The fate of the Saye Building in downtown Athens may be decided by Athens-Clarke County commissioners next week as they consider removing historic protection from the century-old building at the request of its owner, Athens First United Methodist Church.
Athens First UMC has wanted to demolish the aging building for years to build a small parking lot, but was blocked by Commissioner Melissa Link, who put a temporary hold on the demolition in 2018. The demolition moratorium was expanded across downtown the next year. In 2020, the commission established the West Downtown Historic District which was intended to provide permanent protection to the Saye Building and other cultural landmarks downtown, including the historic Black business district known as Hot Corner.
Nonetheless, Athens First UMC kept trying to get a permit to demolish the Saye Building. When the request was rejected by the ACC Planning Department in 2023, they filed a lawsuit against the local government. Superior Court Judge Lisa Lott sent the dispute to mediation, where eventually ACC staff agreed to allow the demolition to proceed. The ACC Commission initially approved the settlement in November.
However, the Saye Building still needs to be removed from the West Downtown Historic District before the demolition can take place. That proposal was rejected by the ACC Historic Preservation Commission in January. Further complicating matters, the ACC Planning Commission has delayed approval of the church’s plan to build a surface parking lot on the site, an idea that Chairman Matthew Hall said in February was “a particularly terrible land use for a downtown zone.”
At their agenda-setting meeting Mar. 18, some ACC commissioners seemed to be reconsidering approving the demolition. “We heard some things tonight that, if we had heard in earlier years, it might have made a difference in the direction of the church and this local government,” Commissioner Ovita Thornton said. “Maybe there’s a miracle between now and whenever.”
Discussion was muted because, according to Commissioner Melissa Link, they were instructed by their attorney not to comment. Link did ask about the potential tax value of the property if it were to return to private hands. “The public deserves to know the money that is being removed from the public’s coffers as long as this property is not restored and entered back into general public use,” Link said.
The church has received a $2 million offer to buy the property from a group of investors including former commissioner Russell Edwards. If the sale were to go through, these investors would start paying property taxes on the building, which First United Methodist does not do as a tax-exempt nonprofit religious institution.
Although the local government has a legal obligation to accept some kind of arbitration agreement, the commission declined to grant this particular agreement unanimous consent. That means it will remain on their April agenda for discussion as a separate item, something the preservationist group Historic Athens views as a win.
“Our voices are making a difference,” Historic Athens’ Engagement Coordinator Denise Sunta wrote to supporters after the meeting. “The future of the Saye Building is not yet decided… We still have a chance to push for a solution that prioritizes preservation over demolition, revitalization over erasure and a future that honors Athens’ past.”
The ACC Commission will vote on whether or not to carry out the arbitration deal and remove the Saye Building from the West Downtown Historic District on Apr. 1.
Gaines School Road Townhouses: Commissioners strongly object to a proposal by W&A Engineering for 69 townhomes off Gaines School Road, all but ensuring the project’s denial when they vote next week.
The project consists mostly of densely packed townhomes, but also includes nearly 10,000 square feet of commercial space and 10 one-bedroom accessory dwelling units. The townhomes are proposed to be “fee-simple” units, which means the owners will have full rights to them without limitation. The townhomes will sell from $300,000–$400,000.
Commissioner Patrick Davenport lambasted the proposal with such passion that at one point, he had to be cut off by Mayor Kelly Girtz. Davenport said he was concerned with traffic safety issues, the height of the proposed buildings and the increase in property taxes that he feels nearby residents will have to pay if the construction is allowed. “This is not going to do anything but increase the property taxes on [nearby homeowners], period,” Davenport said, adding that it could “destroy” the neighborhood.
These comments echo an idea frequently cited by Commissioner Tiffany Taylor that is not supported by most economists, which is that new construction can cause displacement of nearby communities due to a general increase in property values and rents. Instead, recent evidence shows that construction of new housing tends to stabilize nearby rents by increasing the housing supply.
Davenport’s biggest objection to the development was that the parcel falls within the airport overlay zone, which is a potential safety concern. In fact, this site at 450 and 460 Gaines School Road was rejected as a location for the Eastside public library because of this very concern.
“We [were told that we] can’t use that land [for the Eastside library] because it is on the landing zone for the airport,” Davenport said. “That makes me so mad… This would have been a perfect place for a library.”
Commissioners Dexter Fisher, Carol Myers, Link and Thornton also wondered why the project was approved by planning staff since it falls within the airport’s overlay zone. The ACC Airport Authority approved the development on the condition that it use “non-glare roofing materials and fully-shielded amber lighting systems.” ACC Planning Director Bruce Lonnee told commissioners that the Eastside library was not approved for this site because its layout “congregated the occupancy into one single spot.”
The proposal faces an uphill battle for approval on Apr. 1. Allison Wright was the only commissioner to express support for the project.
Racial Justice Resolution: Commissioners appear to have decided against making a formal statement of support for racial equity and economic justice as requested by the Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement, even though every commissioner has claimed to support those values.
Fisher, who previously supported the resolution as a way to start addressing inequities affecting the Black community, now no longer wants it on the commission’s agenda. Fisher said that since the commission passed a similar resolution proclaiming support for Black Lives Matter in 2020, he doesn’t feel the need to reaffirm that statement in 2025.
“When I read this present resolution, and I go back and read the [2020 Black Lives Matter] resolution, it’s similar… I don’t know why we have to go and do another resolution,” Fisher said. “Resolutions aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on.”
Instead, Fisher wants to pass an ordinance to ensure that businesses owned by women and people of color get an equitable share of local government contracts going forward. This policy has been in the works since 2023, when the local government reviewed its procurement and contracting policies and found that it had a role in making racial disparities in Athens worse. After years in committee, the equitable contracting ordinance should be complete this year, but may not be ready for a vote in April.
Fisher called for a delay of 60–90 days on the racial equity resolution. After Myers questioned him about the reason for the delay, Fisher explained that he thought the equitable contracting ordinance would replace the resolution on the agenda. “We want to come up with good policy, and make sure it addresses what’s in the resolution,” Fisher said.
Myers disagreed with this approach, saying that she wanted to pass both the resolution and the ordinance together. A narrow ordinance crafted to address inequities in the ACC government’s procurement and contracting policies is an important step forward, she said, but can’t quite replace the broader statement of belief represented in the resolution.
“I think it’s more important than ever that we as a community stand up for these values exhibited in this resolution that are under attack. And then follow through on them,” Myers said.
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