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Record of Proceedings

Athens-Clark County Commission Meeting Summary (Dec 2, 2025)

Mayor and Commission — Tuesday, December 2, 2025
BodyAthens, Georgia
SessionMayor and Commission
DateTuesday, December 2, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 4:03:17

Transcript — Verbatim
1:10

All right, all right, all right.

1:11

Welcome everyone.

1:12

It is Tuesday, December 2nd, 2025.

1:16

Uh, if you are here joining us in City Hall or via digital media across the globe, we're glad to have you with us.

1:23

We're here for the monthly voting meeting of the Athens Clark County Mayor and Commission.

1:27

We're gonna begin by having the clerk do a roll call.

1:31

Here, here, Taylor, why president Fisher?

1:35

Here Johnson.

1:36

Here, Carl Pepper.

1:38

Here.

1:38

My yours here, Thornton.

1:42

Here.

1:43

Handy.

1:44

Here.

1:44

We have a call.

1:45

All right.

1:46

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

1:46

All right.

1:47

Uh begin by noting our civility pledge provided to us by the Georgia Municipal Association.

1:52

And we have embraced that the way we govern ourselves is often as important as the positions we take, that our collective decisions will be better when differing views have had the opportunity to be fully vetted and considered, that all people have the right to be treated with respect, courtesy, and openness, that we value all input and commit to conduct ourselves at all times with civility and courtesy to each other in this room.

2:14

So uh first formal item of business tonight is approval of the minutes of meetings of Tuesday, November 4th, Tuesday November of November 18th, of which there were two meetings, and non-voting meetings of Tuesday, November 12th and Tuesday, November 18th.

2:28

Can I hear a motion for approval of those minutes?

2:32

Second.

2:32

All right.

2:33

Have a motion from Commissioner Taylor and a second from Commissioner Myers.

2:37

All in favor, please say aye.

2:39

Aye.

2:39

Any opposed?

2:40

Same sign.

2:42

Hearing none, motion carries.

2:44

Uh Madam Clerk, do we have any written communications this evening?

2:47

All right, thank you.

2:48

All right.

2:49

Uh we are going to have many, many, many, many opportunities for public input tonight.

2:54

Um we're gonna have an opportunity on the consent agenda.

2:57

We're gonna have an opportunity on each of the several planning and zoning items.

3:03

We're gonna have an opportunity on old and new business, and then we'll have an opportunity for public comment on any item that was not on tonight's agenda at the conclusion of the meeting tonight.

3:14

Uh terms of public input with the exception of uh two pieces of input on planning and zoning, call for three-minute opportunity on each occasion.

3:23

Uh you see a light in front of the clerk, it will turn green when you begin speaking and give us your name and place of residence.

3:29

It will turn yellow when you have 30 seconds left, and then it will turn red when that three minutes is ended, and we'll thank you for your time with us tonight.

3:37

Um if there's an opportunity when there are many folks wishing to speak on the same item, uh you can go ahead and line up at the podium that way we can kind of move expeditiously through public comment.

3:48

So uh first opportunity for public comment tonight is on our consent agenda.

3:54

And these were items that at the prior meeting were determined to be handled with a single vote.

3:58

And currently the consent agenda items are one through eleven.

4:04

Is there any member of the public tonight who would like to speak to any of those items?

4:09

One through eleven.

4:20

Again, just provide your name and place of residence, and then your three minutes will begin.

4:24

Yes.

4:24

Uh my name's Jamie Hillmeyer.

4:27

I live at 250 Pendleton Drive.

4:30

And uh just wanted to talk about this uh multi-use uh project.

4:36

So I believe the proposed multi-family development in Homewood Hills, if approved will create a major traffic issue.

4:42

Sir, just so you know, uh number eight is a multi-use path.

4:45

It's a it's a path that people can fight on.

4:48

So am I talking about the wrong one?

4:50

Yes.

4:50

But in mere minutes, we will be back there.

4:54

So hang tight.

4:56

We're gonna hook you up.

4:57

We'll not be disappointed.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Zoning Regulation████████████████████████████████████36%
Procedural█████████████████17%
Community Engagement████████████12%
Environmental Protection████████8%
Affordable Housing██████6%
Engineering And Infrastructure████4%
Parks and Recreation████4%
Transportation Safety███3%
Active Transportation███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Athens-Clark County Commission Meeting Summary (Dec 2, 2025)

The Athens-Clark County Mayor and Commission convened on December 2, 2025, to conduct their monthly voting meeting, addressing a wide range of planning and zoning items, ordinances, and public concerns. The meeting featured significant public testimony regarding a proposed church rezone that was ultimately denied by the commissioners, and a complex multi-phase redevelopment project at Homewood Village which was tabled pending further review of infrastructure and community input. The body also approved a temporary moratorium on new data centers and made appointments to various boards.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes: Approved unanimously for the non-voting meetings on Nov 12 and 18, and voting meetings of Nov 4 and 18.
  • Ordinances: Approved the consent agenda (items 1-11), including the FY 2026 operating and capital budget amendment to accept grant funding for police investigator positions supporting the Northeast Georgia Regional Drug Task Force.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Item 13 (Connection Church Athens - 255 Smithonia Rd):
    • Speaker Positions: Speaker Chase Zesh (representing Connection Church) expressed full support for the rezone, arguing it would preserve rural character by maintaining low building coverage (13.54% on 20 acres), increasing tree canopy from 0% to 60% (planting approx. 200 native trees), and limiting use strictly to a church to prevent commercial sprawl.
    • Opposing Speakers: Roger Hilton and Annie Cheatham expressed strong opposition, arguing the project would create unacceptable sprawl, introduce 650 people and 200 cars into a low-density area, and detract from the green belt. Winterville Mayor Dodd Farrell (via read statement) expressed opposition based on the project's incompatibility with the vision for Winterville.
    • Pastor Support: Pastor Liam Hardy expressed support, clarifying that the church serves only 250 attendees and cannot afford the larger church models shown in previous packets.
  • Item 14 (Homewood Village - 2415 Jefferson Rd):
    • Speaker Positions: Jack Murphy (applicant) expressed support for the plan, emphasizing it would revitalize a deteriorating site and add housing/retail. Jamie Hillmeyer and Keith Hubbard expressed strong opposition regarding traffic congestion and safety hazards at the primary ingress point.
    • Community Concerns: Dr. Carol Hubbard, Elizabeth Little, and several others expressed opposition to the five-story scale, the lack of binding commitments for Phase 2, sewage infrastructure capacity issues (leaking pipes), and stormwater management. They argued the proposal would overburden the neighborhood.
    • Community Support: Kurtis Downs, Georgiana Ingram, Ken Blimrick, and several other tenants expressed full support, arguing the site is neglected and that the current proposal is superior to potential alternative developments or leaving the site vacant. They highlighted the developer's track record and the need for housing.
  • Data Center Moratorium (Item 27):
    • Speaker Positions: A coalition of residents and experts (including Marisella Twazen, Dr. Tawana Smith Mattis, Olivia Asher, Summer Blanco, Rhea Satheva, and Tim Johnson) expressed strong support for the moratorium. They argued data centers pose critical risks involving excessive water evaporation (80%), high energy consumption (equivalent to millions of homes), pollution, and disproportionate impacts on marginalized communities. They urged that the proposed Athena Studios data center be included under the moratorium.
    • Supportive Speakers: Eric Johansson (applicant for McClung Rd storage) and Frank Pittman (applicant for Hull Rd rezoning) expressed support for their specific non-data center projects.

Discussion Items

  • Item 13: Connection Church Athens (Rezone AR to CR): Commissioners deliberated on the church rezone. While the applicant argued the project would enhance rural character and provide wildlife habitat, the Commissioners prioritized resident concerns regarding traffic, scale, and precedent. Commissioner Taylor moved to deny the rezone.
  • Item 14: Homewood Village (PD Modification): Commission deliberation revealed significant division. Commissioner Fisher strongly supported the project to avoid long-term deterioration of the site. Commissioner Link and others opposed the proposal due to unanswered questions regarding sewage infrastructure, traffic safety, and the non-binding nature of Phase 2. Commissioner Link moved to table the item until the next voting session to allow for further staff review and clearer community assurances.
  • Item 20: Short-Term Rental (STR) Ordinance: Discussion focused on restricting commercial STRs in RM zones and clarifying home occupation definitions. Commissioner Hamby and Taylor expressed concerns about code enforcement capabilities (specifically weekend staffing) and the housing crisis, noting that current ordinances may not effectively prevent large-scale STR operations in residential complexes.
  • Item 27: Data Center Moratorium: The body discussed the environmental and infrastructure risks of data centers. The moratorium was designed to provide time to develop specific regulations, assess resource usage, and ensure community standards are met before new approvals, potentially including the Athena Studios proposal.
  • Item 21: Board Authority Recommendations: Debate centered on consolidating TAD advisory groups. A motion was passed to retain individual TAD groups while directing staff to consolidate descriptions of all boards, authorities, and commissions into a single, accessible manual.
  • Item 22: ARPA Funds Allocation: A heated debate occurred regarding reallocation of affordable housing funds. While staff recommended approval of the specific allocation, a substitute motion to hold funds until January gained a tie vote. The Mayor voted against the hold, resulting in the original motion to allocate funds as recommended passing 8-2.

Key Outcomes

  • Item 13 (Connection Church): DENIED. Motion to deny adopted 6-0 (Commissioners Taylor, Johnson, Myers, Thornton, Hamby, Wright voted against; Davenport, Link, Fisher, Davenport voted against). Correction: The motion to deny passed. Vote tally: 6 for deny, 4 against deny. (Based on transcript:

Meeting Transcript

All right, all right, all right. Welcome everyone. It is Tuesday, December 2nd, 2025. Uh, if you are here joining us in City Hall or via digital media across the globe, we're glad to have you with us. We're here for the monthly voting meeting of the Athens Clark County Mayor and Commission. We're gonna begin by having the clerk do a roll call. Here, here, Taylor, why president Fisher? Here Johnson. Here, Carl Pepper. Here. My yours here, Thornton. Here. Handy. Here. We have a call. All right. Thank you, Madam Clerk. All right. Uh begin by noting our civility pledge provided to us by the Georgia Municipal Association. And we have embraced that the way we govern ourselves is often as important as the positions we take, that our collective decisions will be better when differing views have had the opportunity to be fully vetted and considered, that all people have the right to be treated with respect, courtesy, and openness, that we value all input and commit to conduct ourselves at all times with civility and courtesy to each other in this room. So uh first formal item of business tonight is approval of the minutes of meetings of Tuesday, November 4th, Tuesday November of November 18th, of which there were two meetings, and non-voting meetings of Tuesday, November 12th and Tuesday, November 18th. Can I hear a motion for approval of those minutes? Second. All right. Have a motion from Commissioner Taylor and a second from Commissioner Myers. All in favor, please say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Same sign. Hearing none, motion carries. Uh Madam Clerk, do we have any written communications this evening? All right, thank you. All right. Uh we are going to have many, many, many, many opportunities for public input tonight. Um we're gonna have an opportunity on the consent agenda. We're gonna have an opportunity on each of the several planning and zoning items. We're gonna have an opportunity on old and new business, and then we'll have an opportunity for public comment on any item that was not on tonight's agenda at the conclusion of the meeting tonight. Uh terms of public input with the exception of uh two pieces of input on planning and zoning, call for three-minute opportunity on each occasion. Uh you see a light in front of the clerk, it will turn green when you begin speaking and give us your name and place of residence. It will turn yellow when you have 30 seconds left, and then it will turn red when that three minutes is ended, and we'll thank you for your time with us tonight. Um if there's an opportunity when there are many folks wishing to speak on the same item, uh you can go ahead and line up at the podium that way we can kind of move expeditiously through public comment. So uh first opportunity for public comment tonight is on our consent agenda. And these were items that at the prior meeting were determined to be handled with a single vote. And currently the consent agenda items are one through eleven. Is there any member of the public tonight who would like to speak to any of those items? One through eleven. Again, just provide your name and place of residence, and then your three minutes will begin. Yes. Uh my name's Jamie Hillmeyer. I live at 250 Pendleton Drive.

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