The Athens-Clarke County Commission looks ready to approve a cluster of Habitat for Humanity homes in East Athens during next week’s voting meeting, but approval for other developments is less than assured.
Micah’s Creek is a proposed subdivision of 63 one- to three-bedroom homes, some as small as 400 square feet, off of Burney and Little Oak streets. Habitat is seeking several waivers for the 11-acre development because some of the home and lot sizes are smaller than what is allowed under Athens-Clarke County’s zoning code. “To see this developed by Habitat is a commissioner’s dream, my dream,” said Tiffany Taylor, who represents part of East Athens.
Another commissioner whose district includes part of East Athens, Melissa Link, also praised the development and its mix of housing sizes. “The fact of the matter is, we are a community in desperate need of affordable housing, and that’s what’s being offered,” Link said at the Nov. 14 agenda-setting meeting.
Subsidized by federal grants and “sweat equity” from volunteers, zero-interest mortgages for the homes will be $399 a month, not including taxes or insurance, said Charles Smith, Athens Area Habitat for Humanity’s vice president of operations. Qualified buyers will earn 50%–80% of the area median income as measured by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which varies by household size but this year is about $28,000–45,000 for a single person or $40,000–65,000 for a family of four. Houses will be reserved for artists, musicians, veterans, families and college students who have aged out of foster care. Families will be enrolled in a UGA study to measure how home ownership affects their need for public assistance and children’s academic performance.
“We think there will be a dramatic advantage for families living in that neighborhood to do better in schools,” Smith said.
Link said she does not share neighbors’ worries over parking, since she believes most households will not need more than one car. The development is adjacent to the Firefly Trail and North Oconee River Greenway, as well. She did, however, express concern about the lack of a playground onsite.
It was not on the agenda, but Mayor Kelly Girtz announced another, even larger affordable housing project at the meeting. The Athens Housing Authority is planning to build a 192-unit, 300-bedroom apartment complex off Hull Road, in the rapidly growing area around the Highway 29 “Space Kroger.” Athens Flats is intended for residents making less than 60% of the area median income.
Another zoning item under consideration is a small development consisting of four duplexes and five townhouses near North Avenue and Bray Street, which also appears to have enough support for passage. Link said she is working on concessions for neighborhoods like an enhanced buffer, a 25-foot height limit and a community garden on the property.
Commissioners continued to raise issues with a 216-home subdivision proposed for Newton Bridge Road, across from Holland Park, built by national homebuilder D.R. Horton, which has been withdrawn and resubmitted at least twice. Commissioner Ovita Thornton said she will support the development because of Athens’ shortage of single-family homes. “Housing is necessary. We’ve got to start somewhere,” she said. Link, though, called it a “homogenous, cookie-cutter development.”
A sticking point continues to be a pump station required for sewer access. Almost all of Athens is on gravity-driven sewer lines that are more reliable. “If it were up to me, I’d rather not own pump stations, because gravity doesn’t fail,” ACC Manager Blaine Williams told commissioners. “Pump stations do.”
Good news for speeding drivers: Pending commission approval, the ACC Police Department is suspending its automated traffic enforcement program, citing a staff shortage and problems with a contractor. The county has red-light cameras at three major intersections and cameras to catch drivers who don’t stop for buses in three elementary school zones. It will take six to eight months to restart the program, Williams told the commission.
Commissioners are also taking another crack at creating an equitable policy for nonprofits that lease space from the local government. Several years ago commissioners noticed that some nonprofits paid a nominal $1 a year while others were charged more. Proposed changes to the policy came under criticism when the Junior League of Athens vacated the Taylor-Grady House rather than pay a hefty rent hike. (Another nonprofit has since taken over the house as a museum and event space.) The latest version would charge nonprofits below market rate based on square footage, with the opportunity to reduce rents by making improvements to the property.
Five nonprofits were also chosen to participate in a capacity-building program meant to help smaller or new organizations learn how to compete for grants—something commissioners have been discussing since the pandemic unleashed a flood of federal dollars initially put into the county budget in 2022. Twelve nonprofits will be able to attend training seminars, and five—Juvenile Offenders Advocate, Encourage H.E.R. Academy, the Farm to Neighborhood Foundation, About Face International and Destined—will receive $40,000 in seed money.
Those items are all scheduled for votes at the Tuesday, Dec. 5 meeting.
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