I'm gonna call the meeting to order.

It's uh 553.

The enabling age legislation for the public facilities authority says that it three members shall constitute a quorum.

Uh the members of the meeting uh that are here, the members of the authority are Tiffany Taylor, Patrick Davenport, Allison Wright, Dexter Fisher, and Carol Myers.

Uh let the meeting let the record show that uh uh everyone is here except for Commissioner Davenport.

The purpose of this meeting is to consider the request of the Northeast Georgia Regional Commission to purchase the Northeast Georgia Regional Commission Commission's property back from the public facilities authorities for ten dollars and to consider any other item proper.

The first item of business, the clerk of commission will administer the oath to newly appointed officers as required by section 4A of the enabling legislation.

If you'll raise your right hand and I will read the oath of office afterwards, you'll then say I do.

I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully and honestly discharge the duties of office as a member of the Athens Clark County Public Facilities Authority.

I didn't congratulations.

Great.

Let the record show that uh Commissioner Davenport is here and also took the oath.

Uh the next order of business is to elect a chairperson for the 2025, which is a requirement of the enabling legislation, a chairperson election is required each year, and there's no prohibition against reappointment to serve another year as chairman.

I would like to ask for a motion for a floor for for a chairperson for 2025.

After this, they're elected, they'll take over the conduct of the meeting.

I would like to nominate Dexter Fisher.

Okay.

Is there a second to that nomination?

I'll uh consider the nominations closed.

All those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

All right.

Chairperson Fisher, you may now take over the meeting.

The next order of business is the is the secretary.

Thank you.

Um attorney Drake.

At this time I'd like to um elected secretary, and those records will be kept in the clerk's office um pertaining to section 4D.

So do I have a motion on the floor to elect someone that's the secretary um for the Northeast Georgia Regional Commission?

So move.

No, I'm I motion to that motion take.

No, we got to nominate some back.

I motion to uh uh elect Tiffany Taylor.

I'll second that.

See, you should be quiet.

Yeah, it's been put on the floor that um Commissioner Tiffany Taylor has been nominated to um serve as the secretary second.

All in favor, aye and the opposed.

So right now we need to approve the minutes of July 6th 2010.

Minutes.

And motion to approve.

Clerk sent those out earlier for everybody.

Can I get a second?

Second.

It has been motioned by Commissioner Wright, second by Commissioner Taylor that the minutes of July 6th, 2010 um be approved.

All in favor?

Any opposed.

Thank you.

At this particular time, we'll have public input.

If you wish to address the mayor commission on any item listed below on the agenda, please go to the podium, state your name and address.

Rules of the commission state that members of the public may speak once when the following the following portion of the agenda is up to three minutes with a 30-second reminder at two and a half minutes.

The next item, do we have anybody from the um public that like to speak on um item H.

I'm not gonna recognize you.

But seriously, if you want to speak, you're more than happy.

Okay, come to the poly.

Seriously.

Okay.

Oh, I'm sorry.

What item did you say?

H.

H.

Public Facilities approach.

Yes.

It's not on the regular agenda.

This is a special call meeting.

Seeing no one from the public that won't speak on it.

Like consider request from Northeast Northeast Georgia Region Commission purchase.

Northeast Georgia Regional Commission property back from the public.

So this authority for ten dollars.

Can I get a motion for that, please?

I have a question.

Can we get a clarification on the address?

Yes, the address is three oh five research drive is the location of the property.

And just as a brief background for the public owner about September 19th, 2007, the Northeast Georgia Regional Development Center, which is now known as the Northeast Georgia Regional Commission entered into a lease agreement with Athens Clark County Public Facilities Authority in connection with a transaction whereby the public facilities issued revenue bonds to the Northeast Georgia Regional Commission backed by the unified governor of Athens Clark County to finance the renovation of the Northeast Georgia Regional Commission's office building located three oh five research drive.

So there's a motion to approve um item H.

So it's been um approved I've been motioned by uh Commissioner Dan point second by Commissioner Taylor.

All in favor?

Aye.

Any opposed Are there any other items that we need to consider before we adjourn?

Motion to adjourn.

Not to my knowledge.

Second.

The Athens Clark County Public Facility Authority meeting is now adjourned.

Thank you.

Good evening everyone.

It's Tuesday, August the 19th, 2025, and we are here for the monthly agenda setting meeting of the Athens Clark County Mayor and Commission.

There are gonna be several opportunities for public input tonight that I'll describe in just a minute.

Um but first we're gonna go ahead and read our civility pledge provided to us by the Georgia Municipal Association.

This is uh the work that we uh that we care about, and so we uh want to do it well.

So the way we govern ourselves is often as important as the positions we take.

Our collective decisions will be better when differing views have had the opportunity to be fully vetted and considered.

All people have the right to be treated with respect, courtesy, and openness.

We value all input and we commit to conduct ourselves at all times with civility and courtesy to each other.

Um we are gonna have public input tonight uh first on the consent agenda, uh, which currently are items one through five.

Uh then we'll have individual public input after a staff presentation on each of the two planning and zoning items, and then we will have public input on uh new business.

Um public input for the meeting tonight uh will be a three-minute opportunity for each of those segments.

Uh you see a light in front of the clerk, it will turn green when you begin speaking, it will turn yellow when you have thirty seconds remaining, and it will turn red when your three minutes is expired, and we'll thank you for your time with us tonight.

Um I want to turn to the commission very quickly and ask, is there any item that a commissioner would like to move from the consent agenda for discussion?

I'm gonna recognize Commissioner Wright.

All right.

So we'll number one.

All right, and number one, Commissioner Myers will move to discussion also.

Any others?

Number seven.

Uh yeah, seven uh say yes, seven's on discussion if it's a zoning item.

Okay, sorry.

All right.

Uh would any member of the public like to provide input on items three, four, or five at this time?

Three, four, or five.

All right.

Seeing none, we'll go ahead and uh we get a staff presentation on each of our planning and zoning items.

And uh move so the screen can come down.

Bruce, good to have you here.

Item number six is several addresses ever on Puritan Lane.

All right, thank you.

So the first item, zoning item that we had this evening, is a plan development request.

This was heard both of these items tonight were heard at the August 7th planning commission meeting.

Um the addresses involved for these parcels are 1030, 1040, and 1060, Making Highway, 100, 104, 110, 120, 140, and 150 Puritan Lane.

The purpose of the request is to allow for a multifamily development and also for an increase in density.

The property is currently zoned RM1.

The request is to go to RM2 with the plan development, which carries with it a binding plan and a binding report.

The development scheme includes 70 townhouse style units.

This development would recombine the nine separate parcels into one nine, roughly nine and a half acre tract.

That nine and a half acres would also involve the abandonment of Puritan Lane to be added to the development site.

There is a waiver requested as well.

The applicant is asking for a reduction of the required conserved tree canopy.

In staff's analysis, we didn't find any support for that waiver, but we'll get into the request here a little bit with some images.

This is the location where the black arrow is on the screen is Puritan Lane.

This is the section of public right-of-way right now that is requested to be abandoned and incorporated into the development site.

You can see the lots, series of narrow, deep lots that all have housing of some sort on them right now.

Those homes were originally affiliated with the Puritan mill.

They were mill homes.

Those homes would be removed as part of this development scheme.

Future land use would not change.

It's mixed density residential now, and that would remain the same.

And then this slide shows the zoning request change from RM1 to RM2 with that PD designation on it as well.

This is the submitted site plan that came with the application.

The area in green that is highlighted is an access easement that would be used jointly by both public utilities to reach the sewer trunk line that is immediately to the west of this and kind of by the loop.

And then in the upper corner, you see an extension, not really upper corner, but towards the northwest lot line, you see an extension that goes over towards property that Athens Clark County owns, sometimes referred to as the Barber Creek battle site.

This is something that the applicant has agreed to provide for leisure services to use at a point in the future for access to that property.

They've also agreed to a number of parking spaces, five parking spaces that are shown in this parking area immediately adjacent to that access point.

This would allow access off of Macon Highway into the site for both leisure services personnel that may need to access Barber Creek for maintenance, but also public utility staff to maintain uh provide maintenance on the sewer line.

Architectural elevations that have been submitted.

These are representative of what they would propose.

Um very similar to what has been developed to the southwest of this site on the other side of Puritan Lane, which was developed by the applicant previously.

Other elevations that were submitted.

Planning commission recommendation.

In their review, they found that the request is partially compatible with the 2023 comprehensive plan.

It does increase the housing supply, but doesn't introduce any kind of variety of housing type for the area.

It's very consistent with what's immediately to the southwest.

They also found that it's partially compatible with the future land use map and the zoning map.

The key distinction that the planning commission discussed in their deliberation was this request is going from RM1, which is 16 beds to the acre, to RM2, which is 24 beds to the acre.

That's a 50% increase in density.

Right now, the way our occlusionary zoning ordinance is set up is that 50% increase in density is allowed by right.

You would just work through the ordinance to do that, and it would involve setting aside affordable units or working through the payment and lieu process.

Planning commission found in their discussion that using the inclusionary zoning process really removes the need for the rezone.

They also found that the PD request is asking for additional density with very modest public uh benefit being returned.

And uh they found that it was incompatible with the future land use character with regard to access to transit.

So planning commission's recommendation is for denial.

Regarding the waiver request for the 25% minimum conserved tree canopy, um the request from the applicant was to go to 17% of conserved canopy, and planning commission did not support the waiver request.

So that was also recommended for denial.

That concludes a staff report.

Well, hold on.

No, it doesn't.

Let me slow down.

If the body were to find that this development could be approved, both staff and the planning commission recommend that there are four conditions that we would ask you to take into consideration.

The first being that the plans be amended to resolve some corrective action issues, some code compliance issues that were detailed in the staff report.

The second condition involves providing that access for leisure services.

Most notably make it follow a contour line so there's not as much grading instead of going like this.

You could kind of go flat.

That would change the easement from what was shown on the master plan slightly.

That the five parking spaces shown not be compact spaces as shown but be standard size spaces.

That the developer would work with the park planning office to develop and install signage for those spaces.

That sidewalk be extended to provide a pedestrian walkway from the parking area to the access easement with a bike rack to be provided, and a six-foot-wide curb cut in the easement to allow for utility vehicles to enter for maintenance purposes.

To provide pedestrian access to the transit stop that is on Macon Highway.

And then the fourth condition is regarding the abandonment of Puritan Lane.

So that condition reads as follows.

Abandonment of Puritan Lane be authorized by the planning commission by the Commission of Athens, Clark County, Georgia, excuse me, in accordance with the laws of the state of Georgia and confirmation of the applicant's ownership of the abandoned portion.

No permits except permits for demolition of the existing structures shall be issued until the abandonment and confirmation of applicants' ownership are complete.

And now that ends the staff report.

Thanks, Bruce.

Is there any member of the public who would like to speak to this application?

Please make sure you fill out one of the input cards and just put it in the box for us if you if you have opportunity to speak tonight.

Anyone tonight?

Just let us know your uh name and place of evidence.

Good evening.

My name is Blake Underwood.

Um I am with the applicant.

Um it's good to see you all again.

I live at 160 Stanton Way in Athens.

We're excited to bring this project before you today.

This is essentially phase two of the project that we developed two years ago, which has been successful and very well received by the community.

Many of you have provided feedback of how beautiful phase one is already.

Phase two will have essentially the same look and feel.

I'd like to point out the community benefits to this to bringing this project to fruition.

Abandoning Puritan Lane, number one.

This is a substandard road that no longer services anyone other than us.

This eliminates the maintenance burden for the county forever.

These maintenance funds will be better served in other areas.

We are providing access through our project for the future maintenance of the sewer main at Barber Creek.

All ACC departments are very excited about Puritan Lane going away.

Abandonment was also allows for a nice interconnection of phase one and phase two, which is one of the stated goals in the 2023 comprehensive plan.

Number two, per leisure services request, we're providing access and parking to the adjacent 12-acre ACC tract for a future park or trails.

Currently, the only access is through the swamp down at the end, way well past Puritan Lane's dead end, which is basically no access to this tract at all.

Number three, currently there are not continuous sidewalks all the way down Macon Highway.

We will be adding a pedestrian crossing across Macon Highway, which will improve the pedestrian access along the corridor.

Number four, adding additional housing stock.

There was an article in the paper this week stating that a study showed Athens need Athens needs an additional 6,000 units.

You may agree or disagree with this very large number, but keep in mind we're only adding 70 units.

Number five, we are not changing a community or a corridor.

Look at Macon Highway.

It is dominated by student housing and has been for a long time.

Athens Ridge, Pure to Mill, the flats at Pure to Mill, River Club Apartments, Bulldog Crossing, Woodlawn, Linden Lane, which I'll remind you was approved for RM3 zoning just last year.

Just to name a few.

RM2 is compatible with the future, with the current future land use map and compatible with the proposed new future land use map that you guys are working on.

Where student housing students are already located.

Why not use the inclusionary zoning?

The topography is very challenging on this site, which makes it very expensive to develop.

We have rock to contend with as well.

With interest rates and construction costs where they are today, the market rate rents have to be really high to support the affordable units.

We're not building high-end units that rent for 1500 to 2,000 per bed.

Like properties closer to downtown.

Thanks for coming tonight.

I appreciate it.

Good evening.

Hey, good evening.

Um, my name's Frank Pittman with Pittman Agreer Engineering.

Um I live at 1400 Saxon Road in Watkinsville.

Um I am here representing the uh developers as well, and and just wanted to kind of quickly touch on a couple of comments on the staff report.

Um the uh as Bruce mentioned, there are some suggested conditions which we are completely fine with.

Uh the conversation with leisure services didn't come up, they didn't reach out until a day before the plan had to come back in, or we would have worked through the modifications on the plan that they wanted before it came to you guys, but but we were out of time.

Um so all those conditions we're fine with.

Um there were a couple comments about a suggestion maybe that going with smaller number of units in a building would be better and and and require less grading.

Um it's actually just the opposite of that.

Um if you if you went with less three three units in a building, which is suggested you've got a building separation between each of those, and and it it significantly increases the amount of area being developed.

Um the tree canopy waiver, I'll quickly touch on the uh the code requires a uh existing uh a conserved canopy of 25%.

We're requesting 17%.

This is for a number of reasons.

Uh, one being the the existing topography is very steep.

Um so we we've got a lot of of tie-in grade slopes, but we also this also includes the existing right-of-way of Pierre Ton Lane, which doesn't have any trees in it.

So that we're we're we're overcoming that area that that is going from zero, it and it's that's going into the total too.

So that decreases the overall.

Um we are providing uh 10% more than the required overall canopy and would be happier even to increase that if so, you know, if you guys wanted that, but um, you know, a canopy waiver could have been requested administratively.

That's the only waiver that we're even requesting.

Um and and so we brought this as a PD to you guys so y'all know what we're building instead of a straight rezone.

The plan we feel like meets the zoning code as is, other than a tree canopy waiver, um, but we didn't want to bring a straight rezone because we wanted you guys to feel feel good about knowing what was coming.

Um I guess I'll end on mentioning that you know there's been a lot of talk about housing and there's been a lot of talk about sewer in this community.

This is actually one of the very few places in the county where there is significant amount of sewer capacity.

Um, you know, there are a lot of areas where where housing can't be built because there's no more sewer capacity.

Um there's a lot of capacity in this line, it's a good good area to try to develop, and um you know, we we're just asking to really just increase the existing development.

Um hope you guys support tonight.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Pittman.

Is there anyone else here to speak to this submission tonight?

Commissioners, thank you for your time this evening.

My my name is Jeff Coom with Stratus Development Group at 2025 South Millage Avenue.

We come tonight to ask for your support and lightly up zoning a property already zoned for multifamily use.

The proposed use of aligns with both the current and the proposed future land use map, and also aligns well with the predominant multifamily use in the area.

Uh, what's being offered are several community benefits in exchange for the slight increase in density.

Uh, first off, the activation of a 12-acre city park.

Currently, the county owns a 12-acre parcel directly next to this property that has no access and no parking.

We are agreeing to both allow access and to provide parking for this 12-acre park.

This could be a game changer for that part of town on the neighborhood around it.

As the closest city park is one and a half miles away.

If you want an additional city park in town, we we ask for your support.

More quality housing.

The first phase was a resounding success.

And we are one of the highest rated communities in town.

As reported in the flagpole last week, the housing crisis is certainly not over.

If you want additional quality housing units in town, we ask for your support.

Preservation of homes.

We we have agreed to work with the city to relocate the existing homes in the property for even more housing stock and affordable housing in town.

And you want to do even more affordable units in town.

We we asked for your support here.

Cost savings.

In summary, we believe the project fits with the area, aligns with county goals, and provides a way for us to work together with additional community benefits.

We humbly ask for your consideration and support.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Kuhn.

Is there anyone else here to speak to this this evening?

All right.

Come for discussion.

It's in District 7, so Commissioner Cole Pepper.

I'll let you kick us off.

Yeah, so you know, we've talked about increasing density, and this is a student housing area.

So, you know, it's one thing when you're trying to increase density within a residential area.

This is not this is student housing all up and down making highway, and we're running into an issue a space issue, and we're gonna have to increase density.

So why not increase it where we can increase the student housing where it's not instead of them having them move into our single family residential homes?

Also, um they mentioned about moving the mill houses.

We're trying to uh figure out a way to move those mill houses to um we've been working um with several different people about moving those to county owned property and using funding from the affordable housing fund to create affordable houses or uh housing units for those mill houses.

So to me it's a win.

You're you're preserving the old houses and you're creating affordable housing if we can get that worked out.

Um yeah, they are cutting down, they are taking some of the tree canopy.

Um they're requesting a waiver.

Um, so you're losing eight percent, but if you look at the big picture, you're gaining a two per 2% net with what they're putting back, and they just mentioned if they needed to put more back, they would.

Also, the existing um entrance, uh Bruce, can you show the existing uh entrance to um phase one?

Uh well where it sits on the screen?

Yeah, so well, phase one is down below, and so there's an entrance out of there, there's only one, and that was designed by the county, but also the road coming up right there where the green that's the exit of uh Puritan Lane coming out onto Macon Highway.

And I don't know if y'all have been out there, but it's a it's a hill and a curve, so it's a dangerous curve.

So they would be redirecting it, redoing that, and so it'd be a safer entrance and exit out and creating another one into from the other um complex also.

And we talked about you know the inclusionary zoning with the way the land lays and you know, based on interest rates and construction costs, it's not it's not affordable to do it here.

And I don't know if that's the best place to create affordable housing in the middle of a student housing uh complex.

You know, with in town when there's more services available around it, that might be a better solution for inclusionary zoning, and also um like they mentioned the rents are higher on complexes in town development, and so that affords them to be able to uh have inclusionary zoning to offset the cost because right here, you know, you've got increased cost, you've got um a lot of different grade that you're gonna have to deal with and construction costs that there's not enough room to uh for the inclusionary zoning, the lower rents to make the numbers work.

Commissioner Wright.

Um, yeah, thanks.

Um Bruce, can you help me with the tree canopy numbers that I'm hearing?

Um I heard and maybe the difference is existing percentage versus new percentage.

Can you can you explain what is currently proposed with the canopy?

And so the the waiver that they were requesting was to dip 8% below that, and that was largely driven by the grading and the topo on site to have to manage that.

So the the compensatory amount, there would be new planting to get to the percentage the code required.

So the overall canopy as proposed would meet code.

Okay.

It was the amount of conserved canopy, the older growth trees that they wanted to waiver to not have to keep as much.

So the 25% was our expectations for preserved canopy.

That's right.

They're asking for 17.

That's right.

And then overall canopy with the new plantings, the finish is has a net gain.

The overall would meet code.

That's correct.

Okay.

And then can you find one of these pictures that's gonna help orient me to where the park is and potentially where the um confederate monument was moved?

I I'm having a hard time getting oriented.

Yeah.

And and maybe where that 12 acres is, because isn't the monument within Timothy Place.

Okay.

The monument is at the end adjacent to the 10 loop.

Okay.

So when this says entrance ramp up there, it's really the loop.

Yeah.

Okay.

That's what's messing me up.

Okay.

Correct.

So the the labeling at the top of the different drawings should just say loop 10th.

Correct.

Okay.

So then that would be um where the monument is.

And then is there one of these that would be showing our parcel?

Which is uh go down to the one that has two.

Oh, the duh.

Okay.

And then so then how is that lining up with that parking?

Because parking seems to me like it's up in the other corner.

So the yeah, here let me.

This well, the bar Barber Creek battle site kind of extends this way as well.

Um let's just make sure this is this line's correct.

Okay.

That's the connection.

Okay, so there's so there's where the connectivity would be.

Okay.

And uh, but yet that government parcel is not connected to where the parcel with the monument is.

That's correct.

There's a gap in that whoever owns that gold.

That's correct.

The church has this property here.

The church.

Okay.

All right.

Um I think that covers what I needed to help understand.

Thanks.

Thank you, Mayor.

So I'm looking at this project, and uh I hate when we use multi-family, because there's really student housing.

I'm assuming is that right from our developers, this is student housing.

So one thing that we're wrestling with as community, we're building more and more student housing, and we got more vacancies than we have had.

And I'm not sure whether our developers, and this is all developers.

Did you have a conversation with UGA about how much they're gonna grow?

And they're not gonna go to 50,000, uh what people think they are.

Um they're gonna cap it, and they're gonna do more onlining um degrees and things of that nature.

Our concern, look at our future, we continue to go down those paths.

We have more student housing, and as our students do, they go to those shinniest and best thing looking.

Um areas that start you know become um dilapidated or either abandoned because uh we can't keep up with the uh with the demand, or or we won't be much of a demand.

So um I'm just looking at it from that perspective.

Um student housing, student housing run all down making the highway.

So that's one of my concerns, and I really wish developers would have a um conversation with UGA.

We have had those conversations, and building more student housing is not something that uh I believe is our future.

So um uh support um um our work would um John this, but um, we gotta get out of this thing that we need more student housing.

We really don't.

Uh and that's not what I see.

So um I said I say all that to say uh I I struggle with this, and we add more density.

I mean, you can bill the RM1 and get what you want.

I understand you do more density um because you make more money.

I mean, and I understand that you you're in the business of making money, but you can bill by right or RM1.

So my question would be why build more when we really don't need more?

So Commissioner Link.

Yeah, um, so I don't necessarily have a problem with the bump and density.

I have mixed feelings about the idea of building more student housing.

Um I mean, in my mind, every student you take out of one of our residential neighbor neighborhoods and put into a community that is not connected to your residential neighborhood it is a good thing.

Um the loss of all those historic mill cottages.

You have what is effectively existing modest middle class housing, historic middle class housing.

Um, I I'd really love to see a creative approach to these properties that turned it into something of a cottage court.

I know the grading, the the topo is is pretty whack out there.

Um so yeah, I mean I I you know on its surface it seems you know like a reasonable thing, but I there I I have really mixed I have mixed feelings, and and I also do kind of question the appropriateness of it uh encouraging more student housing in this location.

Every single one of those kids is gonna have to get in their car to get it onto campus.

There's there's no bus out there.

There's gonna make a cross to the bus travel.

Okay.

Um I just I question how many of them will actually take it.

I don't see a lot of students on the bus I take.

I just wanted to chime in about the the mill houses.

Um there was a conversation about the mill houses that was going on as far as March in the past about moving down.

It never came to a public um discussion with the commission.

Um right now, um I don't know if I can call you Bob in public.

Right now, Bob is working with us or working with John and I to look at to demolish those houses to me is sinful.

One because they're historic.

The same people who were upset about the say building, they should come down here and raise hell about those mill houses.

Um second is because if you demolish them, it contradicts everything that we're saying about affordable housing.

We're going to demolish housing that could be moved or used.

And to me, that is very contradictive.

Um, so I hope as far as the mill houses are concerned, that we can find a solution because it is one step closer to preserving a historic house that could be affordable.

Commissioner Myers.

Um, yeah, if if there is any information on those mill houses in general, like the when the last time they were lived in, um, the condition, what kind of what needs to be done to make them habitable again, that would be helpful to know in this discussion of moving it.

But what I'd like from um planning director Bruce is help me understand why the may why the commission, the planning commission and the planning department both voted both vote, I know you guys didn't vote, but the planning commission did to deny this from R1 to RM2 when last month they and I can't remember what you planning uh department did, but the planning commission voted to approve the RM1 to RM2 on Pinecrest.

So that was a change.

So like what is a how does the thinking work on that?

Why was there an approval put forward last time?

But this time they all voted to deny this, I think.

It's did they all vote to die?

Yeah, they all voted to deny it.

Well, I I guess context is the reason.

Um the two different locations.

Uh the other example, not that it really has a bearing on on this particular deliberation, but I think academically thinking through RM1 to RM2, where that request is taking place and the size of the parcel matters.

So in this instance, we have more land to work with.

There is more development opportunity for creativity with the design.

Um it's not pinched by the size.

In the case of the other location, it was close to a number of destinations, it just had a different context.

So I think that's at the heart of the difference between the two.

Are there limitations in the topography here that would where there's a bunch of topography that is not really usable because of the incline?

The applicant gave testimony at the planning commission meeting about that very thing.

That there is significant topography on site, and that's why they have the grading program that they have to level it, and that is also part of the scheme for the type of buildings they want to build, um, trying to minimize the number of retaining walls and that type of thing.

But they they did adjust.

Can I ask the applicant like how much of the property is not usable from your you know estimation here?

I mean, I I guess I would say I don't I don't know that any of it is unusable.

Um as you get to the northwestern side where we stop, that's that's where the the slopes get very steep now.

Um I mean we could use that, but then you're putting you may put a 30-foot retainer wall, but that's you know, we're also up against conserved tree canopy, which was the waiver we requested that, and that's why we're requesting that waiver because we're we're having to grade all that.

But you are using most of I mean that's that outline I see is the whole property, so you are using a lot of the property.

We're using the the best parts of it, yes, ma'am.

Patrick.

Yes, thank you.

Um, I I agree with uh Commissioner Cole paper that this is uh get location for students, um, and I'm taking a more selfish approach to to get students out of our residential neighborhoods and get them into student housing because I know in my district I'm seeing a lot of students moving into RS zones, but this is a prime location where all the students literally live and it is on the bus line.

I do have a question about the traffic though.

Um, because we're seeing a lot of growth in that area.

Do is there any future plans possible for um uh more freaking bus or widen the roads?

That's one question.

Um I do like what Pierce and Mill phase one did the fact that I I get the topography, they clear cut it the entire property.

Um I know there's some terrain issues with the uh potential phase two, but um I love my trees.

Um there's some spots that you can just throw some trees somewhere.

Um you know, it's it's hot in Georgia, you know.

Even the college students don't want to debate in the sun, but um I'm just gonna have some issues with the trees, but I get the the topography, but there's some space in the back, even though without a retaining wall, because trees can pretty much grow on any topography.

Um hopefully no major storms come through, though.

Question about if this is possible.

Um after watching the briefly listening to the planning commission.

So the mill houses, eight of them.

The government owns property to the north.

Could we partner with a nonprofit and move those eight houses to the eight to the government property and have a nonprofit manage them, rehab them and preserve them?

Could we could that be a condition on a property that they partner with somebody?

Or is that does that pose some legal barriers?

At least at least one component you may want to think about uh Commissioner Davenport is um is the nature of that former battle site.

Um of the things that people have been interested in as an interpretive site location, is that there was sort of a unique set of trenches that were dug there that uh apparently were later the model for the way the trenches were dug in World War One on the fields of Belgium, and so uh kind of from an historical uh perspective, the desire would be to kind of use that as an interpretive site, and so I I would suspect that some grading would be necessary and you would lose that historical component on the site.

That's it.

But theoretically though, yes.

Okay.

Commissioner Myers.

I I did just want to note for the I don't know, for all of us, that you know, I I just was looking on the map at the next, you know, there's all this stuff about like this is all student housing.

Um, and so I did look at the map at the you know, the next street over, which is Kings Mill Run, and of course I couldn't bring it up in our Q public because I guess it's Ocona County.

Um, but that is a residential neighborhood right there.

So just uh so we know that there, you know, it's not like it's all student housing.

Um and they look like fairly um you know modest homes in contrast to homes that are really expensive.

All right.

Some of them are complexes, but I saw some of them are.

Okay.

I think Johnson had her.

Commissioner Johnson.

Thank you, Mayor.

Just a couple of quick points.

On June 3rd, I I want to talk about this project first from the lens of when you read the read the report from the planning commission.

I've noticed a lot of the reports lately have subjective language, not factual language, and not objective language is more of an opinion.

And I I want us to be mindful of that.

I think variety is less important for student housing because it's it fits a different need.

Certainly, variety is important in a family single family home unit or multifamily home unit, but this is not that.

This is an area that is majority student housing.

And I want to remind everybody that there was a vote on June 3rd where there were commissioners who did not have a problem increasing student housing in an area where student housing was already built.

So I want to just remind the folks watching, you can't have a problem June 3rd, not have a problem on June 3rd, and have a problem with it today.

We have to we owe it to our residents to be consistent when our with our decision making.

This is this is an apples to apples comment.

And to say that from the Planning Commission.

Well, the lots are bigger.

We we expect them to have more creative designs.

That's not their call.

They didn't the planning commission doesn't own the property.

The planning commission can't determine what the creativity is.

If the best use of the property is deemed to be student housing, that's up to the builder.

I think there the majority of people tonight does not have a problem with student housing.

I do think the property, the mill houses that are there should be relocated.

And if individuals, the residents watching will pay attention to the March, I'm sorry, excuse me, the August 12th work session where Melinda Lord, the housing and community development director, stated that these onesie and twozy parcels could be used for homes.

We Athens Clark County owns a lot of home, owns a lot of parcels, but but we are not earning any revenue on them.

This is an opportunity to do that if we move them to a property that Athens Clark County already owns.

That's all I have.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right.

One more presentation.

We're going to go on to item number seven.

All right.

The next item is for 585 Vine Street, units one through five.

This is an amendment to an existing PD.

This was also heard August 7th by the planning commission.

The request is to amend the existing CNPD plan development to change the binding site plan on the south side of that PD, the south side of Nelly B.

Um, with an intended use of a teaching kitchen and outdoor community space, a decrease in the impervious coverage to add a community garden.

There are no exterior building changes proposed as part of the application, and the parking lot would be rebuilt to meet current code standards for parking dimensions and access.

Here's an aerial view of the properties in question.

So the PD covers everything that's in red, um, straddles either side of Nelly B Avenue.

Um the area that we're looking at this evening is on the south side of Nelly B.

Here's a closer view of that property as it appeared four years ago.

It's remarkably similar today.

So existing zoning is commercial neighborhood PD, and that would remain just with this amendment.

Um future land use as well would remain.

So in 1996, the site has considerable history.

In 1996, there was a plan development adopted that's on the screen.

Umly B, as we have today.

Site A is on the north side, site B is on the south.

Site B is what we're talking about this evening.

Um I do want to note that site A has had amendments in the past.

One in 2010 and one in 2016, both of which were to enlarge the building on site A to accommodate some of the tenant needs uh that were requested, and those were both approved.

The current request is this plan that you see.

Um the garden, the community garden space is to the west in the point there on the left hand side of the screen.

The parking lot would be reconfigured, restriped, um, put in better position to meet code, particularly with regard to ADA compliant spaces, handicap accessible spaces.

Um there would be a net reduction of three parking spaces total from what's there today.

Uh but the uses that are proposed inside of the structure generate a need for the 18 and not more.

So in staff's evaluation of this, there was not a shortage of parking for what was proposed to be occurring inside the building.

So I wanted to have a side-by-side comparison of the existing 1996 PD, which is still in effect today, and what's proposed.

The proposed is on the left, 1996 is on the right.

Um what you see there is that the building has not changed.

Um, the proposal that is in front of us now has more landscaping, um, does read considerably more when you include the community garden and does provide um arguably safer access into the site because it is now channelized to that access off of Vine Street, um, has removed the curb cut that's on Nelly B that's called out as number two on the 1996 plan, and it also makes for one pedestrian crossing rather than the two that were originally anticipated.

Here's a view of the corner.

So just behind the sign that says Triangle Plaza is the area that would be community garden where you see the pedestrian walking on the left hand side.

That curb cut would be closed, and we would get the sidewalk extended around to connect in a code compliant way over to Vine Street.

Planning Commission's recommendation they found that this request was compatible with the 2023 comprehensive plan.

Um does help encourage the creation of publicly accessible gathering spaces within neighborhoods.

It's compatible with future land use map, zoning map, and zoning ordinance, and that the amend the amendment proposed will not adversely impact any parcels within the PD.

And that concludes the staff report.

Thanks, Bruce.

Is there any member of the public here to speak to this tonight?

Good evening.

My name is Buck Bacon.

I work for uh WA Engineering.

Our office is located at 355 Oneita Street here in Athens, Georgia.

And I'm here speaking on behalf of the applicant, uh, East Athens Wellness Experience and farm to neighborhood.

This project uh proposes to convert a significant portion of paved parking to a new community garden, including new street trees, improved pedestrian connections throughout the block, defined parking areas, curb and gutter, proposed new stormwater management facilities for the remaining impervious areas, and converts the existing interior space into a teaching kitchen and classroom for the farm to neighborhood, healthy youth, and the ETH Athens wellness experience programs.

Overall, uh the proposed PD amendment reduces the sites in Pervious area by 41%, plants 22 new trees, and creates 14,200 square feet of new tree canopy and improves this critical community node.

Um we're obviously excited about uh this project and we're proud of the great things that Rashi and her team at Farm and Neighborhood have accomplished to date, and we're really looking forward to to see more great things to come from their efforts.

We appreciate staff's report and uh planning commission's uh recommended approval of the project.

So tonight um we respectfully ask for your support and ultimately your approval of the proposed PD amendment, and we're happy to answer any questions.

Thank you, Mr.

Bacon.

Is there any other member of the public here to speak with us tonight?

Good evening.

Good evening.

My name is Tammy Foote and I live at 223 Fairview Street, right down the street from the Iron Triangle.

Uh the purpose of the 1996 PD, it was um pitched as a way to stabilize the East Athens neighborhood to attract neighborhoods serving businesses and encourage revitalization without displacing our residents.

It locked into a binding site plan so the community could trust that the development would remain consistent with those revitalization goals.

As far as the community focused, the PD was meant to be a balance creating opportunities for small businesses and service within walking distance for the residents while protecting the surrounding community, which is the fabric such as the traffic, the parking and the noise scale.

What's being ignored now is number one, the binding site plan predictability.

A PD is supposed to be stricter than the standard zoning because it's customized with neighborhood input, which there wasn't any viable input from the community regarding this amendment.

Amending it uh multiple times weakens the predictability, which small change sets predict precedence for future piecemeal adjustments undermining the original 1996 commitment.

Number two, the revitalization versus the repurposing.

The 1996 PD intent was economic revitalization and job creation for local residents.

The current amendment, the teaching kitchen and garden, may be positive in concept, but it doesn't clear clearly um tie to measurable local business growth and the minority ownership opportunities or neighborhood hiring.

Um and number three, the community voice.

The original PD process involved explicit promises to the community, it amendments if amendments move forward with limited outreach.

It looks like the neighborhood is being left out and uh out of the decisions that we're supposed to center them.

This is what we fight for every day in our community.

Whatever she does with the um with the uh PD that she currently has is fine, but changing the PD, it would um definitely destroy our um neighborhood and open us up for more gentrification.

Black of my shirt says, Don't make us the next Lenin town.

If this is approved, that's where we're headed.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Clint.

Is there anyone else here to speak to this proposal tonight?

Right, we'll come to discussion.

It's in district three, Mr.

Taylor.

We have on there.

Evening.

Excuse me.

Something in the air is not agreeing with my throat.

I want to start by saying that a scripture went through my head.

And that scripture was first of all, good evening, everybody.

My mama taught me better manners than that.

In Revelation, the books were open.

Yes, God keeps books in the name of those whose names were not found in the book of life were cast in the lake of fire to everlasting damnation and torment.

Now that's God's message.

Now, this is what we have to say.

Who goes to market without money or to be without proper tools?

Want you guys to remember that.

So I say to you, Mayor and Commissioners, it's that simple concerning the zoning at 585 Vine Street.

Who buys a property without knowing what is allowed without looking up the press of PD on the property?

Then come before planning, and you and ask for a change to it, meaning the zoning.

Last week, at least four ladies came before you pleading that that zoning uh not to be changed in their neighborhood, coming against money people and builders, even after the planning approved all the requests to rezone, all turned down, all were turned down by this very body, no less than what we're asking here tonight to turn it down.

Someone else from our association has already spoken about what the 1996 PD was about and why it intentionally planned it that way.

The planning, the plan rezonings were no less a promise to us to stabilize and help us grow to prosper by having some amenities that larger, more fluent neighborhoods have.

Now back to the right now.

Without money, who with who goes to market without money or who goes to bill without the right tools?

This is what is happening with this rezoning request.

The owner, Miss Rashora Rashi Malcolm, bought a property without due diligence as its use and now wants to make our community, our neighbors, pay for her mistake.

We don't believe we owe her that.

You know we don't owe her that.

And without a doubt, you who sit here as a body know that also.

Yes, she's asking you to come into agreement with her.

We we pray you will not punish our community for her mistake to continue her proposed project.

She wants you to change the PD at our detriment.

Although when she sought the state's money for her project, she should have known or researched it.

But if you approve this today, that's what you're saying.

It's our fault.

This is not our punishment.

This is the punishment that you will be mending out to us because I read your name for the clerk for the record, though.

I just need you to read your name for the clerk.

I'm sorry, my name is Willow Fambro, and I live at 1053 Spring Valley Road.

Thanks, Mambra.

Good evening.

Good evening.

My name is Dr.

Shanice Allen, and I live at 130 Meredith Ridge Road.

I am speaking against the proposed amendment to the plan development at 585 Vine Street.

In 1996, this planned development was created with a promise to keep our community a community, to bring neighborhood serving businesses, and to revitalize East Athens without pushing out the residents who already live there.

The Bind Insight Plan was a protection for us.

It was stability, predictability, and trust.

Now we're being asked to change or amend it again.

Not because the community asked, but because a property owner and her grant writer used a capstone project and applied for a grant without first making sure their plan could actually be done under the current zoning.

They are now asking the county to rewrite the PD so that their two million dollar project can fit.

This is not the community's responsibility.

When you buy property, you follow the rules that come with it.

You don't buy a car too big for your driveway, park it on the grass, and ask the HOA to change its rules.

Yet that's exactly what's happening here.

Allowing this amendment sets a dangerous precedence.

Today it's a teaching kitchen and a garden, but tomorrow it could be apartment, student housing, higher land values, and families priced out.

That is the opposite of what that 1996 PD promised.

This is just the beginning.

The amendment to the PD opens the door.

On agenda item number 16 and 21 from the last commissioner's meeting, rezoning was denied because the developer should have known what they purchased.

Not my words, but yours.

Let's be consistent.

If it wasn't right then, it isn't right now.

If the grant doesn't fit the zoning, the property owner should work with the governor's office, not ask Athens Clark County to rewrite the rules that have protected our neighborhood for nearly 30 years.

The bottom line, this amendment does not fulfill the 1996 PD spirit, does not guarantee revitalization or opportunity, and puts private interests above and ahead of the community.

I urge you to deny this amendment and uphold the promise made to East Athens 30 years ago.

We want to keep our community a community.

This has been our fight daily.

Thank you, Dr.

Al.

Anyone else here to speak of this proposal tonight.

Anyone else?

Good evening.

Good evening.

My name is Amy Kasane.

I live at 526 Highland Avenue.

I'm here in my capacity as the corporate citizenship coordinator for Better Communities Collaborative and W Day Engineering.

And I want to express my strong support for this PD amendment.

I first became involved with Rashi and Farmed and Neighborhood in the fall of 2022 when our company offered to help her with the grant application that has now resulted in this project.

I worked with Rashi and her board and we submitted the application.

It was actually November 2022.

Can't believe it's been that long.

We were it was announced that we were awarded in May of 2023.

And since that time, I have been responsible for the grant management reports, reimbursement requests, all that stuff on a pro bono basis.

So we are offering this pro bono.

And I just wanted to make a point that as the grant management person, one, this is a project is a reimbursement only.

So the money doesn't come to farm to neighborhood until the money has been spent on something that is part of this project.

So if they were to go off and do something totally unrelated, they would not get the money.

And also there is a commitment with farm to neighborhood for to continue to lease this property for I think 20 or 25 years so that they can continue to fulfill what they have promised to do as part of this project.

So I just wanted to make those comments.

And it was very rewarding to work with Rashi and her board on developing a project concept that met the mission of creating a community where everyone has access to, I quote, delicious, nutritious and affordable food choices.

So that's the mission of Farm to Neighborhood, and two of the ways that they're currently doing that, and that this project will enhance those programs is Healthy Youth, which is an education program that empowers youth to cook, grow, and thrive, and senior fresh, which provides seniors living in low-income areas with fresh produce.

And farm to neighborhood is also cultivated a network of local and minority farmers to help them with these projects.

The grant itself, the stated goal of the grant was, I quote, fund investments in neighborhood features, including parks, recreation facilities, sidewalks, and healthy food access as a way to improve physical and mental health outcomes.

And that is a perfect fit for what farm to neighborhood is trying to do and what they want to expand their capacity to do.

The grant is $965,000 to fund, as you've heard, the creation of a teaching kitchen and a community garden where families can families and children can recreate, and there's a space, it'll be a space also for educational activities centered on wellness.

The combination of these proof improvements will again increase farm to neighborhoods' capacity to address food insecurity and offer educational programming.

So I really do believe this is a great project.

I think it will result obviously in physical improvements to the Triangle Plaza is very much in line with the comprehensive plan and your approval of this project is the first step towards the realization of the East Athens wellness experience.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, Ms.

Cassandra.

Is there anyone else here to speak to this tonight?

Good evening.

Good evening.

I am also the board chair of Farm to Neighborhood and have been since its inception so many years ago.

Initially, what we wanted to do with Farm to Neighborhood was to create an effort of mitigating fresh food access for limited income families and also gap put it bridging a gap between our food desert communities.

In my tenure role as a recruitment coordinator for the University of Georgia Snap Ed program, I'm on the day-to-day constantly interacting with communities around food access.

And so, you know, when Rashi had this idea initially, I was able to bring in my experience of what I was doing throughout the state to help, you know, give effort and motivation for her to see this effort through.

Since then, we originally thought that we would be a course helping bring food access into local communities, and as we began to set out to do that work when this grant was proposed before our board, we thought it was a great opportunity where we could be build sustainability into the work that we were looking to do.

So not only would we just be giving out fish, we would also be teaching a community to fish by being able to create space to teach gardening skills, entrepreneurial skills, and the things of that like.

So um, you know, not only will we be servicing um youth, but we have the elders and just adults in general that will be able to take advantage of the existing um resources that are being already currently provided in and around um that business quarter area.

Um and keep in mind nothing of the main structure is changing, and we will continue to support the minority businesses that are currently already in existence.

So we forget we do have businesses that are operating there, and we're just creating a space for self-improvement.

So thank you very much for your consideration on behalf of our entire board.

Thank you.

Is there anyone else here to speak to this tonight?

All right, we'll come to commission discussion and district three, Commissioner Cal.

Yeah, um, I would I would first like to um start off by saying um when I first became well first got elected, um, I was introduced to this um this plan.

And I spent my first my first year as an elected official before I was even sworn in.

Um I spent a lot of my days um on the block.

Um not for recreation reasons, but just to to wrap my head around what Rashi wanted to do on the property.

Um I think this idea to get uh community garden as well as a teaching kitchen um in our community.

I think that it's a great idea.

I think that um it helps define the word community.

Um East Athens, we've been the same community for a long time.

I'm 36, and I was raised um in LB and on Art Street, and so it hasn't been a lot of change.

Um, but right now there are black businesses that are operating um on the property right now, and so I wouldn't have any objection to um the planning department's recommendation to approve it.

Any other commissioner?

Yeah, so um effectively all this is asking for is to convert a handful of parking spaces to green space, community garden, and add about a dozen trees to a piece of property that has zero trees on it right now.

Um I mean, this isn't just a food desert, it's a desert desert.

Um so I mean I I I just see this as an improvement to the property and a benefit to the entire community.

Those true trees will make for a healthier community.

The activity on that property makes for a healthier community.

The gardening makes I'm a gardener makes for a healthier community.

Um the one issue I have is you know, they're closing the curb cut at Vine Street, which makes sense to me, but um I I would like to see a crosswalk continue there and and maybe some speed bumps to it.

I mean, people will still be walking back and forth across um just because the the car access will be closed doesn't mean that pedestrians won't continue to to cross there.

So I I would like to see a c a mid-block crosswalk added um to assure that there's safe pedestrian crossing and then hopefully more people will take advantage of this property and participate in the activities there just to Commissioner Lake's point.

You know, I know that uh oftentimes the public improvements that are off of private property kind of are limited uh would a kind of treatment like a speed table where the crosswalk is be the kind of thing that would be uh allowed as a PD approval.

Is that is that a question for the attorney or a combination of the attorney or the planning director?

You know, off-site improvements if they can be found to be related to what's going on with the development can be a condition of approval, but if if they're not, then it's kind of out of bounds to do that.

Um with your permission, I could look at the aerial and see what kind of crosswalk is there now.

There's just a regular one without flashing light, because I mean asking for flashing lights.

This is a great conversation to bring up traffic coming.

Okay, we need flashing lights.

We can't get speed bombs because it's an artery.

Um but we can turn it into a full-away stop too on one time.

Mayor, I may have yeah, Mr.

Bacon, certainly I know you've analyzed this site for quite some time.

Yeah, thank you.

So we we are uh working with uh transportation and public works to improve other pedestrian uh egress across this uh this block and intersection.

We're in fact meeting with staff next week to discuss what those improvements might look like that would be funded separately from this grant, but but in conjunction with some other improvements.

Thank you.

Appreciate it.

Uh Commissioner Fisher.

So we we are uh working with uh transportation and public works to improve other pedestrian uh egress across this uh this block and intersection we're in fact meeting with staff next week to discuss what those improvements might look like that would be funded separately from this grant but but in conjunction with some other improvements thank you appreciate it uh commissioner fisher yeah um with the rezone can any type of housing anything be used on that particular block can it change anything from a housing perspective and anything added with the rezoning no sir so the the plan development as as approved and as proposed to be amended didn't have any housing in it at all so if there is to be that added in the future it would come back before this body after having come before the planning commission so there'd be a public process about that that kind of change or any change of that magnitude so that's to one of my questions so somebody could come back yes and say well we want to put housing somewhere within that particular area yeah I'm gonna ask no question no no they right uh a request could come in to introduce other uses some of those might be housing some of those might be a different configuration of commercial and but it would be it would require an amendment of the PD every time so and my other question is um I lost my trend of thought um if um with the with the development what with the zoning has now why can't they do the same thing why why why have the rezone with the zone that they get that's probably there now why can't they go and improve the the parking lot area and all those things no that's that's a great question why can't you just do a community garden right because we have a binding site plan that showed that as asphalt that showed that as parking that becomes locked in and so even to convert the asphalt to green space is enough of a change to have to come back before the mayor and commission and have a PD amendment considered to be able to do even that yeah Commissioner Thornton and that Davenport I think that um Commissioner Fisher asked my um asked my ask the question that's been bothering me because I thought there was going to be some additional changes like housing or I don't know where I got that from but um so then even when we do PDs and we think that's it and end all forever PDs can be changed um at a request so when we say we don't I don't like rezones because or straight zones whatever PDs can be altered by this body by this body on any okay all right I thought okay learned something new commissioner so just a point of clarification this is not a rezone correct because this is a 1996 plan development and the applicant is just asking for an amendment to add more green spaces yeah the zoning designation is not changing it's gonna stay the same but it is a zoning action that you would be taking to amend it okay okay commissioner thorn I'm gonna say this again and I've said it over and over and over again I really think that um um all of us need some some education on zoning stuff and we do need to put a pause while we get that education um I am I'm thinking now that I'm thinking now that what is being proposed is really changing the the sidewalks expanding and the green and and adding the garden part that is the request in a nutshell changes okay all right the commission yes also because I wasn't aware that there was an amendment um to the plan from 2016 can I start talking to somebody about their grocery store now it's been amended I it got bigger it might be enough space if somebody wanted if the owner of that wanted uh an amendment that they certainly could come to to this group as uh as the one across the street has you know I guess I think I'm sorry you didn't acknowledge my hand but I I think I saw Commissioner Johnson I'll come back commissioner Johnson.

Thank you mayor I have a several questions but I want to start with an explanation or just some more context because I feel like this is a similar conversation from two and a half years ago I recall there was a community garden I recall there was a conversation and a speech about food desert and and and creating a community garden for the food desert um so what happened to that community garden is a question that I have um I also in reading the report from WNA engineering there's a brag here that the applicant distributed over over five thousand pounds of fruit and vegetables to low income families in the last year alone and that's a great thing it does not tell the whole story this is I don't know the complete story but I do know a lot of that came from the food bank and so anyone can do that I question the relationship

Um also in reading the report from WNA Engineering, there's a brag here that the applicant distributed over 5,000 pounds of fruit and vegetables to low-income families in the last year alone, and that's a great thing.

It does not tell the whole story.

This is I don't know the complete story, but I do know a lot of that came from the food bank.

And so anyone can do that.

I question the relationship between the applicant and WNA engineering and the pro bono factor.

These are legitimate just concerns.

It doesn't it it doesn't say this is a hard no or this is a hard yes, but that is that is a question.

What is the relationship and is there a conflict there?

There was a there was uh a garden.

Commissioner, the attorney respond to that, but generally speaking, we're looking at the physical contours of the space, kind of in a zoning here.

I don't know if attorney Drake you want to.

I was asking about the garden that they had before, what happened to the the garden.

This is similar.

This is a I did I do recall hearing a speech two and a half years ago about a food desert, about a community garden, and this is what this is today.

And I understand reducing parking spaces.

I'm looking up binding, and and if you if you need to change anything to actually add a sidewalk and reduce the parking spaces, not necessarily.

They've already had that.

And I'm just curious.

I don't like there is more subjective language in this, and I read the entire report twice, and not necessarily from the applicant, but for the writers who who provided this to us.

It makes me not trust the process.

It makes me not trust the information, the details.

So first I would just want to know first what what happened to the food, the community garden.

And why do why does it need to change?

I mean, I'm not saying you know that, Bruce Grad.

Yeah, and I really don't know an answer.

I I don't know the speech that you're referring to.

So it may be a good thing.

Not a speech per like a speech speech, but like it's some like a meeting.

It was the applicant just outside of the context of this meeting, Commissioner Johnson, and that way you might I didn't hear you, I'm sorry.

You may want to engage with the applicant outside of the context of this meeting to to learn some history.

Well, I know the history, I just don't know all of the history, and I'm I'm saying it on the record because I do want other people that may know more than I do to actually combine in this conversation because there is there is some overlap, there's some duplication.

I want to know what's different.

There was an award of uh a large sum grant that you know the community was proud about, but the the then applicant stated that they could not use it.

She couldn't they they they could not administer the the grant for just reimbursement purposes, and I do understand how that works.

What's different?

Uh well tonight we're just here to talk about the kind of physical contours.

This is this is not I I disagree.

Um this is a bigger picture.

This is a bigger issue.

I wasn't finished.

My time is Commissioner.

I wasn't finished.

Mr.

Myers that that was impertinent to the topic, Commissioner Thornton.

The topic is what's included in this document.

And I'm I'm bringing the information from this document.

I didn't think of it on my own.

I didn't dream about it last night.

Commissioner Thor.

I'm talking directly from this document.

That's disrespectful, Mayor.

Commissioner Myers.

I I know nobody's going to believe this, but I have lost my train of thought.

So Commissioner Myers, you're on the first question.

Well, actually, I just I I had a question similar to Commissioner Johnson's in that I was always pull up Q public, and so um, you know, the the change seems to make sense in a lot of ways, but there is a property, and maybe the applicant can get this information uh to us.

I mean, because there's other properties across the street on um GRES Summit.

I'm always looking at the properties around it, so to understand what the plan is, because uh that's where the garden was, and I know that uh brought I know that Broderick Flanagan was working with that I cannot remember at the point.

So but it is the property is owned by the applicant according to Q Public.

So maybe you get us that information.

Commissioner Thornton.

That was my point.

I there was a garden over there from what I remember, and that it was I think at that time, um, like Commissioner Myers said it was uh but it also, if I'm not mistaken, Mayor, and you can help me.

It was also in our budget one year about was what was that about community gardens altogether, but it was once had a budget item, but but again, but the focus here is on the physical context of the submission.

If we have questions, can we just ask them?

This is the time to do it when people are watching.

I I I would engage with the applicant outside of the context of this because right now we're just looking at the residential conversation.

Does anybody have questions about the triangle on the screen?

I have a question about the check that was written to farm to neighborhood for twelve hundred and fifty dollars out of your office last week.

Oh does anybody have a question about the triangle on the screen?

If not, we're gonna go ahead and move on to the next item.

All right.

Thank you.

I appreciate it, bruised.

Just two.

All right.

Uh we are here for public input on new business.

And so we are looking for public input on items one, two, and eight through twenty.

One, two, and eight through twenty.

Items one, two, and eight through twenty.

Public input on any of those items.

We're looking for public input on items one, two, and eight through twenty.

And again, just provide your name and place of residence.

And then say what I need to say, right?

Yeah.

Okay.

Um second.

Uh good evening, Mayor Gertz and Commission.

My name is Carly Rodriguez Fayo.

I am the daughter of Kathy Rodriguez Fayo, who is also here tonight.

My family has owned the property at 4710 Old Lexington Road since 1983, before I was born, and for the past 42 years.

Our home, a log cabin sitting atop a hill on the east side of Athens and visible from a two-lane road, is right next to the land that the county is currently considering purchasing for over three times market value, by the way, in order to build the replacement fire station number five.

My family and I are beyond devastated at this news, and we are asking tonight that you deny the option purchase agreement for 4730 Old Lexington Road and select a new or one of the different locations that have previously been identified for this project.

I am an Athens native, born and raised.

I graduated from Cedar Shoals High School class of 2005.

I attended summer courses during my undergraduate degree at the University of Georgia.

Our home that I was born and raised in, the home that will be forever changed if this fire station is built next to our property, has always been mine and my family's sanctuary.

Our home is more than a house.

For my entire life, it has been a quiet and peaceful refuge when life gets hard and a place to host events, one of which which I envisioned I would would be my future wedding.

Our home overlooks greengrass, small vineyards, and a pecan and fruit trees that I planted as a child with my grandmother.

Living there, I have experience swimming in the pool, riding horses, feeding cows and chickens, chasing fireflies, and playing in the creek.

This home remains a safe place for me to visit, rest, reflect, and reset from the curveballs that keep being thrown in my adulthood.

Please don't take that away.

Last night as I sat on my mother's porch in a direct line of sight to where the potential fire station will go, I cried thinking about the view and quietness that would be destroyed.

The noise and activities that will undoubtedly disrupt the wildlife stillness and serene environment that currently exists at our home is hard to put into words.

The proposed location will destroy the view and privacy, not only from our yard and porch, but from within the home, as our big windows and glass doors are on that side of the house and directly face where the fire station would go.

Unfortunately, the privacy and view from the family pool will also be completely disrupted.

I have photographs to share tonight with anyone willing to see them.

I have researched and spoken with individuals who have said that this project will also bring with it not just the sirens, but loudspeakers, mandatory audible testing, light installations, human voices, cement, traffic, construction, engine noise at unpredictable hours of the night, and other concerning and disruptive aspects.

A sound barrier wall and our tree line in this residential location would not be enough to prevent the devastation to our family and the families that live around this lot.

Thank you for listening to all of us tonight about how this land purchase and location decision would change our lives, not for the better, but for the worse.

Thank you, Miss Rodriguez Fio.

Is there anyone else here to speak to either one, two, or eight through twenty?

One, two, or eight through twenty.

Good evening.

Good evening.

My name is James Ward.

I live at 4740 Old Lexington Road, and this I'm talking about the relocation of fire station number five.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak tonight.

I live in District One and I'm a resident of this county.

I'm a veteran, and I'm a former firefighter of Athens Clark County Fire Department.

I'm speaking not only as a neighbor directly impacted on this proposed fire state, but also as someone who understands firsthand how emergency services work and what they need to operate effectively.

I fully support improving the public safety and the ISO ratings.

But I respectfully ask where the county has truly re can has truly reconsidered all the viable locations.

There is a vacant commercial lot three miles away, much closer to large number of new homes now under construction.

This location better serves the growing population and future demand while minimizing disruption to established communities like mine.

I understand the current site may reduce station overlap, but it also places the station further away from the primary city's call volume.

An initial site survey didn't account for the construction boom now happening near the alternate location.

My family chose to live in the country for space and peace.

Placing a fire station immediately next door threatens that.

Not just for us, but for our neighbors.

Placing it in the current location, you get two, left or right.

All these things need to be reconsidered with the what's going on because of what was placed.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you, Mr.

Ward.

Is there anyone else here to speak to older new business items one, two, or eight through twenty.

Good evening.

Hi.

My name is Sabrina Ward.

I live at 4740 Old Lexington Road.

I appreciate the opportunity to speak tonight.

I'm coming to you not just as a resident, but as a mother, a neighbor, and a paramedic with 22 years experience.

We move to this quiet part of the city with a dream, a dream of space, peace, and a better life for our children.

We understand more than most the importance of emergency services, not in theory, but through decades of lived experience.

So please know our concerns about this proposed fire station do not come from ignorance.

They come from deep understanding of both what it takes to serve and what it means to live here.

To some, it may look like just another vacant piece of land, a logical piece, place on paper.

But to us, it's our home.

It's where our children ride their bikes, where we watch deer graze in the morning, where the stars still shine at night because city lights haven't swallowed the sky.

It's where we found something rare.

Quiet, simplicity, home.

We're not against progress.

We know, respect, and appreciate the critical roles of our first responders.

But this proposal feels like progress without compassion.

Development without understanding who it affects and what it takes away.

A fire station here would bring sirens, floodlights, heavy trucks, round the clock noise into a space that was never built for that kind of activity.

The land around it is not commercial or industrial.

It's homes, fields, families, livestock.

It's country living.

We moved here for that reason.

You see an open space.

We see what is our way of life.

Our children will lose the ability to run freely and safely.

The serenity we've worked so hard to find will be replaced by disruption.

Our front porch wants a place to breathe and on wine.

We'll now overlook a facility that changes everything.

We understand the city has been working to move this project forward, but we ask you sincerely with urgency.

Don't let that urgency overshadow the human cost.

This isn't just about zoning or logistics, it's about lives, homes, families who will be deeply and permanently affected.

As emergency response responders ourselves, we know exactly what a firehouse demands, and we know that this peaceful neighborhood is not a suitable fit.

We beg you to consider an alternate location, somewhere that better fits the infrastructure and rhythm our fire station requires.

Somewhere that doesn't unravel the piece of an entire neighborhood just to fill a need.

Please don't turn our ref our refuge into a roadway.

This is our home, and it once it changes, we can never get that back.

Thank you, Ms.

Ward.

Is there anyone else here to speak to one, two, or eight through twenty tonight?

Good evening.

Hello, my name is Rebecca Whitlow, and I live at 147 Elderberry Circle, and I'm a lifelong resident in Athens Clark County.

I'm speaking on the concerns of relocating fire station number five to 4730 Old Lexington Road, which is basically in front of in the front yard of many families, and because it's also less than one mile from my home in Old Lexington Gardens where I've been for over 11 years.

An important point to make tonight is that a couple years ago, Miss Kathy Rodriguez Fayo owned six acres that adjoined the 4730 plot.

The appraisal for the six acres came back at 10,000 an acre.

She sold the six acres to James and Sabrina Ward for a fair and reasonable price at $60,000.

It is not visible from the photographs online, but they're but that is where they built their family home and they now raise their three children.

The county is seeking to purchase the 7.5 acres at 4730 at over $64,000 an acre.

That's a $328 and $560, 28, $328,560 above fair market with our Clark County taxpayer dollars.

Even with the road access to $4730 comes that it comes with, there's a huge concern for how much this is being sold for.

Please consider this unnecessary as it to spend this amount of money at this specific location when other locations have been identified.

Being the daughter of a retired Clark County fireman who served for 40 years and is here tonight.

But please deny this option purchase of 4730 Old Lexington Road and select a new location for this project.

You wouldn't want this for your family or your home either.

Thank you.

Thank you, Ms.

Whitlow.

Anyone else here to speak to?

One, two, or eight through twenty tonight.

Good evening.

Hello.

Suzanne Warrenfelds, 175 Dunwoody Drive.

First of all, I'd like to thank you guys.

I um how much and tell you how much I appreciate you and your work as commissioners.

Um, you guys get a lot of opinions, helpful and otherwise, and I appreciate you guys waiting through it all.

All right, so on to the topic, which is the community energy fund, which I remind you is a carefully crafted tool that turns Georgia power franchise fees into clean energy projects and money in the um at the ACC budget, right?

And when you when we use that money for clean energy, um, then we the uh city pays less for um electrical costs, right?

We pay less to Georgia Power.

So I'm delighted to see on the agenda tonight numbers um 13 and 18.

Uh these are clean energy projects that use um clean uh community energy fund dollars.

So this is the end product really.

These are projects funded by the community energy fund.

So the first number 13 is to uh solarize fire station number eight and um Dudley Park, which has an estimated lifetime savings of $600,000 over the lifetime of that project.

Um about the community energy fund.

It's a request for like comprehensive plan to use the community energy fund dollars for um to educate citizens to upgrade municipal buildings.

Um there's a green business initiative in it, and then clean energy projects for the um Athens affordable housing, which we're all working towards uh affordable housing down.

So these projects are exactly what the community energy fund was intended for, and um I thank you for your considering them tonight.

Thank you, Mr.

Warrenville.

Is there anyone else here to speak to older new business tonight?

Good evening.

Good evening.

Um I'm Kathy Rodriguez Fayo.

I'm the one who owns 4710 Old Lexington Road, right next to the proposed um property for the station five.

Um you've heard my daughter, my friends, and my neighbors talk about this.

This is 52 years I came, 53 years ago I came to Athens.

Went to the University of Georgia, loved Athens, did not leave.

Forty-two years ago I bought the property about 18 acres the next year.

Where this property is about to where you're talking about putting this fire engine, our fire station.

I tried to buy.

Mr.

Keller did not want to sell the front, but I did acquire the six acres behind throughout the years.

I've tried to buy that front acreage.

Um he did feel like he was always gonna move there, but he didn't.

His sons were gonna move there, they didn't, which thrilled me because that left that land as beautiful as it is.

Um the neighbors have tried to buy it.

We didn't were not told anything about this particular fire station.

The first thing I heard about a fire station was a year ago when they were talking about Morton Road, and then the next thing I knew that was not going to happen.

There was no mention of my next door neighbor.

I mean, there was just no mention of it until this spring when I am sitting on my porch and surveyors and electricians come to do that land.

I I don't know, you know, I'm panicking because I'm 72 years old.

This is my home, this is where I want it.

As my daughter said, we're planning to have a wedding there.

It's it's there's so much time and effort that's been put into this property, um, and so much love.

And again, when we're talking about money, I sold six acres or ten thousand dollars.

This was two years ago.

Six acres or ten thousand dollars a piece.

And now you heard what what they're paying for this.

It doesn't make sense, and I don't even besides all the sound and all that.

What is that gonna do to my taxes?

What is that gonna do to my property value?

Um, all of this I ask you to take in consideration and vote against this.

Thank you, Ms.

Rodriguez Fan.

Is there anyone else here to speak to older new business tonight?

Good evening.

Hi, evening.

Thanks for your listening ear.

My name is Trisha Beardon.

I live at 5500 Old Lexington Road.

I've been on the east side of Athens since 2002, and I am grateful to call this little piece of rural East Athens home for the past two decades.

With that said, um, I'm here today to petition that you would not only decline this current proposal uh in front of James and Sabrina Ward's home and then the Rodriguez family home, but that you would really reconsider all these options for firehouses or for the relocation of fire station 5 on Old Lexington and portions of Morton.

Um where it currently sits and where you're wanting to relocate it are not apples to apples.

Uh, the moment you turn down old Lexington Road off Whitt Davis, it becomes a different vibe, if you will, to Athens.

It uh carries rural character and a residential feel that that we value.

We love being on city water.

We love being seven minutes from Chick-fil-A, but we value that we feel like we're in the country as well.

So today I'm asking you to protect the role character and quality of life that we have invested our lives in on East Athens, specifically off Old Lexington Road.

I'm asking you to consider not placing an unfair burden on your long-standing residents and property owners uh in this area.

Uh and I'm asking you to consider placing uh this needed relocation, but only in a different area.

There are three commercial properties for sale at the corner of Morton Road, Robert Hardeman off Highway 78.

That really would serve a much better um relocation opportunity.

Um with that said, uh, you know.

We're raising our families there, and I would just like you to consider uh a home that you have lived in for 20 years, investing in, um, only to not look out and see a sunset and a cow pasture, but to see lights and sounds.

Um and honestly, the the potential burdens that it would cause on our land by putting a fire station there.

We're talking it's gonna have a fueling station, and it is surrounded by two creeks, um, Big Creek, and then what's the name of the other creek?

Shoal Creek.

Um, and so it does cause concern about what's going to happen with these two water um places.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you for your listening here.

Thank you, Ms.

Bearden.

Good evening.

Good evening.

My name is Dr.

Dulmelis Sandu of 5505 Old Lexington Road.

Did you know that veterinarians have the highest suicide rates of all professions?

Very sad.

The last thing I want is for my tranquility to be disturbed after a long hard day of work.

I've moved from Cuba, a communist country, and I came all the way to the United States to fulfill the American dream.

And now, with a retired Marine with PTSD and a son with autism, not only will I have to bear the burden of sounds and my son screaming when the fire truck goes down Old Lexington Road, but also the tranquility that I have fought so hard to fulfill.

I know that you guys are not familiar with Old Lexington Road, but it is a different area.

It is tranquil when I drive and that sun setting or that morning sunshine is coming through the tree line.

It really soothes me and uh my family.

And you'll find that every neighbor that is present here today feels the same way about it.

I do value our firefighters and the service that they provide.

Recently, I was in need of uh one of uh their services uh when my mother fell ill and they came and they provided their services.

However, I also value the tranquility that I have on a daily basis.

There are other more suitable locations.

Um so I feel like you guys really need to reconsider why old Lexington Road is such a windy road.

It is actually very dangerous.

People do about 40 to 50, sometimes even 70 down that highway.

It is wound.

It also sits on areas where what wildlife is present, turtles.

Sometimes I have to pick them off the road, deer that get hit all the time on that road, vultures, other animals.

So I really would like to have you reconsider a different location.

Old Lexington Road is not the place for this fire station.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you, Dr.

Sandy.

Is there anyone else here to speak to, either uh one, two, or eight through twenty.

Good evening.

Um I'm here because I like something on the agenda.

Um, and that is uh numbers 13 and 18 uh that um uh Suzanne talked about a few minutes ago, the clean energy plan.

She explained it, or the clean energy um fund and the Splust uh proposal to put solar.

Um she explained it well, so I'm not gonna go back over it.

I'm just gonna say thank you.

Um I'm thrilled to see it on the agenda.

It's going to save ACC money, it's going to save residents money, it's going to help us have clean air in our homes and neighborhoods, um and and help us to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, which do cause climate change.

So I appreciate it, and I'm looking forward to the next whenever the meeting is when y'all vote on it, seeing a lot of support for it.

Thank you.

Make sure you read your name for the record for the clerk.

Oh, sorry, I'm Carrie Ritzler.

Um, I'm from uh 325 Ants Court.

Thank you.

Anyone else here to speak to older new business tonight?

One, two, or eight through twenty.

All right, we'll come for discussion.

And uh Commissioner Myers, you asked that number one be removed.

So move that one.

There we are, back to that.

Um yeah.

So I looked at this.

I really I want to put it back on consent after this.

I just was uh one.

This is I think this is actually a really important item to for all of us to look at because it has to do with the transit dollars.

And every time I'm looking at these right now, um and looking how we're funding transit.

I'm thinking about um our next uh T-spas program and what kind of decisions we're gonna make there.

So I think it's really important to staff to for you all to get us all these numbers and possible projections before we discuss start discussing fund allocations to the next T Splost.

Um, and so I really uh like that we have a work session on transit and funding in October and never found before we decide in December on the spot, the T-SBOST allocations.

Um the other thing is that, and maybe you all could address this now or not.

The federal appropriations that are in here haven't been made yet, but according to the facts and issues, um you these guys mentioned you all mentioned a number which is a 41% reduction in federal funding.

I'm not sure in how long.

Um but are we fairly certain on the number for this year then?

And then are there any grumblings and maybe this is something for that work session uh about even deeper cuts in uh following years that we'd have to address if we want to keep our transit running?

Yeah, I think is as far as the certainty, we're as certain as we can be that those dollars are um as they're projected as far as kind of thoughts going forward.

Um, you know, there's always the possibility that it'll be reduced if priorities continue to change at the federal level.

And I and I do think that Vic can probably give a little more insight um in the work session as to what the bigger conversation might be, but definitely there's that concern that those dollars will continue to decrease if the priorities continue to change.

Okay, just real important discussion is uh we have a lot of people using those buses right now.

Um it also makes it really difficult to project what those revenues might be available in the future.

Yeah.

Is that everything, Commissioner?

Yeah, that's it.

Anything else on number one?

I'm gonna put it back on.

I I'm fine with it going back on consent.

Everybody good?

All right.

Uh we move on to two.

We were getting a grant for the Morton Theater Commissioner, right?

Yeah, I'm excited about this.

I just had some uh clarification that I could get possibly in an email.

During the application, it seems like um we missed a chance to actually say specifically the national register of historic places.

It seems like a vague answer there.

And we I looked it up and it's specifically in the West Downtown Local Historic District.

It's also on the Chitland Circuit Heritage Trail, which I think should not be missed, unless the grant's already gone in, or if the grant is pull-down menu choices, but if the those specifics could be looked at, and then also it talks about uh 501 C3, and there is the Morton Theater Corporation that partners with us, so I'm not sure if it would enhance our grant application to make sure those specifics are pointed out.

Um I just want to make sure we nail this.

Thanks.

Um and and so just email me and put it back on consent.

That'd be great just to see how how that might work out.

Anything else on number two?

Back on consent.

All right, back on consent.

All right, move on to item eight.

Uh this is the uh uh property acquisition uh prospectively for fire station number five.

Can you put on this one?

Commissioner Damit is going to I'm gonna get input.

Um now just to my colleagues, I did not ask not one single resident to come, but I'm glad that they they showed up.

So I agree with um the residents who spoke.

I will be issuing a CDO um and looking at outside of the the interested area and look at um property that the county owned or that's for sale, but people move to Boulevard area because they want their walkability, they want that bikeability.

People move to um the west side because they want to be close to 316 and want to be close to Atlanta or um, you know, the travel to and from Atlanta or Bogar.

People move to the east side um because they want that tranquility.

I've said it a thousand times, they want that peace and quiet, and I love, and I promise I ain't coach nobody.

Um, but I love the value of the country, the rural character, some of the things that the um this one resident said, but there's a quality of life that people buy into.

They don't want the star, I mean, they don't want to see the street lamps, they don't want to see the lights.

They love the deer, the raccoons and the stupid possums who run across the street and stuff, but it's a piece and quiet that people buy into, and these are not newcomers.

The people who live on the east side are mostly traditional legacy residents.

These people have been here, they got grandkids, great-grandkids, and they want to keep that you know that quality life.

Plus, you know, ARZO got a lot of farms out there.

Um it shocked me that Mr.

Coller is gonna sell.

Um, because I remember sending a letter asking um, and I send in a letter out um a year ago asking if any resident is interested, and I yeah, but anyway, but what's what's done is done.

But at the end of the day, please don't deny these individuals their quality of life.

This is what they bought into, this is what they want.

Um, and it's not just these residents who showed up because I'm quite sure on the September 2nd it would be more.

I have a list of 195 homes.

These are not individuals, this is a home, these are husbandwives, kids in the entire area who are like, no, we need to look outside the circle.

Um, and I did a test run a couple weeks ago.

Um, if you go to the corner on Morton Road and Old Lexington, no, Morton Road and Lexington.

Um, I and a white van, a work band can make it to, you know, don't tell the police.

I can make it to all next to in two and a half minutes.

So um, and I would I was you know, I'm just saying for a fire truck.

So if that ring camera footage I know if a fire truck is concerned about distance and getting to to homes, the corner of Morton Road and Old Lexington, I mean Lexington Highway will suffice.

And I also made it up to Old Lexington Garden within three minutes.

I made it to the end of Morton Road in four minutes, and those are all within, you know, that's speeding, Lord forgive me, but that's all within the guidelines of what the fire department is looking for when it comes to access to providing services for the east side.

We've got to move on to discussion, so just listen if you will.

Commissioner Johnson.

I appreciate Commissioner Davenport always being consistent about the quality of life of his residents.

He consistently says people move there and stay there because they want peace, tranquility, quiet.

They don't want all that noise.

And I appreciate you for always advocating for the same thing and not changing.

I appreciate the gentleman, the former firefighter that spoke about um the trees because we have individuals um in our community that care deeply about trees, retaining trees, making sure we follow the tree canopy mandate to the T, if not more.

He brought up an excellent point.

This would put the fire station in this location would destroy tons of trees.

And I I just wanted to say it twice, but it to be said twice because the the individuals that advocate so strongly, and I like trees too.

I this something this is something that needs to be promoted.

A lot of trees will be destroyed.

And the third thing is I would like to understand the increase in property value per per acre from 10,000 per acre two years ago to 64.

How does that happen and who determined it?

And what was the criteria in which they used to make that determination?

Thanks.

If uh management wants to kind of outline how property negotiation works on a project like this.

Yeah, I mean, I can talk start, and then Andrew can certainly add.

I mean, it it starts by identifying the possible locations.

In this case, there were three where there were offer letters sent out to individuals.

I think actually all three, I think, originally had indicated they're did not wish to sell their property.

Later one came back, the property that's in question.

And really it's it's no different than when we buy property on our own.

Um you're negotiating with that that property owner um trying to get at the best price.

But at the end of the day, it really is in a lot of ways driven by what the seller is ultimately willing to sell the property for.

And that would be true in any of the locations we're looking at.

Certainly, commercially zoned property is going to sell at a premium as well, so that will push the prices, but it's really just that negotiation.

There's no and we do try we have an obligation to try to get those prices as as low as they possibly can, but at the end of the day, it's going to be up to the seller what they're going to be willing to sell for, then we have to make a determination, and you have to make a determination if we're willing to pay that for those prices.

Thank you.

Would it increase the property bat the property taxes for the individuals that live?

No, those will still be based off of their properties and what the land values are in the bigger surrounding area as well as the improvements that they've made on that property.

Um so the fire station itself would not necessarily do that.

No.

Now it might be different if somebody were building commercial property or you know, apartments or something.

That may change in the area and stuff, but not with a fire station.

Okay, thank you.

Commissioner Myers.

Yeah, I just wanted to speak to this briefly because um, although I don't live, that isn't my district, I live close by and I and I do pass this section a lot.

Um I'm uh you know recreational cyclist and a commuter, but I go out there a lot, so I'm very familiar with the old Ixington Wharton Road.

Um I chaired the site selection committee.

Um but my involvement with that site selection was not personal as it is for you all out there, but it was based on many, many presentations and questions and answers from the fire department, many of the questions that you all asked.

Um so I'd like to ask staff to make sure because I live within the agenda report, none of that information is there again, and and it's just you know people come to agenda items when it gets a little closer to home.

That happens all the time.

So I would like you to put that out there because a lot of the things we're asking were we are we responded to in different ways, so there's a bunch of documents.

Um but I I'd like to see if staff could address a couple of things.

And one is how many calls are expected from this firehouse on a daily basis.

I think it was something like three or four.

Um what percentage of medical responses versus fire.

Also, could you address um oh how much of the land will the will the building itself and close by it use and how many engines?

I think that I mean I didn't learn till late in the process that that firehouse has like one engine versus the one in college station, which I live very not college station, but over by the vet school that I live very close to is three, so there's a lot more activity coming out of that.

Um but also the design process and what it'll do to mitigate the effect of the firehouse on the neighbors, and maybe that's probably uh as just as the most important thing to see if you have some kind of response to right now, and if not, um as we're going further, but perhaps you could speak to that a little now.

Yeah, I think we can talk loosely about it, but probably are items that we would want to bring back as a part of the discussion.

And actually, I think one of those would include the selection criteria that was used.

I think you're referencing those in the history that it points to those and what were those.

Yeah, and there's a lot of questions about why they are, why I mean the discussion about why not at the corner of uh Morton Road and um Alexingion Highway, that was brought up and addressed, you know, the the firehouse.

We kept pushing the firehouse on that one, they kept coming back.

So although I appreciate Commissioner Davenport's um, you know, studies that he's done in his own vehicle on on these kind of situations.

I have to I have to listen to what the firehouse is saying about the need for certain things, the amount of people that are being served, and so forth.

So I want to make sure that the public has all that information now again.

That was the reason why that location was the service and so forth.

I mean, we still, you know, I'm not saying I don't have this is we haven't had any discussions.

I don't know how this will be voted against for, but I want to make sure that that information is available and people don't have to be digging through it.

Yeah.

Uh all the old reports.

And we'll have the so we'll have the selection criteria and also the chief will be the chief will be present also so that he can actually talk specifically to those um to those items.

But the the design pro I mean the process for where it's gonna be located and how much space and how it can how it can mitigate its effect on the neighbors.

I know that was brought up some during the discussion.

Is there anything you can say to address that?

Well, I know staff is in the room, so if we need to talk about specifics for uh firehouse operations, we can.

The site is much larger than the minimum site area we need to create uh or host a fire station, and part of that is so that there's space for buffering and setting us apart from the neighbors.

Um certainly further design elements can go in about or in regards to lighting and other things to make it more integrated into the site.

Um selection criteria, I'll definitely defer to staff, and same thing with the operations.

And the number of calls that are expected, because I think that was much smaller than people um realize.

Would you like fire chief to talk about the process?

Well, if you if you can, I I'm not sure if he's prepared to at this point or not, but I I'm sure that um some of the people here speaking would love to hear from him.

Chief Moss, thanks for joining us.

Good to see you.

Thank you.

Um I would be happy to answer what I can right now.

Um I would refer back as far as a full presentation that we had um back in February.

Uh I believe let me check the date.

February 13, 2024.

We've been working on this for quite some time.

Uh it was a pretty comprehensive question and answer, also as to the methodology as to why this location, um, ISO being the main focus, uh, NFPA 1710, also, those are those are industry standards, so I don't want to bore you with those details, but as far as the actual operation of this fire station, it would be just the one engine that we currently have out of current fire station five, averaging two and a half to three calls a day.

Not all emergent.

Um, our overall average of medical calls are about 60 percent.

Um, so we would anticipate that that average would carry over to this particular firehouse.

Um, as far as the buffering, I know that there's what I believe in the paperwork that I saw, we had requested for site selection to have at least a 300-foot buffer in every direction.

I think there's at least 600 feet if I'm thinking correctly.

Um, but I'll let SPLOS probably cover that specifics as far as this piece of property.

Um, you know, I I guess operationally speaking, I'd be happy to answer any fire department questions, um, but I'll let uh Josh focus on any maybe specific to the site selection process or something.

Do you want to follow up, Josh?

Well, I think simply to point out that you know you're right to point out that in this design process, what would happen next is schematic plan as a part of that we can build in certain uh measures to mitigate um concerns, whether that be aesthetic, um it might be visual, all sorts of um design elements that could help.

So and that would be what's next.

Is that everything, Commissioner Myers?

Yes, that's good.

Thank you so much.

Anything else from the body on this?

All right, we're gonna move on to item number nine, and this is uh potential property acquisition to add to the Beachhaven Park project, uh, which of course was a SPLOSS project funded through the last SPLOSS package.

Any questions on this?

Commissioner Fisher?

Yeah, um, I did reach out to um uh direct leisure.

I would like to tour that particular property and take a look at it.

I know myself and Commissioner Link, both of us sort of attach to that particular project with um district five and district two.

Hell part of that's why we would like to visit um that project and walk in and take a look at what the future may look and what what impact it's gonna have on the area around there.

So absolutely, and I know staff will be happy to arrange that.

Anything else on this one?

Do you want to leave this on discussion?

Yeah, yeah.

I I guess um, yeah, um Alex, I'll sent you an email.

So I respond.

Okay, so once we get together, yeah, but we can leave it on there.

Yeah, perfect.

All right, uh, move on to item 10, and uh these are improvements at the intersection of West Broad and Hancock, of course, where we've been preparing the roundabout.

Uh Commissioner Link.

Um actually no, my comments are about the next one.

This is the roundabout, correct?

That's right.

Next one of those kind of smaller scale elements.

Anything about the roundabout?

Can I go?

Put that on consent.

Yeah, I just wanted to um say something.

So I've been going back and forth between Brazzle Tent and Athens recently, and I've noticed they they put a lot of roundabouts.

And so I was wrong about traffic coming because roundabouts work.

All right.

It's on record.

She said it.

It's on record.

She won't repeat it, but it's Commissioner Taylor, the roundabout true believer.

All right.

All right.

All right.

Consent.

All right.

Apparently.

So it is.

All right.

Uh, item 11, Commissioner Link, go right ahead.

These are the uh neighborhood scale improvements.

Yes, these are the small pedestrian improvements that are being proposed throughout the neighborhoods on both sides of West Broad.

I am gonna ask that we put this on hold because I want to bring it to the neighborhood.

And um, you know, I I have some currents about concerns about the prioritization of some of these projects.

I mean, they're all great projects, but I I feel like the folks that actually live there might want to reprioritize them.

So um I've made some outreach to the West Broad Advisory Board.

I haven't heard back yet, but we're hoping I'm hoping to secure a meeting within the next couple of weeks before our voting meeting.

Anyone else on this one?

All right, we'll see this first Tuesday in September.

12 is the public art style for uh art in the Costa building, which we just cut the ribbon on.

Uh Commissioner Wright.

Well, um the more details are going to come after the meeting on the art on the 14th, but I'm okay with it going on consent.

In the vein of us, you know, having confidence in the committees that are working on this.

If others are okay with it, and then if we need to pull it off, but uh if it's on consent to start.

All right.

All right.

A wall is a wall, arc bizarre.

All right.

Uh item 13 are uh two subprojects that are part of the solar initiative, um, fire station number eight and uh Dudley Park, both of which will be getting some upgrades, including battery storage.

So excited about that.

Are you okay with consent there?

Consent.

All right.

All right.

Uh 14 is uh approval of safety improvements at Thomas and Washington, just across from the classic stone.

Can we fast track that?

Can we put it in the middle of the case?

Are we okay with consent?

All right, yeah, can I ask the question though?

Absolutely.

Um is this there are these rectangular rapid flashing beacons that are there now, and I guess they're gonna be moved in closer to be more effective, hopefully.

But you said the there's a long-term strategy, and I was wondering is that and it says for traffic signal, is that like a full traffic signal, or is it the pedestrian hybrid beacon traffic sequel?

Because that's a lot of traffic signals in that.

So it met warrants or it meets warrants for a full traffic signal.

We have currently engaged in a traffic study of this portion of downtown, including this intersection, and so uh as a part of that, we'll get more insights as to whether a traditional traffic signal would be best, or something like the hawk, the pedestrian only signal.

Okay, just curious.

I guess they'll all work together when you get that programmed.

There'll be three right there.

Okay, great.

Thanks.

And that future traffic signal would sort of be an add-on, so pedestrian refugees.

I understand it would stay regardless.

Yeah.

I like that.

Consent?

Yep.

All right.

Uh 15 is uh something we see annually, the downtown development authority community events program funding requests Commissioner Johnson?

Yes, I would like to see the comparison of these numbers and uh and allocations to the FY26 well, FY21 through FY25 budget.

Um we had a several groups come to us at during our last budget meeting asking for consideration for an increase because the um convention and and bureaus um center promotes their work to get people here and have a great time in Athens, but what they're paid is not gone up.

And I thought that was a great point.

So I would like a five-year comparison, please, um, to the numbers that are included in our agenda packet.

Oh, we definitely pull that.

Thank you.

Uh Commissioner Wright?

I just wanted to highlight one of the new ones on here.

It's called the scam jam.

That's the council on aging is doing that to uh help the community not get scammed out of their hard-earned money.

Um and I hope that gets promoted so we know when that comes about.

But that's uh one of the new ones that have been added in here to the budget.

Anyway, but consent if yeah, Commissioner Myers.

Yeah, I had a question too about that.

Um was that it says in there that the guidelines limit an events funding requests to no more than 50 percent.

Does that mean that all of those organizations getting money?

Oh, 50 percent of their total costs.

So there were some that had a bigger jump because it was more money, like the big things like the Wild Rumpus and Athfest.

And I was wondering if that I don't know, just how that just in terms of to be sure on the equity there uh on the is that were all of them asking for all of their costs or just a part of the cost if you know are they all getting for 50 percent of their total costs?

I mean, do they all add different things and are they?

And you guys all consume so much more money.

Attachment that shows the ask and the award, I would I would wager that they're not all getting 50 percent of their cost.

And my prior engagement with ADDA on this who coordinates it, uh, they take multiple factors into consideration, including total project cost, history, impact on downtown, and so what's common is that a new player might step up and be ready to host an event.

Um and on the permitting side, we'll see that they say, well, we're gonna sell out all of downtown, you know, got big visions and both on special events permits and then on CEF awards.

Let's start small and grow over time.

So we can get ADDA to give you a formal answer, but I would just say multiple factors.

And I guess that in terms of this, just the rationale behind it, so I can understand it, because the uh, you know, Athfest and Wild Rumpus, which I'm sure are more expensive, have are getting a lot more in their award than they requested, and those larger ones are the only ones that they're there.

So I'm I'm totally supportive of them.

I was just wondering what the thinking was behind that.

And Commissioner, some of the requests may have been uh based upon that sort of old baseline of a sixty thousand dollar annual expenditure as well.

Um we we seem to have fortunately kind of moved into a new environment where 250,000 dollars is sort of the baseline annual threshold.

Obviously, we'll see what we do in the future, but some of it just has to do with history.

Commissioner, I'll just add too, you know, part of the thinking is that uh we do like to encourage new events downtown and and uh to offer variety and a variety for a lot of different folks.

So when you become an established event like uh some of these, I mean that is very well established and wild rompuses as well, then you know you you would expect that they probably would receive a lot more uh sponsorships associated with those larger events that that draw people here.

So we try to we try to weigh that in mind as well to encourage uh new events to encourage more people to come downtown.

And I will say this over the years we've really tried to make it easy for events to happen downtown.

If you all remember, I know Mayor Gurst does and probably uh Commissioner Wright, where we used to somebody was doing an event downtown and they had to close off parking spaces, they would this government would charge them for those parking spaces that they closed off when we no longer do that.

Uh the same for uh insurance requirements.

We tried to help help with insurance requirements.

So we've tried to lower the cost uh associated with doing events downtown while at the same time increasing um some um uh proceeds to go to them.

Um Commissioner Fisher.

No, um well, I also wanted to comment that this is also not meant to be the entire uh budget fulfilling entity.

Um visit Athens also has their own grants for promotional um purposes, so these same groups would be uh potentially applying to them for their promotional grant for that.

So there's also the other entities that help us bring these free events.

Commissioner Fisher?

Yeah.

So Mayor, um and maybe staff.

So if a new organization want to do an event downtown, how would they go about getting money?

And uh and where I'm going with this is you know, I mentioned in our last voting meeting, I'll really like to just do a bat school bash for the whole community.

So we was somebody want to do that, how would they go about gonna get those funds?

What they would want to do is kind of ahead of the beginning of the fiscal year, engage with the downtown development authority uh kind of for the following year.

Okay.

Can I add to that, Mayor?

So and the downtown development authority also has provided uh event funding separate from the CEP dollars.

So there is if you know, a lot of times we find that there's a good idea with a good event that needs to move quickly.

And not necessarily go thank you.

Not necessarily the time.

So there is if we're doing something, say next July 20th, yeah, now's definitely the time to have that conversation.

Okay.

Yeah.

Okay.

All right, gonna move on to item 16.

Uh, this is the kind of long side intersection improvement at Hawthorne and Oglethorpe, of course.

Uh what one of our most accident uh permanent intersections, unfortunately.

Uh Commissioner Davenport.

100% support of this.

Um that intersection is very prone to constant accidents, mainly because of that hill.

Um both sides, on all actually, well, on three sides of it.

Um I just happened I lost my not that they lose my train, I thought I lost a point.

That was my so that was uh a business meeting business meeting hosted by TPW where the property impacted property owners met to discuss um that they're okay with imminent domain.

Do we get can I get a video or is there a written for their minutes or any notes from that meeting?

And then I know uh Ronnie Cantrian from Transportation Public Works is here.

Good evening, uh Mayor and Commissioner.

Thank you for having us to help answer any questions.

Um regarding public meeting and specific for imminent domain, there was no meeting regarding that.

There was a meeting, and this typically happens for a capital improvement project where before we come to Mary Commission for a preliminary engineering approval and going into a right-of-way phase, we would host a meeting with impacted property owners to let them know this project is coming up and this is what the impact looked like.

Yes, this took uh maybe a two years ago and in that time range.

Um it's within the the history of of uh this agenda it discusses that so the answer is no, there has no discussions of eminent domain and that does um that this is what we need, and if Mayor Commission approves us, we'll seek right-of-way acquisition in case where in this case we are struggling with one property owner specific, and could be too because some um technicality in the process where we're not able to get the right-of-way, and then we will uh if you bless this agenda, then that would give staff authority to work with the attorney's office um utilizing amended domain to get those easements and right-of-ways.

Okay, just on the download, okay.

This is just for us, maybe I'm looking at it wrong.

So when you go to the HC Gov website and look at it, the agenda um versus what's on the Z drive, I guess what you call it.

It says that the at the impact of property owners meeting properties and business owner tenants have expressed two TPE and TMPW staff support of the proposed operational improvement.

But when you look at the what's online at ACC Gov, it's kind of vague, but maybe I'm looking at it wrong.

We'll be happy to look at both and get back to you if that's okay.

Commissioner Fisher.

Yeah, and um that's the Commissioner Davenport's point.

Um, because that's in my district.

Um, it is a very dangerous, dangerous highway support.

Like I talked with the mayor today.

Um I do have issues with eminent domain, so I just want to be careful.

I know we got two pending um properties that we're still trying to get.

So um, so I want to make sure that I say this to the mayor, I just want to make sure that it doesn't impact the uh um property owners' businesses.

I'm always aware and want to be mindful of that as we move forward with that.

But that section needs so much improvement there, and it is very, very dangerous.

But I don't want the property owners to suffer from a business perspective um with what we were trying to do, which needed, but it wants to be my two-pending.

I like at least stay in the loop on it and just see what's going on.

See how we get there.

Yes.

Commissioner Myers, does he rehand?

Yeah, you do.

I guess I'm I'm just uh thinking about T Swast uh 2026 a lot.

There's a great thing in the facts and issues there, and I hope staff will pull that together for us when we get closer and are thinking about that money because there's uh a wonderful ranking metrics of the most dangerous intersections that are it's in number three down there.

So I just want to uh emphasize that that's some other information we'll need.

I also thought this was interesting in light of the conversation we had the work session about process and and projects taking so long.

I saw again this is this I guess was just in the history, but this was it's it seemed to be significant.

The RCN planning grant for 800,000 uh is in there, and that includes a lot of tasks.

So after we were talking last week about cutting down the tasks, we were accept we've accepted this money, I think, so we're sort of obligated to follow through on this kind of planning process.

So uh hopefully we can get lots of people out early and involved in that.

Commissioner Taylor.

Yeah, um, so I Google both other addresses, and one is CVS and one is the gas station.

And so would you reach out to like the corporation?

That that's correct.

We reached out to the corporation CDS, and we've been working with them.

There has been some technicality back and forth, but we do hope that that would be resolved and it would not go to uh imminent domain.

The other property owner is the gas station in your right, and we are in a negotiation phase where the numbers are not meeting, you know, they're not getting close.

So we don't really like me.

Oh, so that's that I don't know how much can we share with with that kind of level of information.

Right-of-way acquisition is uh is a phase where not so much talked about during that it's an acquisition of property or part of the property, really not the entire we staff don't believe that we are creating hindrance or major impacts of the property from them doing their business, however, they maybe make an argument that no, it is, and so we're in in in that negotiation phase.

Yeah, so for the for the gas station, I can see that it is terrible getting in and out on both sides of the gas station.

I get still out of time, so I can get there for that one.

But for CVS, either way, I'll I I just want just for conversation's sake.

Thank you.

Sure, no problem.

Commissioner Davenport again, Commissioner Fisher, Commissioner Davenport.

I know you like to go to Vegas.

You want to bet on the uh cost of the um yeah, I agree with Commissioner Um Taylor, sorry.

Um it's a long day.

But anyway, I don't want to call out the entity, but yeah, when you that gas station was um, they just remodeled that about a year ago.

And so I'm just a little concerned about taking more of their property because it is yeah, you I mean like literally one or maybe two cars and get into that spot, but um I still support this project because it's um I think lives are more important than money at in this instance.

Commissioner Fisher.

Yeah, Commissioner Um Dampos, but yeah, that gas is real tight.

And to Commissioner Tate's point, it's hard to get in and out.

So when we're looking at what we may be taking, that's what I'm concerned about.

We may know how much we're gonna take.

It could be a problem.

It may be a problem.

So I say keep me in the loop on this, because I think it's important that we don't affect this business tour, but it is there's a tight space right, and he's right there on that corner.

So yeah.

All right.

Thank you, Ronnie.

Appreciate it.

We're gonna move on to item 17.

Hang on, we might need you again, you never know.

Uh this is the Chase Street Transportation Alternative Program Grant.

This preliminary print plans approval and what right of way authorization uh for the long planned improvements on North Chase Street uh between the rail line and the intersection at Dairy Pass.

Questions about this?

Consent.

Consent?

Ooh, we're winning tonight, friends.

All right.

18 is the proposed projects and funding for the FY25 community energy fund franchise fee allocation.

We of course set a baseline of uh income from our utility rights away dollars and uh have said that the balance we're gonna put into clean activities.

Consent.

Everybody okay with consent on this?

All right.

All right.

Uh 19 is American Rescue Plan Act funding uh recapture and reallocation.

Uh engaged with a couple of recipients to ensure that they understood that uh it for the most part we're just modifying the kind of uh funding stream, and there are just two projects that are no longer viable uh with funds that are going to be reallocated.

Uh Andrew, oh Mayor, if we may point out a unique feature of this agenda, there are actually four options for you a recommended, an alternative, uh, and then like a CDO version.

Um the main difference between the recommended and the alternative, the staff recommendation would uh fund the Center for Racial Justice and Black Futures, both through our offsetting our current capital of 100,000 and providing for FY26 rent, whereas the balance of that um would be going into affordable housing, and because it's got to be existing contracts, all that we can really do is go back to our partners and have an expedited review of if you had more money, how would you expend it and how would it advance your scope?

If you all didn't want to go that route, there's an option two, which is we basically would park it and do an existing uh capital project, and in this case it would be a fire truck.

I like option one.

Yeah, and I think man, we really need to um make sure that the public understand that um we're not taking five million dollars back.

Uh that's all the out there floating on social media.

So I'm glad you said what you say about it's only two um nonprofits that we're you know, real getting that money back, so we need to for the public to understand there's not a five million dollar um take back that we're taking back from nonprofits.

So we need to make that clear.

I want to publicly state that.

So it's helpful, thank you.

Commissioner Thornton.

Well, to uh piggyback on Commissioner Fisher, um that's the recommendation from staff not to recap that all back.

So we're if we put it on consent, that's what we're agreeing to.

So it's not automatic, like we're not these folk do have some are kinda behind.

Um, but we're going to give them that opportunity to get caught up.

So but my question is on the two that we are recapturing.

Um their scope was both of those scopes were very, very, very unusual.

So my question now becomes will we have or is it possible to see some possibilities at our next meeting if these two can be redirected to another nonprofit?

But I do know that their scope was a little different.

So the recommendation from staff is a mechanism that would redirect it to nonprofits.

Homeless homeless.

Twofold.

One is uh housing contracts have been around the longest, and so they're actually the ones that are more likely to be exceeding our spending targets.

Secondly, is it's a long lead time to do anything with housing.

So we we debated internally about how to deal with this.

If you all wish to redeploy ARPA into the community and not just for ACC governments, doing it now is much better.

You will not have these kinds of opportunities in another six, nine months.

Um so it is a reallocation, but there would be a separate agenda.

So if you approve the staff recommendation, put it on consent or otherwise, they will come back to you with another agenda in October that says here's how we recommend you redeploy the housing funding.

Okay, so even though it so the scopes of of these two particular nonprofits, it doesn't have to be reallocated.

I think one of them was EJC's.

Um it does not have to be reallocated training homeless homeless persons for CNAs to care for homeless clients.

That is the gist of the so it doesn't have to be that, it just has to be something in the homeless or housing issue.

Yeah, so facts and facts and issues 11 describes kind of the three broad strategies that can be used to reallocate ARPA probably the feds, at least in the prior administration would have recommended like for like.

So for example, if we had more time, you would take a homeless contract and go find a new provider of the same scope.

Unfortunately, we don't have that luxury.

So we've we've we've kind of bounced between what's recommended here, uh amending an existing ARPA contract to authorize unspent funds, but it would be a change of original purpose.

Okay.

That's good to me.

Commissioner Myers.

Yeah, I just want to make sure there's a lot of uh there's a lot of letters down here under the options.

Um if we're looking at approving this, we're approving A, B, C, D, E, and F.

And an F is the one where there were three options, but you guys are recommending using uh for uh blah blah blah as described in facts and issue 16, which was using it for the uh housing the the what housing housing, but was that the one that was also using it was free for affordable housing using strategy number one.

That's not for the the Black Futures Museum.

I'm getting a little confused here as I said.

Based on the budget discussions that you all had about the Center for Racial Justice and Black Futures, that recommendation is the exact same between the all recommendations.

So it would be Okay, okay, that's that, and then the other one.

And so we that's and that's what's in the previous E.

I just wasn't reading all these points.

Sorry.

But then this is what we're recommending now with this money that we're recapturing.

In another three months, six months or whatever the next time is, there's a possibility that we might have to recapture other funds.

That could be a possibility if all those wonderful organizations doing great work aren't able to follow through on the plans they presented.

Is that correct?

Oh, I think it's likely.

We have a lot of ARPA dollars still out and some big big goals to achieve.

And so if you just think about the simple like doing a spin down as you approach December 31st of 2026, at some point there's gonna be some unspent funds.

Yeah.

And what you're gonna find recommendation from staff is the closer we get to 2026, the more we're gonna tell you put it in the capital, put it in the capital.

Okay.

Um I remember we did get an email from the mayor uh asking was there any more updates on the boys and girls club?

And I only see the boys and girls club mentioned under the um the chamber allocation.

Would they be in this or have we already um recaptured?

I I just didn't see them listed.

I I've seen it under because they were getting funded all through also through the chamber for workforce development.

Page A of the agenda shows the uh larger award of 3.175 million.

Yes, ma'am.

Okay.

And it so the reason why they're not referenced by name is they were expected to expend 50 or spent 50 percent.

We have qualified 59% expenses, um, and so they're meeting their spending targets.

Commissioner Taylor.

Thank you.

Um, so just for um clarification, I just had a question about the recapturing of funds, um, and going back to the light to light method.

There in the beginning of ARPA, not in the beginning of ARPA because I wasn't elected, but once I got elected, I I spoke with a lot of people who felt that the red tape that came for from applying to be able to be a community partner was just too much.

So moving forward past that, and we're almost closer to the date of recapturing funds.

Is there a way for us to be a little bit slack on the Andrew?

You laughing.

Umly because it I want us to be able to help nonprofits do more rental assistance.

Um, I don't know if everyone knows, but housing authority has gone up significantly, and residents are are paying almost eleven hundred dollars or being asked to pay um eleven hundred dollars um starting in September.

And so I've been um sending residents to the Salvation Army who got ARPA funds, and Captain Nicole didn't even know they had those funds out, which is great because they've been able to help.

No Shae, she she just is busy, but it's great to be able to send residents to nonprofits so that they don't get evicted, and so is there a way for us to stop laughing, Andrew, to you know, and I know these are Fed guidelines, but I know we have guidelines to Yeah, so um this was something I was involved in my time with HCD.

As much as we would like these dollars to be uh free or to achieve our objectives, and in some nuanced cases, they are they generally are gonna point back to federal requirements, which in many cases are as equal or more onerous than what we might apply to our own dollars.

Um, and so staff is provides a copious amounts of technical guidance before, during, and throughout the award process on how to navigate that, how we can stay legal, achieve your outcome, and the least amount of BS, but there's still a lot of it.

So unfortunately, those are the strings that come with with the federal funding.

Your broader question, is it possible?

Yes, is it recommended?

No, because you're to go to kind of an all call of what would you do with these dollars, let's say maybe for rental assistance, um, is gonna be uh much more time inclusive, and more importantly, you kind of get into strategy two, which means that you're re-initiating the full contracting cycle, whereas strategy one is amending an existing award that is still open.

So I can do that with like a land truly.

You could uh so whoever is already an existing awardee if if they wanted to propose that as part of their uh enhanced mission with additional funding, wanted to do some, they we would certainly review it and score it as we could.

That was my question.

Commissioner Thornton.

I'm gonna um follow up with Commissioner Taylor a little bit.

I know the staff has um their um perception and planning, so I appreciate all the work you do.

But if there are issues, if there are things in this in the community that we think that staff is not aware of that could use some of these funds come available, how do we just tell you or talk to you?

Um yeah, or do you already or or had or has your mind already been made?

No, I to be clear, we have not engaged with our housing partners about what would happen with these funds.

We feel like this conversation was much more important about the vision.

Okay.

Um so if you have ideas where you is recommendations come back to you all where you feel like it's important to carve out an award, which has been a common history with ARPA.

Certainly engaging with the manager's office and the attorney's office would be a key step because we don't want to step out of federal compliance, especially in this environment.

I would not recommend it, but I understand why you might do it.

Commissioner Myers.

Hi.

Listen, I got I got um our clerk's office to do a great job for me and print out some of these charts at the end because they were really helpful.

And I'm gonna uh highlight a really good example of what I find really helpful and wish I had it for everything that was laid out this way because what I'm seeing from HCD Beck and Attachment 4 is a chart that lays out 21 different grantees and the money that's involved, and then it's followed up by another chart, and I know Commissioner Thornton next to me will like this that has notes on the outcomes, and I find that really helpful.

Um there's another one from the economic development, and I know those programs just started recently, but it would be good to have some updates on that.

The thing that I don't I'll put this in a positive way, that I would be preferred to have information likewise in format is for like the Boys and Girls Club DPI initiative in there.

It just says, like, oh yeah, and they gave a lot of money to all these programs, but we don't have how much money they got, how much should they use, and what the outcomes are, and it would be really helpful, transparent to the community to us to feel going forward, going through forward on that.

And I think the same thing is on the Athens uh Chamber of Commerce, because they have a lot of subgrantees, and so they're the ones that were funded through the task force that uh Commissioner Taylor and I uh co-chaired, and they're listed separately, but the Athens Chamber just has a large amount and it's not broken down.

So I'd I'd like to see it all in this nice wonderful format so we know where all those billions and millions of dollars went, and that we can carry them, you know, and show the public where it all went.

Yeah, and I think Melinda has already kind of gathered that and we'll be able to put that in that same format, I believe, is what we talked about soon.

Um, and one more thing that I would be helpful, Athens Chamber is also is it Athens Achieve?

Yeah, Achieve Athens.

I just think either you need to put Athens Achieve in parentheses or and let us know, let everybody know that this really is the chamber.

Because when I look, I'm like Athens, but that's the logo they're using, they're not using the Athens Chamber, they're using Athens Achieve.

So I think we all should be speaking the same language, Commissioner Taylor.

Indeed.

Um, I had a conversation, and I'm just repeating myself from a previous meeting, but with advantage, me and Evan spoke about a possible amendment for the um the funds that they received.

Um it wasn't the task for it wasn't the crisis response team, but it was a it might have been that team, but that team pulled residents out of um like outside and put them inside.

He and we talked about amending it, um, that families who are facing eviction, even if they're not outside that they would still be able to get the funds.

And I wish I could say that a lot smarter, but for whatever.

So you're asking about a housing.

Somewhat of a change in the scope of the already awarded funds.

It was going to be a special permit that thing, and you were going to talk to our as it pertains to kind of these questions.

Sure.

Um, we can double check with Melinda.

Uh while I've heard that discussed, it's it's really reallocating some of the uh emergency funds to address uh unsheltered homelessness to to be more on the rental uh support front to prevent homelessness.

Uh and so I had those same conversations myself with Advantage at the time they ask was can we administratively do that?

And the answer is no.

We have to enforce the scopes and contracts approved by the commission.

However, we did tell them if you have a formal request of the commission you'd like to make we could relay it.

Um so Melinda, has there been any further conversation about a change in scope for advantage?

No, we haven't received any reformal request to change any scope of work.

Um we've only had two, and both of those have come in front of you in the past, and that would be they have two homeless ARPA contracts.

So I think they're talking about their encampment street outreach is connected to their street outreach contract.

I think Evan and I have had a conversation about it but again there's been no formal request to put it in front of you to actually change the scope of work from what it is.

That's fine.

And I mean maybe those funds are going to what they were attended to go originally and so there was no need to amend it.

So if it it's specifically designed to assist people on the streets to get them off the streets into shelter and housing.

So if they expand that scope of work then it takes it from all street homeless to potentially people that aren't on the streets but are still per definition considered homeless.

So if if we get to a point where we have to recapture the funds then it's just like up to us where those funds will go to yes oh will I be quiet.

Hopefully not forgive me Jesus hopefully they'll be able to spend those for us I think homeless flex fund is doing s action like you're talking about okay we do have two you mentioned um eviction or helping with rent we do have two active of diversion programs that are can assist with eviction prevention and that's Family Promise of Athens is doing their diversion and the homeless coalition Athens homeless coalition is about to get their diversion program up and running so we will have two.

Okay well we need to make sure we get some money back to family promise they do a great job with housing families as well we want to make sure our people are not on the street Bob and Andrew Michael SL thanks Commissioner thanks Melinda appreciate it.

That was my last one item left number 20 this in order to amend the fee schedule for the public utilities trash setup fee.

Very exciting stuff everybody okay with consent on that 20's consent all right motion to adjourn thanks all favor any opposed all right we stand adjourned