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1
mi
at the Georgia Theatre
Friday, June 12 th
Music at lOpm • Tickets $10 advance • $15 at the door
Saturday, June 13 th
Special icia-friendl^
IN THE AFTERNOON
Music at 1:30pm * Tickets $8 for kids * $12 for adults
BIG CITY BREAD CAEE
Open until 9:30pm
Monday-Saturday
^ with Special
Dinner
Menu
Now Serving
Beer & Wine
393 N. Finley St. oft Prince Ave. • 706-353-0029
www.bigcitybreadcafe.com
4 FLAGPOLE.COM JUNE 10,2009
ATHENS NEWS AND VIEWS
The News on Oak Grove: ACC commissioners
appear to be reaching a compromise with
developers on the details of adding a super
market and retail area to the Oak Grove devel
opment on Jefferson Road. Oak Grove—with
homes in different sizes and styles, clustered
around common areas—was the subject of an
NPR "Morning Edition" report in 2004, and
has been praised by local environmentalists
for its design (but not for its location: too
far out in the rural "greenbelt," they've said,
contributing to sprawl). The homes have sold
for $200,000-5500,000, and incorporate such
traditional Southern amenities as porches and
high ceilings.
In 2004, commissioners approved adding
a retail component, provided it met various
requirements for greenspace and mixed-use
design. Now the developer wants to increase
the allowed commercial space (while including
less greenspace), and wants exemptions from
a few specific requirements. The plan is to
build 300 apartments, a grocery store, a res
taurant, retail shops, a fast-food chain, bank,
pharmacy, and assisted-living facil
ity. It includes sidewalks, bike park
ing and a 50-foot wide tree buffer
along Jefferson Road. [John Huie]
More on That Story: Several commis
sioners have engaged the Oak Grove
developers in "serious negotia
tions," Commissioner David Lynn
said last week, hoping to eliminate
the planned drive-throughs (except
at the bank), add residential spaces
above shops and lower the apart
ment densities. "Business is very
welcome in this community," Lynn
said. "But I don't think that being
business-friendly and high-quality
design are mutually exclusive." Two
years ago, after commissioners stuck
to their guns on mixed-use require
ments for residential developments
on Oconee Street, the developers of
those two projects abandoned them;
they said market demand would not
support the commercial spaces the
county wanted them to add. But
this time, commissioners and the
developer seem headed for compro
mise, and have agreed to table the request for
a month to work out details. "I think these
requirements make sense," developer Joe
O'Kelley told Flagpole. "There are some things
you can make commercially work, and some
you can't." The developers are hosting an
open house for any interested citizens to view
the plans and provide input on Sunday, June
14 between 4 and 8 p.m. at the Oak Grove
clubhouse, 350 Addison Rd. in the existing
residential development. [JH]
In Other News: The interest payment deadline
for Morris Publishing, the Athens Banner-
Heraltfs owner, has been delayed again. A for
bearance granted by its creditors (the sixth in
this streak) gave Morris until Friday, June 12
to come up with $9.7 million originally due
back in February. What happens this week? As
usual, it's anybody's guess... [Ben Emanuel]
BRAG: If you think you're seeing spandex
everywhere you go in town this Wednesday,
June 10, it's probably because the Bike Ride
Across Georgia is spending its layover day
here, midway through the ride. Welcome them!
Show 'em Athens loves bikes! [BE]
Budgets Away: Well, it's over. For now. The
ACC Mayor and Commission and the Clarke
County Board of Education both got their
yearly budgets passed last week. The school
board's is definitely the harsher of the two on
the personnel front, eliminating 25 teaching
jobs but, then again, managing to keep some
of the classroom parapros over whom there
was uproar earlier this spring. The Mayor and
Commission voting meeting last week didn't
go down without dissent from commissioners
George Maxwell and Ed Robinson on changes
to The Bus in particular; see John Huie's
report this week at Flagpole.com for more on
that meeting. [BE]
Chatterbox: The politico-legal rumor mill has
lately turned up the name of Superior Court
Judge Steve Jones as one (out of presum
ably many) vying for an open seat on the
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of
Georgia. Hard news of any sort, though, is still
bottled up in Washington, DC, where nomina
tions for various Judicial Branch positions
A bike (and “bumper” sticker) seen around town.
are still, as of press time, making their way
through the political ranks. Jones himself had
zero comment on the matter, but here's hoping
he gets the job. He's been a good judge for
Athens, and deserves the promotion if indeed
he wants it. [BE]
More Than Just a Parking Deck: What will
sprout up one day at the corner of Washington
and Lumpkin streets downtown, spilling
around the Georgia Theatre and over to
Clayton Street? What does it mean to have
a mixed-use, "wrapped" parking deck? Like,
will it be cool, or will it be lame? And to
paraphrase an ACC press release that came
out last week: What will it mean to down
town Athens? Find out all about the planned
SPLOST-funded downtown parking deck at
an open house on Tuesday, June 16 between
5:30 and 7 p.m. (it's a drop-in deal; you
don't have to stay the whole time) in the ACC
Planning Department auditorium at 120 W.
Dougherty St. This writer will be on vacation
and will have to miss it, but seriously: it's
probably worth a look. [BE]
Ben Emanuel & John Huie
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BEN EMANUEL