Newspaper Page Text
WHAT'S UP IN NEW DEVELOPMENT
The Banner-Heralcf s recent discovery of
and fascination with Professor Jack Crowley's
light-rail concept for Athens after a recent
transportation forum is an interesting turn in
the local planning conversation. Disregarding
that that paper is only reporting this idea as
headline news three-and-a-half years after we
first broke the story, it is great to see a con
cept as compelling as this begin to gain trac
tion. The idea of transforming the little-used
rail line through campus to transit service is
a great vision for this community; what is
it about that idea that finally allowed it to
cut through the chatter? In the same way,
what is it about the River District proposal,
which first came to light a few short months
ago, that has resonated so strongly that it is
described with near inevitability by so many
around town?
Really, these are questions of vision, and
it's worth asking why this city has for so long
been unable to author any compelling plan
for its own future. There are numerous city
planning documents floating around, like the
Future Land Use Map, the Greenway Network
Plan, and the Service Delivery Plan for infra
structure like sewer lines. The school district
is another major player, as are transporta
tion officials at local, regional (MACORTS) and
state levels. However, none of these plans has
captured the imagination of the public with
nearly as much success as ideas like Crowley's.
Why not?
The visions that resonate most are the
ones that cut across those government silos
to produce integrated concepts about what
the future looks and feels like. To delve a
little more deeply into Crowley's vision for
local passenger rail, the concept also calls for
transit-oriented villages studded along the rail
line south of town, feeding people from those
walkable nodes into the urban core, while pre
serving rural land farther out and between sta
tions. What umbrella would such a concept fall
under in order to be successfully executed? Is
it a planning initiative, a transit one or some
thing else?
The Greenway, even though governed by
a Greenway Commission and the Greenway
Network Plan, ought to be a fairly cross-
disciplinary affair, but it is to some degree
siloed within the Leisure Services depart
ment, missing many of the opportunities that
Greenway infrastructure presents beyond rec
reation. The Greenway vision, like Crowley's,
could provide a framework for growth and
conservation across the county, dovetailing
with the concepts like walkability and urban
infill espoused in documents like the Future
Land Use map. However, even the Planning
Department has to some degree become a
silo unto itself, focused on managing zoning,
rather than being a coordinating entity.
It's worth comparing the two major forces
in this community—ACC and UGA—and how
their respective planning processes allow for
visioning and planning to unfold. In the case
of UGA, there is a pretty clear and compre
hensible vision for the campus, which calls for
a contiguous walkable network of quads and
greenspaces, framed by architecturally consis
tent structures, generally red brick and with
Classical lines.
Regardless of whether or not you agree
with the general aesthetic of the campus,
the consistency in terms of execution is
certainly a compelling example of effective
visioning, and it may contain elements that
could translate well to
the city's execution of
a vision for itself. The
university's campus
vision also reflects the
values of that institu
tion, and it's worth ask
ing what exactly Athens'
plans and visions (or
lack thereof) say about
the community and its
values.
Another noteworthy
aspect of the univer
sity's planning efforts is
the centralized nature
of the planning. With
almost everything pass
ing through the campus
architects' office, there
is a great degree of continuity in the built
environment. Consider this in contrast with
ACCs misalignments between infrastructure
and zoning, as evidenced by the Sandy Creek
basin rezoning, or with schools built far into
the greenbelt where no children could ever
walk to them, or with the adopted plan for
the Classic Center expansion, which proposes,
among other things, a Walmart-sized loading
dock that is totally incompatible with our own
design guidelines.
The private sectors of the design and plan
ning fields have increasingly acknowledged
that'the projects of the future will be com
plicated, multi-disciplinary endeavors that
touch on many diverse skill-sets and require
holistic solutions to execute. Currently, our
government is far too compartmentalized to
successfully execute the complex projects that
are already bearing down us.
The Environmental Coordinator position is
one example of how that inter-departmental
collaboration is already being facilitated in
Athens, but it's only a first step. Proposals like
the River District have an uncertain ownership
and status, and it's hard to determine where
to put such visionary proposals in the existing
governmental framework. Other, more progres
sive communities have for decades made use
of urban design centers and nonprofit devel
opment corporations to push forward these
projects in ways that municipal governments
are ill-equipped to do, and it may be worth
seriously considering how to create something
like that here. Regaftiless, it's not a lack of
good ideas that has stifled Athens, but sig
nificant gaps in the planning structure that
have held us back for so long.
Kevan Williams athensrising@flagpole.com
Infill standards talk about street frontage and continuous pedestrian experienc
es. The Bob M. Snipes Water Resources Center is an example of a public building
that doesn't follow those standards, creating a jarring moment in the city fabric.
Half—pints Summer Camps
“Half-pints can
become artists
at Pints and
Paints.”
Created lor
artists of
all ages and
skill' levels
Half-pipts Summer Camps ia June a July.
Ages 5-8 ami 9-13
www.pintsandpafints.com
675 Pulaski St. • Leathers Building
TASTE
k OF INDIA
FINIE INDIAN CUISINE
Serving ^Seafood, Chicken, Lamb,
Goat & Vegetarian Entrees
Serving Beer <£ Wine
LUNCH BUFFET
\MON-FRI 11:30am-2:30pm $7.95\
SAT & SUN 12pm-3pm $8.95
Dinner: Mon-Sun 5pm- 10pm
Open 7 Dags • 131 B East Broad St.
706-559 0000
iVtViV. indiaathens. com
Broa'd 'Riv e r|© utpost.c o m
706.795.3242 'Free!
Showers
SlowWdter Coolers
WhiteWoter f'l' Parking
"“ 'iiiill m mam
-7-
- . i.
HEAt
ATHENS*
,
Canoe & Kayak Rentals & Camping
Wkend/Holiday S20 - $15 Wkday
Saturday • i2:30*3pm on Sunday
Every Saturday & Sunday
Oyster Day
S8 doz. Raw or Chargrilled (all day)
S2 Mimosas & $3 Bloody Man s
Every Mondav
$3 Martinis featuring 360 Vodka
Even Wednesday 6nm LIVE MUSIC
May 11 WMllEU SMITH (of Stewart & Winfield )
May 18 JAY HARKWALTER
Open 4pm Mon-Fri and 11am Sat & Sun
- By the Loop -
2095 S. Milledge Ave.
706-548-3359
offering:
The Best From the Ixnpcountry
I Every’ Sunday
LawcaiiNTRy sau.
$12.50 All Day
$2 Mimosas & $3 Blood}- Man?»i2:30-3pm
TLAEMSVElMW
Wr * ,r 4 mil
We ster Clay Class® 4
GOQDIDIRT
WANT TO THY IT OUT HIRST?
Try clay every Triday 7-9pm
$20 person - aegiimers most welcome
urum
VOTED ATHENS
BEST JEWELER
DOWNTOWN • 706-546-8826
MAY11.2011-FLAGPOLE.COM 7
