Athens voters just approved renewing a 1% sales tax for transportation a little over two years ago, but already Athens-Clarke County officials are preparing for the next round.
TSPLOST 2023—approved in May 2022—was set to run until Sept. 1, 2027 or $150 million is collected, whichever comes first. With sales tax collections higher than anticipated, the expiration date is coming much faster than expected, so the tax will be back on the ballot in May of 2026.
The ACC Commission voted at a called meeting July 16 to set project selection criteria and a timeline for TSPLOST 2026. Much like its older sibling SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax), in Athens TSPLOST projects are selected by a citizens committee from among local government and community proposals, with the mayor and commission having final approval.
There could be some changes to the project next year, as it was somewhat chaotic in 2022. The advisory committee did not include any money for road paving on its recommended project list that year, but commissioners had always been counting on using TSPLOST revenue to repave roads instead of the general fund, and was forced to redistribute $22 million on the fly. “It made for a messier process that also made members of our advisory committee feel confused leading up to it, and maybe confused if not disrespected after the fact,” Commissioner Jesse Houle said.
Commissioner Ovita Thornton agreed, saying that appointees lacked expertise and were overwhelmed. But Commissioner Mike Hamby pushed back. “Let’s don’t bind ourselves or bind the committee just yet,” Hamby said. “Let’s see what projects come forward and what the community wants to support.”
Eight commissioners—all except Hamby and Wright—voted for Houle’s suggestion that commissioners decide in a work session to set aside funding beforehand for essentials like road maintenance and transit.
The county will start accepting project submissions later this year. Last year, the advisory committee received 91 submissions costing a total of $700 million, which it eventually whittled down to 32. The final list included transit operations, general bike and sidewalk improvements, road maintenance, Firefly Trail, the North Oconee River Greenway, and projects specifically for Atlanta Highway, Lexington Road, Timothy Road, Prince Avenue, Hancock Avenue, East Athens and other corridors.
Last ARPA Money Must Be Spent
The commission is running out of time to distribute the remaining $5.4 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds that Athens-Clarke County received from the federal government in 2022.
All funds—ACC received a total of $58 million—must be allocated to a specific recipient by the end of the year or returned to the U.S. Treasury. The county has $3.4 million remaining previously set aside for youth development and violence prevention, and $1.8 million for workforce development.
“We’re really at a critical juncture. We’re past the point where we can issue [requests for proposals] and have a wide-open application process,” Mayor Kelly Girtz said at a July 16 work session. “We really need to be ready to go with a lot of activities.”
The commission heard a presentation on workforce development from consultant Kara Fresk based on the recommendations of a task force co-chaired by commissioners Carol Myers and Tiffany Taylor. That committee is requesting $1.2 million for grants for local child-care centers; education about worker-owned co-ops, especially as a succession plan and an alternative to selling or closing the business when the owner retires; education about labor rights; and access to capital for “impact businesses.” The commission already approved $1.9 million for the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce to create a pipeline connecting job-seekers and employers.
A vote is scheduled for Aug. 6 on designating the remaining ARPA funds.
Commission Will Vote on Housing
The commission is scheduled to vote next month on three rezoning requests that would collectively add more than 600 units to the city’s housing supply.
Near the Caterpillar plant in Bogart, Watkinsville-based SPG Planners + Engineers is proposing 198 townhouses and 29 detached homes, along with 11,000 square feet of commercial space fronting Atlanta Highway. “It’s a mix of unit types, which is something we’ve talked about a good bit in the community,” interim planning director Bruce Lonnee told the commission.
Nearby residents initially opposed the development, but applicant Joseph Bates said that opposition has died down since the company scaled back the density and removed apartments from the plan. “We significantly reduced the density,” Bates said. “In fact, the density we’re asking for now is less than would be allowed by right.” No one spoke against the development, but seven people did oppose it at a June 27 planning commission meeting.
SPG is asking to rezone the 44-acre parcel from commercial-general and RS-8 (single-family residential with lots of at least 8,000 square feet) to CG and RS-5. Granting the request would give SPG more flexibility in arranging buildings within the property, Lonnee said.
Engineers are planning a public road through the development with a light at Dozer Drive to address concerns about traffic. However, the development cannot move forward until engineers find a way to access a nearby sewer line.
“In general, I’m inclined to support this,” said Commissioner Jesse Houle, who represents the far Westside. Although the area is now mostly rural, Houle noted that Atlanta Highway is a major corridor. They also suggested that existing residents might benefit if they can tie into the development’s sewer system.
Another proposal would bring about 300 apartments with a total of 500 bedrooms to the fast-growing “Space Kroger” area near Athens Tech—specifically, McClung Road, a service drive just north of U.S. Highway 29’s intersection with 72. “A lot of commercial out there, and the residential is starting to come after that initial wave of commercial,” Lonnee said.
Commissioner Ovita Thornton, who represents northeastern Athens, called for a moratorium on rezonings until an updated land-use plan is in place. “I’m the main one advocating for housing,” she said. “I’m not sure about this one, though.”
The planning commission, an appointed advisory board, recommended approval on the condition that a road through the development be a public road to provide a future connection to J.J. Harris Elementary School. Commissioner Melissa Link said the road should have bike lanes and sidewalks for children walking and biking to school, and Commissioner Patrick Davenport urged traffic-calming measures. “When I think cut-through, I think speeding,” Davenport said.
A third request would add more density to a parcel off International Drive on the Eastside, but developer Charlie Hill doesn’t plan to use it. The rezoning is necessary because The Reserve apartment complex next door, built in the early 1990s, is denser than what the code currently allows. What Hill is proposing for an undeveloped piece of property is 96 one-bedroom cottages, a type of housing that’s in demand by graduate and veterinary students. That’s all that’s allowed by a covenant on the property, project engineer Frank Pittman said. Due to a creek running through it, much of the land is unbuildable and will be used for trails, Hill said.
Hill lives on Barnett Shoals Road, and “I have no desire to build anything that I would ever be ashamed of, or any of the citizens would be,” he told the commission. He also assured them that nothing will happen to The Reserve.
“I think this is a good project, delving deeper into it,” Commissioner Allison Wright said.
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