|
Athens is a uniquely wonderful, eclectic, livable, and highly desirable community that enjoys the amenities of a large city while enjoying the charm of a small town. Often recognized nationally and internationally as a great place to live for young parents with children, retirees, art and recreation lovers, etc., these attributes will contribute to our continued upward growth patterns. Simply put - we sizzle with personality!
That winning personality is driving our population increases. Predictions tell us Athens’ residents will increase by more than 50% over the next ten years reaching 250,000 by the year 2030. Additionally, we must consider increased numbers of people commuting from neighboring counties with complementary high growth rates.
As an important center for work, shopping, medical and other services, entertainment, and recreation, these factors will place a strain on our current infrastructure. Planning for the demands of this future growth requires a proactive rather than reactive stance.
Growth within our small geographic footprint calls for non-traditional solutions in every area including housing, recreation, multi-use and commercial construction, transportation alternatives, economic development, and public safety. Compact development in close proximity to existing infrastructure that is pleasantly dense and close to town, protects greenspace, reduces the cost of service delivery, and fosters a sense of place should be our goal.
Policies to ensure environmental sustainability in order to meet the sheer volume of basic human needs of clean air, clean water, and the responsible disposal of waste are going to present this community with the challenge to think anew towards creative solutions.
The Comprehensive Land Use Plan and its Guiding Principles is this community’s blueprint for adjusting to our projected growth. Articulated in the plan is the vision for a city that is human in scale encouraging social interaction, protecting the environment as well as our cultural resources, and promoting commerce. It is our responsibility to ensure that planning decisions are consistent with these documents in all areas of community development.
As implementation of the plan has unfolded, theory and practice have worked well in some instances and not always melded in others. Loopholes become apparent when zoning is applied to a real project. Zoning for density while ignoring topography and increased RM zoning are two examples of changes made in 2000 that have resulted in loss of tree canopy and topsoil and an overabundance of apartment units. Positive effects have been the rehabilitation of older, existing buildings vs. building on virgin land and more mixed-use development.
It is incumbent that staff in concert with elected officials be vigilant in monitoring implementation and bringing forward requested changes to the zoning text in an effort to ensure the blueprint matches the vision.
The recent addition of an Urban Planner to the Planning Department staff is a great step forward in positioning us for the proactive kind of planning needed.
Blending, rather than separating, compatible uses should be the goal of the plan. Compact development in locations with existing infrastructure will naturally discontinue the old method of segregating distinct uses thereby isolating people from their daily needs. Organizing development around commerce, employment, education, recreation, faith has multiple benefits for managing growth and providing for a pleasant community. I would like to see our Land Use Plan implemented in such a way as to achieve this goal.
Several opportunities present themselves in this area that should be discussed and possibly implemented. Those include the creation of a Housing Trust Fund to be used for gap financing, reduce parking requirements for residential development, more aggressive demolition of blighted housing to be replaced by new homes, turning surplus property over to housing providers, working with developers to consider expedited permitting and creating voluntary inclusionary housing policies to meet the needs for mixed-income, lifecycle, and workforce housing, and explore the concept of “Granny Flats”.
The government can and should continue to work with local housing providers such as Habitat for Humanity, Athens Housing Authority, Athens Land Trust, EADC, local developers, employers, and funding institutions in an effort to define housing goals and strategies for implementation. Work of this nature is underway to build new housing and rehabilitate existing older dwellings, but efforts could be better coordinated.
As gentrification seeps into our more modest in-town neighborhoods in the form of infill, we need to seek out ways to allow underperforming property to be revitalized without the negative effect of displacing long-time homeowners. Using some of the strategies alluded to in the first paragraph, it’s possible to inject into the mix moderately priced homes for those with low to middle incomes.
The two greatest expenses are housing and transportation. By creating moderate income housing close to transportation nodes, individuals who earn a modest living are more likely to have opportunities for participation in the local economy, investment in their family, neighborhood and the larger community.
Zoning and land use planning are the methods by which the rights of individual property owners are balanced against the good of the community.
The key element is balance – individual property use and the attendant effects on neighboring properties are key factors in ensuring a clean, healthy, and vibrant community.
Every decision regarding land-use must be considered within the broader context of existing and surrounding property use compatibility, impact on the environment, local schools, delivery of services, etc.
In earlier answers regarding the CLUP, this document sets forth a blueprint and set of guiding principles that articulate the vision of the community in regard to land use decisions. Every piece of property adjoins another, which suggests that use has an effect on neighboring parcels. Permitted uses that maximize positive impacts on surrounding properties is the very basis for zoning laws and help protect property values.
In as compact an area as we have in Athens-Clarke County, we can create incentives to encourage the kinds of value-added, equity-building uses that return good value for the investment of the owner while making significant contribution to the overall welfare of our community. Towards that end, I have empanelled a committee to study the feasibility of Transferable Development Rights and initiated the actions that have placed Tax Allocation District enabling legislation on the ballot for November. Both programs provide financial incentives that encourage development congruent with our community vision.
Property owners must have all possible latitude in the use of their land within the context of environmental impact, growth management, and protecting property values. If we are successful in achieving balanced uses of land parcels and directing growth within areas where infrastructure currently exists then a positive impact on the local environment is assured.
“How” we grow presents the greatest opportunities and challenges for this community. Achieving goals for clean air and water, preservation of green space including farm lands, wetlands, and wildlife habitats while reaping the bounty of growth and development through carefully crafted controls and incentives is possible. Cities across the U.S. and around the world that have made commitments to environmental health are proving that economic development and healthy growth are fully compatible with community values when developed by an open and inclusive process.
Businesses demonstrating a commitment to environmental stewardship are among the fastest growing and most successful in the world! Consumers are also increasingly attracted to clean, environmentally friendly, low-impact developments. Tourists, who represent one of our largest industry sectors, are attracted to cities where land-use policies result in community design that favors the public realm.
Transportation issues include congestion and its effects on air quality, gasoline consumption, time wasted, and loss of social interaction; costs of maintaining roads due to heavy use by large vehicles; multiple methods of conveyance to accommodate inclusion in all aspects of community life by those who cannot/should not or are unable to use an automobile for their primary source of transportation.
A concept known as “complete streets” should be implemented. This model provides for every street to accommodate all possible methods of conveyance: automobile, transit, pedestrian, and bicycle.
Road building, expansion, and maintenance are expensive propositions as are the costs of owning and maintaining an automobile. By creating a fully integrated, multi-modal system of transportation that is focused on connectivity, accessibility, and mobility for all, costs can be reduced while allowing for full participation in community life.
We also need to look at the current transit system’s routes as they have not changed in 30 years! Routes should be accessible, efficient, dependable, and frequent to make the system far more user friendly. Growth patterns should also be taken into consideration when developing routes.
Secondary benefits include mitigation of traffic congestion, less air pollution, decreased wear and tear of our roads, physically healthier residents (air pollution is directly related to asthma and increased auto dependency is linked to growing rates of obesity, which is linked to diabetes, heart failure, etc.), increased independence, and daily encounters with neighbors, the most essential form of community building and developing a sense of belonging.
Of course we can do more to safeguard our environment and natural resources by reducing energy bills, preserving green space, improving air quality, reducing traffic congestion, improving transportation choices, and fostering economic development and job creation by promoting energy conservation and new technologies.
Support for the Environmental Management System within the ACC government being implemented by our Environmental Coordinator is very important. This new approach to working cross-departmentally, which allows for a more global view of the system, should result in greater efficiencies throughout the entire governmental structure and greater environmental compliance throughout the community.
I have requested the development of an energy policy for the purpose of establishing clear goals and a timeline for the efficient and effective use of energy with an eye towards reducing pollution levels.
Some additional actions we should explore include but are not limited to:
- set reduction targets for emissions in ACC operations then the county
- promote commute trip reduction programs and incentives for carpooling or using transit
- increase fuel efficiency of the municipal fleet while continuing the conversion to clean, alternative fuels
- retrofit ACC facilities with energy efficient lighting and encourage employees to conserve
- purchase Energy Star equipment and appliances
- increase our recycling rate
- stand firmly behind our land-use policies that preserve open space, reduce sprawl, and create walkable communities along with our LEED building policy
- continue work on the mass grading ordinance with environmental and development representatives to minimize cut and fill and require phasing and stabilization of each phase
- reduce speed limits
- work with our delegation to identify new sources of revenue for expanded transit
- implement the ACC Bicycle Master Plan, the Greenway Network Plan, Transit Master Plan
- promote local organic farming
- seek out redevelopment opportunities for brown fields
- establish water conservation rates
- explore a car sharing program
The responses to these questions by the other candidates in the race were recently published here in The Flagpole.
Back to Issues
|
