Cedar Creek residents remain opposed to a townhouse development off Gaines School Road despite some concessions made by the developer.
The ACC Planning Commission voted 6-1 to recommend approval of a rezoning and zoning code waivers for the proposal, which includes almost 10,000 square feet of commercial space and 69 townhouses, 10 with accessory dwelling units, on 7.5 acres.
The parcel was bought by Athens Regional Medical Center (now Piedmont Athens Regional) in 1998 with the intent of building an urgent care center there. At the time, residents obtained an “overlay corridor”—a special zoning district unique to one geographical area—limiting what could be built on the property. The hospital instead built an urgent care center on U.S. Highway 29 and put the Gaines School property up for sale in 2015.
County planning staff supports the request because it “increases supply and provides a variety of housing not common on the Eastside”—specifically attached homes for sale, not for rent—and because planners said it would improve connectivity between neighborhoods, transit access and pedestrian safety.
Landscape architect Scott Haines of W&A Engineering said the latest version of the plan makes concessions to neighbors by restricting certain commercial uses, replacing a five-foot sidewalk with a 10-foot-wide multi-use path, and creating a buffer between the residential portion and the commercial parking lot.
“Some of our concerns were alleviated as a result of this discussion, and some of them were not,” said Kenneth Portier, president of the Cedar Creek Civic Association. In particular, he said residents want to keep the overlay district, and they want a traffic light at the intersection of Gaines School Road, Ponderosa Drive and an extension of Woody Lane. “If you’re trying to come out of Ponderosa [during morning rush hour] and turn left, good luck,” he said.
“Everyone knows there’s a traffic issue on this road; people go too fast on this road,” planning commissioner Kristen Morales said. “Is that enough to stop a development?”
For planning commissioners, the answer was no, but the ACC Commission will have the final say in April.
This post has been updated to correct the ownership of the property.
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