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Slash & Burn
Protection At Last?
The ACC Planning Commission has scheduled a
special session to discuss a proposed "mass
grading* ordinance intended to prevent the
wholesale flattening of land for subdivisions. That
practice has been driven by out-of-town investors
who install streets and underground utilities, and
then sell the land to another developer who will
actually build the homes on the flattened and
treeless lots. It would likely be prevented by the
proposed ordinance, planners say.
“We'll see what the Atlanta developers do with
this,* Commissioner Carl Jordan told the commis
sion's legislative Review Committee last month.
"It's going to slow some of them down.'
As proposed, the brief ordinance would ‘imit
initial grading to those areas where streets and
utilities are approved. No homesites could be
graded until a 'final plat* (a subdivision lot plan)
has been accepted.
They can't just take down the whole site,*
Planning Director Brad Griffin told the group. Tt
might cause a little bit more heartburn for the
developer.*
*If they're willing to spend the money, they
can develop a plan that will meet the test of pro
tecting soil and water,* Assistant County Manager
Bobby Snipes said. The Legislative Review
Committee forwarded the proposal to the Planning
Commission, a citizens' board which makes recom
mendations to the ACC Commission. Planning
Commissioner will discuss the proposal on
Thursday, June 16 at 5 p.m. Public comments will
be accepted at a later session, and the measure
could be forwarded to the ACC Commission for an
August vote.
The proposal's advocates insist it should cover
small-lot subdivisions such as those in the RS-8
>c*.u- ^>-ce that's where most abuses have
occurred. However, Planning Commissioner—and
developer—Hank Joiner wants to see some trade
offs. joiner doesn't oppose the proposal, he told
Flagpole, but he thinks it's time to revisit some
existing subdivision regulations that are working
against good design.
'Some of the restrictions we have in the ordi
nance now don't really allow us to efficiently use
those zonings in denser intown areas,* he said.
At present for example, regulations won't
allow homes to be grouped around a common
courtyard, and Joiner said he recently wanted to
build a home using 'passive solar* features. That
would require orienting the home to the sun, but
he said he couldn't do that because ACCs regula
tions require homes to face the street In addi
tion, Joiner thinks duplex-style homes should be
easier to build. They can only be built now on
large lots, he said. Tt means you're having to
dear more because you're having to put separate
footprints, whereas if you had a common wait
you could dear less area.*
Joiner also thinks 'accessory uses* tike garage
apartments should be allowed, that subdivision
streets should designed for sharper curves than
now allowed, and that subdivisions don't neces
sarily need two street entrances.
John Huie covers local government for Flagpole.
Who Won?
Democrats Rate Session
ACCs two Democratic state legislators—
Representatives Keith Heard and (first-termer)
Jane Kidd—described a 'mean-spirited* General
Assembly session to ACCs Federation of
Neighborhoods last week.
Heard said the Republican leadership of the
legislature (but not always individual Republican
members) changed rules to prohibit debates on
important matters, including the state budget
which was passed before some members had a
Tilt MMIKM WMLB
by TOM TOMORROW
BUNKSTER
Picturesque lights like these on campus contribute glare in the night sky, but wont be affected by the lighting ordinance.
chance to read it That to me, is an abuse of
power,' he told the group. Republican Senator
Brian Kemp and Republican Representative Bob
Smith were invited to the forum, but neither
attended.
Heard said the voter ID bill that seems
designed to hurt Democrats at the polls was
passed despite zero evidence of voter fraud, and
said 'the tone is very racial* at the General
Assembly. T personally stopped three fights,* he
said. When Democrats ran the Legislature, there
were disagreements, too, Heard said, "but I've
never seen it tike this.* Democrats allowed bills to
be debated when they were in charge, "because it
was the right thing to do,' Heard said.
Representative Jane Kidd said Republicans
were 'pretty kind* to her as a first-time legislator,
and said 'there is a mood there that compromise
can happen,* but it is frustrated by the
Republican leadership. 'Bills are not black or
white,* she said. “Sometimes a poor bill is better
than none at alL.. It's a real game.' And often
legislators must vote without knowing exactly
what's in a bill, so 'it really comes down to trust*
of colleagues who are familiar with it she said.
Kidd- now a candidate for the State Senate—
said the session turned out to be largely about
business-friendly bills tike tort reform (limiting
damage awards in lawsuits) and economic devel
opment She hopes education and other issues
will be emphasized next year.
John Hole
John Huie used his right hand just as much as
his left to type this story.
Glare
Is Everywhere
"Athens has become a terrible place to look at
the night sky,* UGA astronomer Scott Shaw told
ACC Commissioners last week. Urging passage of a
strict outdoor lighting ordinance. In addition,
'sending tight up into the sky is a terrible waste
of energy and our money," Shaw said.
Beth Gavrilies of Athens Grow Green Coalition
agreed. 'By increasing the efficiency of outdoor
lighting, a substantial amount of electricity can
be saved,* and that means less air pollution from
generating plants, she said. Commissioners looked
at two proposals to reduce nighttime glare and
light spillage. Neither proposal would require
existing tights to be changed, but newly-installed
tights would fall under the ordinance.
One proposed ordinance, developed by county
planners and the Planning Commission over two
years, specifies how much light can spill over
property lines. The second, proposed by
Commissioner Cart Jordan, would require 'full
cutofT fixtures that reduce glare and would be
easier to enforce, Jordan said. Commissioners
were interested enough in Jordan's proposal to
send the question back to planning commis
sioners, but Commissioner Kathy Hoard wondered
if Jordan's version isn’t too strict
Commissioners States McCarter and Charles
Carter both said they've rarely heard complaints
from citizens 3bout tighting problems. The
problem must be on [Commissioner Jordan's] side
of town,* cracked Carter.
IaKa Uh|a
wonn naiB
John Huie writes by candlelight
Rat Story
From The Internet
A woman walks into a curio shop in San
Francisco. Looking around at the exotica, she
notices a very tifetike, life-sized bronze statue of a
rat It has no price tag but is so striking she
decides she must have it
She takes it to the owner "How much for the
bronze rat?*
Twelve dollars for the rat a hundred dollars
for the story,* says the owner.
The woman gives the shop-owner S12. Til
just take the rat* you can keep the story*
As she walks down the street canying her
bronze rat she notices that a few real rats have
crawled out of alleys and sewers and begun fol
lowing her down the street
This is a bit disconcerting, so she begins
walking a tittle foster. Within a couple of blocks,
the group of rats behind her grows 10 over a hun
dred, and they begin squealing.
She starts to trot toward the Bay. She takes a
nervous look around and sees that the rats now
number in the thousands—maybe millions—and
they are all squealing and coming toward her
foster and foster. Terrified, she runs to the edge of
the wate. snd throws the bronze rat as for out
into the Bay as she can.
Amazingly, the millions of rats all jump into
the Bay after it and are all drowned.
The woman walks back to the curio shop.
'Ah ha,' says the owner, TU bet you have
come back for the story.'
'No,' says the woman, T came back to see if
you have a bronze Republican *
Anonymous
This story was forwarded by former Athenian
Terry Burger, a journalist living in the Gettysburg,
PA area. No Republicans were harmed in the
writing, nor should they be.
Bumpersticker
Of The Week
(Thanks, Charles) When Chambliss And Isakson
Speak... You Can See Bush's Lips Moving
Keep your eyes peeled for bumperstkkers. and
send them on in to ediiori3jlogpole.com.
6 FLAGPOLE.COM • JUNE 15, 2005