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Plan It
And They Fill Thrive
As a first step toward setting up "neighbor
hood planning units"—boards intended to give
residents and business owners more say in deci
sions that affect their neighborhoods—the mayor
and commission told the county's planning
department to go ahead with a plan to notify
residents about upcoming planning and zoning
decisions.
"The Internet is a perfect tool for this sort of
communication," says the planning department
proposal, "particularly considering the cost and
time constraints of mailing and phone calls."
At present, signs are posted on a site for at
least 15 days if a rezoning is requested. (If land is
already zoned for the desired use, no public notifi
cation is necessary.)
The county has also begun notifying property
owners within 400 feet by mail when a zoning
change is requested on a site, and information on
items coming before the planning commission and
the hearings board (which grants or denies excep
tions to requirements) are now on the planning
department's "external" website, accessible
through www.athensclarkecounty.com. The new
initiative calls for the planning department to
make its website easier to access. At the May 3
mayor and commission meeting. Commissioner
Cart Jordan offered a list of additional information
he'd like to see on the web: demolition permits,
soil disturbance permits and timber permits. That
coutd be done, according to Bruce Lonnee, who
said, "We log them anyway."
The "neighborhood notification initiative"
passed with three commissioners dissenting.
"I think we could do a better job of informing
people just by putting the right signs on the site,"
Commissioner George Maxwell said. "I don't think
it's going to help my neighborhood."
Commissioner Kathy Hoard viewed the proposal
as too limited. "I want to do this right," she said.
*Tve been waiting 25 years for this initiative."
Many citizens don't use email, while others are
too busy to participate in existing neighborhood
groups, she said. "This is not an NPl) (neighbor
hood planning unit] proposal
But Commissioner David Lynn said, "I want
NPUs now, not later" and called neighborhood
notification "a good way to start."
Lynn said the plan will set up a "formalized
conduit of information and influence" between
neighborhoods and decision-makers. "We need to
bring that decision-making as much as possible
down to the lowest level" he said.
Other commissioners seemed to agree that the
limited proposal might pave the way for a full-
fledged system of NPUs. They rejected a more
elaborate alternative—more extensive study fol
lowed by a two-year pilot program involving
existing neighborhood groups—as being too
expensive, time-consuming and "top-down" in its
organization.
"It's not our job to tell the neighborhoods how
this process should work," said Commissioner
Elton Dodson. "In a year, we should have more
concrete information."
The plan that passed will allow legally incorpo
rated neighborhood groups to suggest geograph
ical boundaries that their group will represent To
be officially recognized, they must submit peti
tions demonstrating that they represent "at least
20 percent of the residents and/ or property
owners" within those boundaries.
"In theory, you could have a single area that
would have multiple groups," according to planner
Lonnee. The groups would then receive informa
tion by email on pending zoning and development
decisions in any areas of the county that concern
them. Most of this information is public anyway,
and would also be sent to anyone who requests it,
whether members of a group or not. But for the
registered groups, information would also be
included on "pre-application" meetings that the
planning department holds on possible new devel
opment projects.
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The program is intended to encourage devel
opers to discuss their plans with local neighbor
hood groups, but it doesn't guarantee that they
will A new county staffer will be hired to run it,
and one of his or her duties will be to help unor
ganized neighborhoods form their own groups.
Once a network of neighborhood groups exists
throughout the county, they could be given an
advisory role—as they have been in Atlanta—in
decisions on human services, zoning and trans
portation affecting their areas. They might also
design long-range plans for their areas.
"That's where I'd like to see us go," said
Commissioner Lynn.
John Hule
John Huie lives beyond the reach of neighbor
hood planning.
Build It
And They Fill Drive
A long-range county plan to acquire land tor
new roads and bridges in several less-developed
parts of the county—including one that would
cross Cook's hiking trail—has created "many con
cerns" among citizens, prompting the planning
commission to schedule a separate public hearing
on it
The "transportation corridor master plan"
recently designed by county staffers to provide
"better interconnection" and reduce traffic on
existing roads, includes two new river bridges that
would connect relatively isolated areas of the
county. Also included are some new cut-through
roads to connect existing subdivisions. If the plan
is approved by the mayor and commission, the
county would gradually acquire land for the new
roads by requiring developers to "dedicate" it to
the county whenever new developments are built
where the roads are planned.
The proposed roads include a link from
Cleveland Road off Atlanta Highway to Tallassee.
Road at John Collier Road; a connector from
Commerce Highway near Sandy Creek Nature
Center to Nowhere Road near Smokey Road; and a
new link from Danielsville Road across US 29 to
Highway 72 near Voyles Road.
The proposed road links would connect areas
separated by rivers 'that you can almost see in
some instances," county planner Bruce Lonnee
told flagpole, but that are miles apart by existing
roads.
Providing better response times for emergency
service is one consideration, Lonnee said.
"I think the new fire station is intended to
address response times and get that issue under
control," Lonnee said, but a better network of
roads would also help distribute traffic that's now
being forced onto a few major arteries [like the
bypass].
"If you had more options, you're not forcing all
the trips onto one road," Lonnee said.
As for deciding where the connecting roads
should run, Lonnee said, "That's kind of tricky.
We've got to take into account existing develop
ment; we've got to take into account topography,
environmental areas—kind of steer clear of all the
stuff that you want to stay away from, and that's
what we tried to do."
According to Lonnee, "Staff, with several
departments represented, got together and looked
at physical features around the county that made
sense for making future interconnection."
Although the proposed road links remind some
residents of the "east-west connector" that was
once proposed to arc across the northern portion
of the county, 'that's not what we're talking about
anymore," Lonnee said. That project was canceled
in 2000.
Flagpole environmental writer Liz Conroy, who
lives off Tallassee Road near John Collier Road,
said, "Environmental issues have clearly not been
consideied for this proposed road. For example,
what would be the impact of a river crossing?"
Locals report seeing foxes, coyotes, hawks,
herons, geese, turkeys, turtles and 'tons of deer,"
Conroy said, adding, "This area really is a remark
able wildlife refuge."
Because of the public's high interest in the
proposed road plan, it was pulled off last week's
planning commission agenda on short notice and
scheduled for a special session on Thursday, May
26 at 7 p.m. at the 120 Dougherty St building.
Public comment will be taken at that meeting and
again at the June 2 planning commission
meeting. The planning commission may then for
ward the plan (with recommendations) to the
mayor and commission for a final decision.
John Huie
John Huie lives among wildlife, too.
Wildflowers
Come Celebrate
Wildflower Celebration II is an outdoor festival
on Barnett Shoals Road, 9 a.m. to 12 noon on
Saturday, May 14.
Friends of the Barnett Shoals Road Corridor
leaders Gail Hoge and Bill Paul organized the fes
tival last year. This year they hope even more
hikers, bikers and babies in strollers will walk and
roll along Barnett Shoals Road to attend
Wildflower Celebration II activities—from
Whitehall Road to the Green Hills Golf Course.
The fun begins with displays and booths at
both Athens Montessori School and Barnett Shoals
Elementary School A children's choral perfor
mance and play will be held at Athens Montessori
near many outdoor sculptures. Plants, baked
goods and vintage pottery will be sold throughout
the morning.
At Barnett Shoals Elementary, sculptor and art
teacher Leonard Piha will have his students' art
displayed out front Nearby, antique cars will be
6 FLAGPOLE.COM-MAY 11, 2005
CAROL ANO HUGH BOURSE