

Commissioner Ovita Thornton called the property “a haven for the homeless,” and said the owner has been after ACC “forever and a day” to solve that problem. The area also needs new development, especially after the CVS drug store recently closed, she said. “I do think this is a good opportunity,” Thornton said.

Planning commissioners split 4–2 in favor of the 216-house subdivision off Newton Bridge Road near Holland Park despite concerns about additional traffic and the car-centric nature of the development. D.R. Horton, a national homebuilder based in Texas, is requesting a rezone from employment-industrial to RS-25, or lots of a little over half an acre. The company has agreed to build a pump station to provide sewer service. 

“I thought there were some valid questions that were asked” at the planning commission meeting, Thornton said, adding that she would be meeting with constituents about the development to get a better grasp on it.

Commissioner Mike Hamby said he is concerned that the proposal is a straight rezone, rather than a planned development, which means D.R. Horton would not have to follow precisely the plan it presented. “The fact that it didn’t come in as a planned development is also suspicious to me,” Commissioner Carol Myers said. D.R. Horton also “has a lot of complaints against it with the Better Business Bureau,” Myers said. “Its rating is quite low.”

Applicant Tiffany Hogan said the company considers the plan binding unless something changes, but doesn’t go the planned development route when the plans meet the zoning code.

“We always talk about housing stock. As you all know, there’s going to be a lot of growth on Newton Bridge Road in the future. It’ll be an opportunity for housing,” Commissioner Dexter Fisher said. But he said he would defer to Thornton as the representative for the area.

“We need housing, but that doesn’t mean we should approve any kind of housing brought forth,” Myers responded. “We need to do it thoughtfully.” The property is in a tax allocation district—similar to Georgia Square Mall—Commissioner Jesse Houle noted, which could result in a much better development. Rather than connect to Holland Park, the development includes its own private park, Houle said. Thornton said she would like to have a conversation about community benefits from a TAD.

The county commission is scheduled to vote on both projects Tuesday, Apr. 4.

At a special called voting meeting before the agenda-setting session, the commission voted to declare a moratorium on ACC’s “parklet” program, apparently in response to Trappeze Pub building a wooden deck on about four parking spaces on Washington Street. The six-month moratorium will not affect Trappeze or three other downtown businesses that currently lease parking spaces from the county for outdoor seating, similar to sidewalk cafes. But the commission’s Government Operations Committee will reevaluate the program for future applicants.

Like many cities, ACC started the parklets in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, as a way to help businesses by allowing them to use public spaces for socially distanced outdoor drinking and dining. It proved so popular that the commission made the program permanent.

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