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WHAT'S UP IN NEW DEVELOPMENT
Last week I dwelled a bit longer on the past than I usually
prefer, specifically of the Classic Center and its tribulations on
the way to our present predicament. . his week. HI get back on
the proactive track, and explore some possibilities for moving
this project forward in a way that leads to a better result not
just for the Classic Center, but for downtown and Athens in
general.
The first thing we need to do is get specific about the
design and planning questions that need answering. The
proposal so far pays only the faintest lip service to these
issues, despite claims to the contrary by Classic Center officials
' and staff; there have been vague reassur
ances, but guiding principles must be laid
out explicitly and then comprehensively
implemented. The process for this must be
highly public and collaborative, both in the
establishment of principles and goals, and'
in vetting the proposed solution against
the initial goals. Whoever ends up preparing
the design for this thing must "show their
work."
Urban connectivity should be a priority,
generally, but we have yet to define the
parameters of that in a way that works.
In the conversation about Hancock, the
community reacting against the project has
one definition that is holistic and systems-
focused, the Classic Center another that is
more data-driven, focusing on traffic counts.
These conflicting definitions are as big a
problem in the conversation as anything.
The economic development angle is
another question that we have yet to define
in a mutually intelligible way. The Classic
Center has touted a figure for economic
impact (produced by a consultant they
hired), and that has served as justification
for the collateral damage to existing Foundry
Street businesses. That figuring also fails to acknowledge
the ramifications of the ripple effects over the long term,
hampering the viability of a future river district. In essence,
the ** ssic Center has a very good answer to the short-range
economic impact question. Unfortunately, the public is asking
about both the immediate and long-range implications, and
the Classic Center's argument falls right through the middle.
The two conversations just aren't lining up.
The Classic Center has also failed to lay out a compelling
vision for Foundry Street as an integral piece of downtown.
When connections are lost at Washington and Hancock, the
street will be so isolated that it will only serve as a back alley
for the Classic Center. How long before it, too, is claimed for
higher and better and uses, and the last vestiges of private
urban fabric are wiped out? Turning taxable private property in
the area into a liability isn't neighborly, it isn't good economic
development, and it isn't good design.
Instead, the Classic Center should be responsible for devel
oping that area into a vibrant extension of downtown, and the
first stepping stone towards the river. The idea of locating
an Athens Tech hospitality program on Foundry is an excellent
one, and it supports the notion of a public, active, diverse
street life for the area. The Classic Center should be pursu
ing that and other ideas which set it apart from the broad
market of competing exhibit halls (including ones in town like
the Grand Hall of UGA's Tate Center). In the same way that a
diverse downtown that isn't entirely dependent on UGA stu
dents and the Classic Center is essential to long-term economic
stability for Athens, a Classic Center with a diversified and
unique set of facilities may be the key to its long-term future.
The unique opportunities and constraints that Foundry and
Hancock create could result in a truly one-of-a-kind conven
tion destination. Trying to apply the standard model to an
unsuitable site won't get us anywhere, though.
What's more, the question of the mechanism by which we
have those sorts of conversations is unanswered. So far, com
missioners and ACC bureaucrats alike have seemed hamstrung
by the process, with all lamenting it but few considering alter
native methods. The mantra of 'slowing it down' is gaining
support from our elected leaders, but once it is slowed down,
we need a good plan to move forward, rather than simply
delaying the decision. In looking at each of these actions, we
should also consider how they might be applied to the next
big controversy, be it the jail, T-SPLOST road projects, the rail-
to-trail project's implementation, or some unforeseen issue.
The idea of a charrette (an intensive community planning
process unfolding over a short time period) is viable, as it pres
ents the opportunity to build common ground among all stake
holders and buy-in on a unified concept, while retaining the
initial timeline for the expansion, more or less. Such a process
could also be a good kickoff to the Downtown Master Plan we
so desperately need and to conversations about the 'Project
Blue Heron' ffiver District There are already good resources
in town and on campus that could be brought to bear on such
an effort, making it a fiscally prudent idea as well.
A new Classic Center master plan is also something we
ought 'r co nsider. The convention center is a means to an
economic end, and once we define our economic development
goals, we should take a hard look at how not only this expan
sion but future phases of the Classic Center's growth will fit in.
It might also make sense to set six to 12 months aside and
appoint a citizens' committee to explore and review this and
other ideas relating to downtown's growth beyond its current
boundaries. Other topics that should be a part of the conver
sation include the several proposals for student apartments
both cast and west of downtown, and how
the Greenway and other SPLOST projects
are reinforcing broad goals for our urban
economic engine. The Athens Downtown
Development Authority's board is, by its very
structure, overly focused on the day-to-day
management of the risting downtown area,
at the expense of long-term planning of the
peripheries, and may not be the right body
for such a task.
We should also talk seriously about
bringing management of SPLOST projects
in-house, rather than contracting that ser
vice out. Such a move might save the county
a good deal of money, make the SPLOST
process more transparent, and ensure that
individual projects align well with our long
term community goats.
As we move from the Classic Center on
to the next big issue, we should also be
considering how to take the accumulated
ccmmunity interest, momentum and energy
a id build on it With so many competing
and often conflicting bureaucracies in this
town, including ACC and its various boards
and authorities, our hospitals, the Housing
Authority and state entities like the univer
sity, we ought to consider how both to watchdog and inte
grate alt of these competing visions into a unified whole.
A third-party organization that can mediate and remain
somewhat objective might go a long way not only toward
solving this set of problems, but to moving us forward with
an eye towards the long-term. But even a search through the
relevant local advocacy and nonprofit organizations like Athens
Grow Green, BikeAthens, Athens Land Trust, the Chamber of
Commerce and the Athens Clarke Heritage Foundation reveals
an equally fractured and specialized landscape.
It's hard to say which of these strategies (if any) is the best
one, but at some point we have to start knitting together
this fractured community. The talent is here, but we have yet
to find a compelling way to create common ground on commu
nity-wide design and planning issues.
Kevan Williams athen$n$ing@flagpole com
Is the Classic Center really an economic development engine’ Consult your local stylist.
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8 FLAGPOLE.COM • JANUARY 19,2011
