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WHAT’S UP IN NEW DEVELOPMENT
All around town—with some fairly close in and some on the
outskirts—several huge projects are currently proposed or under
way. These projects encompass thousands of acres of previously
undeveloped land, and involve thousands of new homes. Many of
these are mixed-use, "Traditional Neighborhood" developments.
Whether their mixed-use aspects will be successful or are simply
Trojan horses for increased density remains to be seen. These
projects all contain multiple phases, sometimes taking a decade
to build out. Many of them have substantial portions set aside as
open space, often triggered by the local 75-foot stream buffer.
Down the road, with hundreds of acres of buffer in new conserva
tion easements, the map of the county might look a bit different
from today: These 150-foot wide swaths of land will follow creeks,
which inevitably connect to the river, enhancing our greenways.
On the West Side: Winslow Park, with 866 residential units and
216,800 square feet of commercial space, will be situated on 212
acres. Its plans were just approved last month, and it'll be located
at the far end of Atlanta Highway, almost to Bogart. The "town
center" is thoughtfully designed with people in mind, hiding park
ing lots behind buildings and providing plenty of park space and
street trees. Farther in, it becomes predominately single-family,
Near-East 8. Eastside: Construction is progressing at Lakewood, on
Barnett Shoals Road, which will have 875 new residential units on
over 200 acres. Commercial areas will be concentrated on Barnett
Shoals, with residential use wrapping around the lake from which
the neighborhood takes its name. What will the Eastside look like
with 2000 new New Urbanist denizens? This might be just close
enough to aid Gaines School's transformation into a walkable area
as mentioned in this column's last installment.
Pinecrest is in the middle of building some commercial struc
tures near its entrance on Barnett Shoals Road. Half of the 100-
acre site remains graded but undeveloped, and Charlie Williams'
Pinecrest Lodge remains unrenovated. The future of this area, full
of historical structures and sitting along the North Oconee River,
remains uncertain. A few years ago, a rendering was posted on
Whitehall Road depicting a new mixed-use phase; that rendering
has since disappeared, and there hasn't been much news.
Up North: There's a proposal currently on hold—as requested by its
applicant—for 885 residential units on 322 acres along Highway
29, just north of Hull Road. Looking fairly car-oriented, it contains
391 units in townhomes and multi-family buildings. This is a 96-
acre project with about 18 acres in greenspace.
ORANGE;
TWIN
WINSLOW
.PARK
LAKEWOOD
SUMMERVILLE
(PINECREST*
Some are approved, some are only under discussion (and may or may not happen), and some are under construction—but taken together, the large projects noted here
put a lot of land into play all around Athens.
with greenspace and a lake dividing the residential areas. This
project backs up to the CSX railroad, and the developers have
interestingly budgeted five acres for a commuter rail facility. Will
anyone take them up on that offer if the Brain Train is built?
Oak Grove's builders recently requested to redesign the com
mercial portion of their development at Jefferson Highway and
Lavender Road. The new plans have been shown to members of
the Planning Commission for comments, and will have to go across
their desks at least one more time. How will the people who have
already bought into this community feel when their supposed New
Urbanist town center turns into a generic strip-mall grocery with
plenty of outparcels for gas stations, car washes and fast food? The
proposed changes deviate substantially from their marketed philos
ophy of putting people first, and the Planning Commission doesn't
seem thrilled with it. Overall, this is a 208-acre project with about
700-plus homes and a good bit of greenspace along two creeks.
On Jennings Mill Road, and backing up to the bypass,
Summerville is a newly approved development (not built yet)
with a New Urbanist angle, this time channeling the architecture
of Charleston and Savannah. Unfortunately, its planners aren't as
gracious with public squares as Savannah's planner, James Edward
Oglethorpe, was. Phase One of Summerville includes only a single
one-acre square, surrounded by garages. The second phase will
be slightly more generous with community greenspace: there's a
large semi-circular park facing the town center, and a natural creek
separates the two phases.
This summer saw a proposal submitted for a large project
at 1360 Newton Bridge Rd., between the North Oconee River
and Commerce Road. This project has been sent to the Planning
Commission, but hasn't yet been approved or denied. In fact, it
could be a while before this one comes up on Planning's docket
again. The development as submitted would have 443 residential
units and 51,000 square feet of commercial space on 264 acres,
with 55 percent of the land set aside as greenspace.
The Orange Twin Conservation Community has to be the most
interesting project of this sort by far, and it gained approval last
year. It's homegrown, designed and funded by the people who'll
live there. About 100 of the 155 acres will be preserved, and there
are lots of neat cr.minunity buildings scattered around two village
sites. Instead of tennis courts and swimming pools as amenities,
there will be a barn/ workshop, greenhouse, community garden,
and roadside fruit stand. A total of 45 dwelling units are planned.
These represent a few of the larger projects around town, and
there are plenty more on a smaller scale, all together representing
thousands of new housing units around Athens. Many of these are
upscale, with most marketed from the $150s and on up. Although
the prospect of lots of trendy New Urbanist communities is a
thrilling one in some ways, the idea all these new houses and new
people is still an alarming thought.
Kevan Williams
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