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PUBLIlHER'i MOTEI by PETE McCOMMONS COMMISSION COMMITMENT On November 3, 1998 the Athens-Clarke County Commission adopted Guiding Principles, Objectives, Strategies and Policies for its Comprehensive Plan (land use). At that time Linda Ford was not on the Commission, and Doc Eldridge was still District 7 Commissioner. Present and unanimously voting in favor of the principles, objectives, strategies and policies excerpted here were Commissioners Carter, Sims, Chasteen, Sheats, Barrow, Logan, Farmer, Kilpatrick, Eldridge and Jordan. ENVIRONMENTAL Guiding Principle: To preserve the beauty of our community and act as responsible stewards of the natural environment. Guiding Objectives: A. We will be responsible stewards of the nat ural environment. B. We recognize the importance of ensuring adequate supplies of quality water through the protection of ground and surface water sources. C. We will protect environmentally-sensitive corridors and utilize appropriate spaces to create a community-wide system of greenways and open spaces. D. We consider as critical importance to our community the preservation and protection of flood plains, wetlands, stream corridors, wild life habitats, tree canopies and unique topography. E. We will develop and manage our land and transportation network to ensure the quality of our air and water. F. We will support enhanced solid waste reduction and recy cling initiatives. LAND USE Guiding Principle: To enact land use policies that avoid urban sprawl. Guiding.Objgctlygs: A. Our community will use land effectively to avoid the costs ana problems associated with urban sprawl. B. We will preserve the rural character and the opportunity for agricultural and forestry activities to remain a vital part of our commu nity. C. We will develop a recognizable transition from the urban to the rural areas of our commu nity. D. We will support urban and suburban devel opment where it can be adequately served by public facilities as designated in the Comprehensive Plan. E. A higher level of urban services (sewer, water, fire, police, recreation, etc.) will be pro vided to areas of our community that we want to develop at urban-level densities. F. We will be committed to redeveloping and enhancing existing commercial and industrial areas located within our community. G. We will encourage developments that pro vide a mix of shopping, housing and jobs. H. We will support opportunities for residen tial and non-residential in-fill development that positively impacts the character of existing * neighborhoods. I. Recreation and greenspace will become an integral facet of oui com munity's land use. Guiding Strategies and Policies: 1. Complete public and private infrastructure improvements and site development in a manner that protects the quality of the natural environment; we shall do no harm. 2. Set back buildings and paved parking areas from the North Oconee, Middle Oconee River, McNutt Creek, Cedar Creek, Trail Creek, Sandy Creek corridors a minimum of 200 feet in the rural area and 100 feet in the urban area; set back from tributaries to these rivers 75 feet; and create a non-disturbance area of 50 feet along any flowing water course. (All measure ments are from the top of the bank and on each side.) 3. Incorporate the connection, maintenance and enhancement of greenspace in all new development. 4. Protect the aquifer recharge area of south east Athens-Clarke County from urban develop ment by limiting development densities. 5. Prohibit development of structures in the floodway. 6. Discourage and strictly regulate develop ment in the flood fringe area. 7. Reduce the impact of development on the natural topography and existing vegetation through limiting land disturbance activities and clear cutting. 8. Improve standards for minimizing imper vious surface areas in construction of residential and non-residential development. 9. Identify and protect wetland areas. 10. Cluster development in a manner to pro tect environmentally sensitive areas such as hrbitats, flood plains, and open space. 11. Establish a non-point source pollution program that emphasizes a comprehensive watershed approach. 12. Utilize alternative fuels in the Athens- Clarke County transportation fleet. 13. Promote pre-cycling and increase the cap ture of recyclable materials from residential and non-residential users. CITY PAGES Guiding Strategies and Policies: 1. Create incentives for agri cultural areas on the periphery of the urban area to remain as productive agricultural lands by using techniques such as transfer of development rights, conservation easements and open space subdivisions. 2. Designate areas that are predominantly rural in character as a boundary for limiting expansion of urban development. 3. Extend water and sewer service into existing and future urban areas where urban densities are desired and consistent with the Comprehensive Plan. 4. Promote increases in residential densities in areas that meet community design standards, environmental constraints and available infra structure capacities. 5. Make as a priority the development of mixed uses, redevelopment and revitalization of existing underutilized commercial and industrial areas over development of new land for commer cial purposes. 6. Permit appropriately designed mixed use developments that facilitate efficient and attrac tive employment and residential opportunities and enable these areas to function as centers of community life. 7. Facilitate, through incentives and stan dards, commercial development and redevelop ment as distinct commercial centers while dis couraging "strip commercial" (development char acterized by shallow commercial frontages along major thoroughfares, with multiple curb cuts, large front yard parking, single-storied and often single-purpose buildings, with minimal pedes trian access;. 8. Encourage redevelopment and in-fill over development of new property on the periphery of the urban area. 9. Implement redevelopment of Downtown- East. 10. Encourage downtown parking structures to incorporate retail opportunities. 11. 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