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SPECIAL REPORT. PT. 1
Forget about that image on the cover showing all those new
buildings down along the river. Throw out whatever anyone's
told you about what Athens could or could not be. Forgive any
one you ever argued with about pedestrian malls and parking
decks. Right now, we have the opportunity to start the con
versation over. This isn't an academic exercise, though; we're
doing this with the tools that, if used correctly, could help us
realize the dreams we have for this community. There's a good
chance that this is what we were waiting for.
The ideas for how this might work came, in part, out of dis
cussions by some concerned and inspired community members
following the Athens Clarke Heritage Foundation's Urban
Design Symposium this past spring, and the follow-up
presentation I gave this summer at Cine. Recently, I've
had the privilege of being a part of a conversation
now being led by the ACC Economic Development
Foundation about creating what's been dubbed an
"Economic Development Zone" on the eastern edge of
downtown Athens.
Although my view of all this may seem rather glow
ing, compared to the typically more critical approach of
this column, it's because I believe that this is the best
chance at dramatic and lasting change we're going to
get in Athens for a long while. The temporarily damp
ened economy (and it is only temporary!) has changed
the landscape enough that people who might not nor
mally have been talking are, and those strange bedfel
lows have come up with something quite special.
This week, I'd like to focus on what this big idea is,
and what it means for some of our ongoing conversa
tions. Next week, we'll get our hands a little dirtier dig
ging into how this thing might work and come together.
This zone is centered on the swathes of vacant land
between the historic downtown grid and the North
Oconee River, roughly between Dougherty and Broad.
People have often talked about a hypothetical River
District and what other land use decisions might mean for
it; this is how that abstract notion becomes concrete. Over
the past few months, that EDF-led team has taken advantage
of the lulled real estate market and pulled together options
on various pieces of private property in the area that, when
coupled with the public parcels already waiting for a better
use, will create a contiguous zone in which to work. The goal
is to create a truly successful central business district by
providing the type of atmosphere and incentives that attract
high-quality jobs and high-quality employees.
The great flaw in the strategy of using Highway 316 as a
corridor for growth is that, by being between the universities
of Athens and Atlanta, it is really nowhere at all. Why put your
bjsiness an hour from both cities, receiving marginal benefit
from each, when you could be right in the middle of the beat
ing, jumping heart of one?
This zone would instead allow Athens to focus on sell
ing our many local assets to attract and grow businesses, by
eliminating some of the previous barriers to downtown's .
economic growth. Briefly, land would be held by the non-profit
organization or authority that ultimately manages this place,
and leased at low cost to businesses who move in and build
in the zone and implement the vision. Low-interest loans and
other incentives would be another big draw. This is the way to
level the economic playing field among us and our peer com
munities, so that we can focus on selling the many things that
are great and unique about Athens. We have culture and qual
ity of life that so few have; rather than choosing between
that and better financial opportunities, now we can give busi
nesses both.
What better spot to focus on new businesses than immedi
ately adjacent to our state's flagship university, a major con
vention center, the future commuter rail link to Atlanta, and a
five-minute drive from our local airport? Five planned green
way spokes will already converge here, weaving from attractive
and affordable neighborhoods through beautiful greenspaces
to an already vibrant downtown.If that's the commute and
downtown is the lunch spot, this district will be a place where
people will want to work. Currently, downtown's business
makeup and Athens' general economic makeup aren't diversi
fied. Downtown is a bar and entertainment district primarily,
and Athens is UGA's company town. This is a way out of that
precarious position. More daytime users of downtown will cre
ate the market to broaden the retail makeups. It doesn't mean
fewer bars, but it does mean more businesses will likely look at
how they could capitalize on this growing "adult," rather than
student market
The meat of the idea is what really matters, though. Initial.
estimates show that over 600 jobs could be directly created
for the community in the first seven years. There would be a
significant focus on providing jobs for low- to middle-income
people in the community, with jobs that they could walk or
bike to being a key component. Tax revenues in the first year
might be around $4-5 million and increase annually. Over 20
years, such a project could result in approximately $3.2 bil
lion in economic impact for the Athens community. As the
concept is honed and the community weighs in, those numbers
will be vetted and changed as time goes on and the models for
funding are worked out, but this is a good point from which to
begin the discussion.
What this district will ultimately include is up to the com
munity. The makeup of businesses here should reflect the val
ues and fabric of Athens. Already, though, some ideas are being
considered and pursued to anchor this district. The Georgia
Music and Sports Halls of Fame have been considered as
potential tourism anchors, along with a home for the Georgia
Natural History Museum. That museum alone would result in
over 200 jobs being created and could be the iconic sort of
draw that makes Athens a major destination for tourism.
An amphitheater capable of hosting concerts that draw
from around the region could help Athens capitalize on
its music industry. Business incubators, office buildings
and data centers have all been explored as possibilities
for bringing in and creating new high-tech jobs. Tying
it all together would be a new riverwalk along the North
Oconee and other high-quality urban spaces, building on
Athens' maturing cafe culture in a way that makes this
community an even bigger draw for the region.
What's important to remember is that this is a tool
that will let Athens proactively shape its economic
future in a cohesive and comprehensive way, rather
than reacting as each isolated development crops up in
an unexpected and unwelcome place. What specifically
goes here is up to the people of this community, should
they wish to pursue this. If Athens decides it wants to
- create a bio-medical research and development zone,
here's the way to do it.
In the next few days, proposals will pour into the
Athens Dowptown Development Authority's office for
how various design and planning companies about how
to conduct a visioning study for downtown Athens.
That study just got a whole lot less academic. We should
take that opportunity and use it to realty explore where
we're headed, and how these economic tools could
actually help us get there. The Classic Center, rolling forward
as it is with its expansion, has put forward one idea about
downtown. The university has its own part to play in what
happens around downtown, with the Special Collections Library
under construction and pointing one way forward. UGA also .
controls significant swathes of land that could reinforce what
Athens does. All of these folks need to be at the table as we
head forward, so that the strengths and talents of all these
entities and people can be harnessed to create a solution that
benefits everyone. This new zone will help produce a better
contention center, a better university and a better historic
downtown district.
This is a blank canvas in many ways, and what goes on it
is up to all of us. Think of where we are now as the first leg of
the relay. The EDF-led team that pulled together the land and
the concepts we're talking about has passed all of us one hell
of a baton. Now the community gets to run with it
Kevaa Williams athensrisingQftagpoie.com
Sporadic development, including the Multi-Modal Transportation Center and the colossal
909 Broad apartments, has popped up between downtown and the North Oconee River in
recent years. Could this be the time to move forward with a concerted plan for the area?