About Flagpole. (Athens, Ga.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (April 20, 2011)
KEVAN WILLIAMS 0 WHAT’S UP IN NEW DEVELOPMENT Athens is getting closer and closer to that biomedical future it's long dreamed of, but it'll come in the form of research labs arrayed around the new Medical College of Georgia, and not vaccine plants in the industrial park. In the last few months, we've seen a number of medical industry-related projects locate in the vicinity of the greater Prince Avenue cor ridor, from a blood plasma collection center downtown on Hancock to new medical offices on West Broad, a large cancer care center on Jefferson Highway, and a new nursing home off Kathwood Drive. When you add all these seemingly disparate projects together, the potential is quite exciting. Don't forget that we're in a slowly recovering economy, and this already robust growth could speed up even more as the med school opens for business and the economy begins growing. Classes will begin on the med school campus in August of 2012, and when that happens, the dynamic of Normaltown should change considerably. Where will these fresh- faced students live? Where will they do their late-night studying and get their caffeine fixes? An eruption of hundreds of new regulars onto the retail scene could spur some new businesses and possibly diversify the retail makeup in unanticipated ways. Consider the lucrative trade in college textbooks, mostly centered on Baxter Street these days, and the announced intention to find a home for Avid Bookstore somewhere in the Prince Avenue area: those doctors-to-be will have to buy copies Gray's Anatomy somewhere, right? The retail growth that a new engine for this quarter of the city will generate could spill over farther afield, perhaps buoying sites like the ailing Homewood Hills Shopping Center, and underdeveloped commercial corridors like Hawthorne Avenue. The Beechwood and Alps shopping centers are already packed to the brim, and perhaps that energy will start to extend northward. Medical schools typically draw a lot of ancillary businesses to their vicinities, and if the infrastructure is there to support it, we'll see the Hawthorne corridor unify into a great jobs district not only for Athens, but for the region. Already, there are two major hospitals, countless medical offices, and vari ous large-footprint facilities like retirement communities, extended-stay hospitals and nursing homes in the area. Do those all put even greater pressure on Hawthorne, or do we plan now to integrate them into a successful and attractive urban district? ACC commissioners have put an upgrading of the street onto the initial T-SPLOST list, and if that project works its way through the review and referendum process, it'll be a game changer for the community. Even if T-SPLOST fails, we'll have to deal with the street at some point, and in order to truly capitalize on tnat investment, the area needs a master plan that proscriptively shapes it. New streets and better connections to existing neighbor hoods will help to create a walkable district, rather than an auto-dominated highway. So, what might the ideal future of this medical corridor look like? Leafy neighbor hoods and a leafy campus already define the core of the area, and perhaps those desirable attri butes are what we ought to consider extending. Hawthorne Avenue, if wid ened to a full four lanes along its entirety, could become a leafy divided boulevard flanked by mid-rise buildings of three to four stories. That might strike the right bal ance for the area, with a mix of retail, research, office and residential uses. We'll be glad we kept Bishop Park's lawns intact, as that green space could be come a Central Park of sorts for the growing area, with a variety of uses and users. Transportation in and out of the area will be key, and the city and campus transit systems working together to link the district to the rest of the city will be critical. A free shuttle bus linking Normaltown to downtown is certainly an exciting possibil ity. Linking the area to the North Oconee River Greenway is another interesting idea. A portion of the Beech Haven property on the Middle Oconee River, recently acquired by the county, could provide a trail connection up to Hawthorne and Oglethorpe Avenue, follow ing a creek in the area. Another possibility might be to follow the CSX rail line east to the Greenway. Regardless of those long-range concepts, bike routes along Oglethorpe are already heavily travelled, and Prince has long been discussed as£ potential target for cycling amenities as welL In the past year or so, hundreds of thou sands of square feet of medical space have been proposed or are under construction in this area. UGA will begin renovating buildings on the former Navy School campus shortly. Whether we like it or not, this area will undergo intense pressure as the med school gets up and running. That can either happen in a disjointed fashion, ruled by the hodge podge suburban fabric that already exists there, or it can become a centerpiece for the city and the region. If we can get out in front of it, the latter just might end up being the outcome. Kevan Williams athensrising@flagpole.com Hawthorne Avenue is currently a congested and even hazardous street for motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians. New growth will follow the burgeoning medical field into the area; how will our infrastructure support that? 40% OFF any one item at regular price One coupon per customer per day. Orfer is no* valid with any other coupon, discount or previous purchase. Valid only April 20 - April 27. 2011. GOODjDIRT. 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