Newspaper Page Text
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.
REGISTER
Clay camps for ages 4-6, 7-10,11 +
Schedule online at: www.goc
706-355-31L
AS MUCH TATTOOING AS YOU
CAN SIT FOR ONLY $400
CALL FOR AN APPOINTMENT
800 Oyfetborpv Hia\ fltbvnv
706-949*0190
Jamaican, Indian & American
Authentically Prepared • Outdoor Dining • Neu» Menu Daily
Beer & Wine
Coming Soon!
Live Music
Free Wi-Fi
a*
Open 10-10 Seven Days A Week
Late Night on Weekends • Sunday Brunch
211 Tallassee Road
APRIL 20,2011-FLAGPOLE.COM 7
