Newspaper Page Text
PLANNING
continued from page 4
told Flagpole he’s not sure Athens can con
trol population growth that easily, though
he did seem to be generally in accordance
with Barrow when he called for “smart
growth’ strategies.
Interestingly, after the officials had bro
ken into small groups to fine-tune various
aspects of the princip.^s, Barrow’s group
(which included District 6 Commissioner
Marilyn Farmer) changed the wording of a
statement on attracting industries that offer
high-wage labor.
The group changed the wording to rec
ommend that Athens attract industries with
a demand for the kind of labor the county
can supply, which led Commissioner Ken
Jordan, Dist. 8, W> snort, “I don’t think we
need any more chicken-pluckin’ indus
tries... that statement didn’t mention that
you want to upgrade [industries] "
Said Farmer: “We think that’s a given.”
Said Barrow. “We want to take care of
the folks that are here."
With little knowledge of what their elect
ed representatives were thinking about the
guiding principles, residents on Saturday
also focused on the issues of attracting new
industry and controlling population growth.
Riverbend Parkway resident Nancy
Polansky said, “If we only encourage low-
income industry, it will set the tone for the
kind of growth that’s going to happen." She
said that when she lived in Asheville, N.C.,
local government vigorously promoted the
advanced training of its workers to industry.
However, George Selgin, of 460 Meigs St.,
said, “I think if anything people are
overqualified for the available jobs" in
Athens.
Selgin brought up the fact that other col
leges don’t allow freshmen to drive, but
said it’s a concept UGA President Mike
Adams “won’t touch with a 10-foot pole.”
Builder Brian Kemp gained some strong
applause when he said that “the perception
that someone’s choosing their schools for
them" in Athens has sent prospective
homeowners to surrounding counties,
while one participant said that while
Athens has limited growth by putting con
trols on development, it will be a matter of
time before Oconee and others have to con
sider similar controls themselves.
While both meetings seemed to be a suc
cess, there is still much to be done —
Planner John Stockbridge says the final
touches might not be put on the
Comprehensive Plan until June 1999. The
“guiding principles” drafts will continue to
be hammered out in three meetings
between now and October 7.
Despite their belief in the importance of
these early decisions, politicians and resi
dents both noted that it is the will of com
missions of the future that will make the
most difference in making these ideals
stick. Said Nancy Polansky: “The value will
be the result, not the process." (Richard
Fausset)
LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!
Here are the next three meetings on the compre
hensive plan:
Tuesday, Septembei 8, 8-9 p.m. The mayor,
Commission and Planning Commis.ion hold a
joint meeting to review "guiding principles" and
development standards. (120 Dougherty St.)
Thursday, September 24, 5-7 p.m. The Planning
Commission's work session is to take action on
the "guiding principles." In addition, consultant
John Fregonese will introduce a "development
constraints map." (120 Dougherty St)
Tuesday, October 6, 7 p.m. The Commission
receives the agenda report on "guiding princi
ples." (Commission Chambers, City Hall)
HOUSING
continued from poge 4
The proposed code also makes mention
of outside property, such as the yard area.
In an effort to curb infestation, defined in
the draft as “the presence, within cr con
tiguous to, a structure or premises of
insects, rats, vermin or other pests,” weeds
more than 10 inches high would be prohib
ited. Likewise, other nit-picky neighbor
hood threats such as “rodent harborage" in
the yard would be forbidden; as are out
door exhaust vents emitting gaseous waste,
and gates that fail to “positively close and
latch when released from a still position of
6 inches from the gatepost.”
Some property owners, like Henry
Fleming, call the code invasive. The rules
concerning interior structures particularly
irritate Fleming. “As long as this looks nice
on the outside,” Fleming says, “They have
no right telling me what to do in the inside.”
Most likely, code officials won’t know of
violations unless someone calls them.
“We don’t have a team of people riding
around the county with measuring sticks to
see how long the grass is,” Eldridge says.
“When a complaint is filed, the code official
will make contact with that party to see if
the complaint is legitimate."
District 2 Commissioner Hugh Logan
acknowledges there are a few pitfalls in a
code in which language is occasionally
vague. For example, sidewalks and drive
ways are simply required to be in “the prop
er state of repair." And can an irate neigh
bor proclaim the flowers next door as over
grown weeds? Logan acknowledges that
there are moments in the code in which all
rests in “the eye of a beholder."
In the extreme situations in which prop
erty owners refuse to comply with the ordi
nance. the code official has the authority to
enforce the provisions of the article after
inspecting the buildings, entering with a
warrant should the occupant or owner
refuse the code official's admittance.
Residents directly affected by a code
official’s decision can appeal, provided that
a written application for appeal is filed with
in 10 days after the decision, notice or
order is served.
“This code goes a little further," Logan
admits. “I don’t want to say... it violates
property owners’ rights, but this goes fur
ther into mandating provisions, more for
older buildings. At the last [Commission]
meeting, someone said that 80 percent of ail
structures that will be here 20 years from
now are already built."
Another potential problem with the
code, according to Logan, is applying the
same rule in neighborhoods with different
standards. In apartments and other areas
where privacy and yard space are limited, it
is more likely that a resident will be irritat
ed by a neighbor’s unmanicured lawn.
However, particularly in less urban settings,
some people like their weeds and even
grow them on purpose.
Some property owners are torn between
the issues of orderliness and privacy. Lewis
Edward Mingledorff, one local landlord,
says, “I think the less government the bet
ter, but if a property owner lets a house go
down so far... and the house just sits there,
as an eyesore — those owners should be
made to do something."
Fears of invasion of privacy are unfound
ed, according to Barrow. “The vast majority
of home owners comply anyhow," he says.
However, one factor that is not men
tioned anywhere in the code is the “funki
ness factor," says Milton Leathers, head of
the Cobbham Neighborhood Association.
“I’m as against standing water and mos
quitos as the next guy," Leather says, refer
ring to such oifenses the code would target.
“[But our neighborhood] doesn’t want to
look like Crystal Hills or High Ridge."
Leathers fears that homogeneity could be
the result. “It’s sort of un-American, really."
(Mary Jessica Hammes)
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