A long-awaited downtown master plan is almost a reality.

The Athens Downtown Development Authority voted Tuesday to spend up to $30,000 on a master plan overseen by University of Georgia College of Environment and Design professor Jack Crowley. The scope of the plan—such as whether it will include a marketing study and what the boundaries of downtown will be—is still up in the air, though, as ADDA officials negotiate a final contract. The ADDA board will vote on approving the contract Aug. 14.

Athens-Clarke officials and neighborhood activists have been calling for a downtown master plan for years, especially since Selig Enterprises proposed a massive development anchored by Walmart on Oconee Street last year. Cost was a barrier, but Crowley agreed to take no fee for himself, instead working for a fraction of what private consultants had bid. Still, the deal came under some criticism, notably from Flagpole's Kevan Williams, who argued that the process of hiring Crowley wasn't transparent and he is competing with struggling planners looking for work.

Crowley, a team of graduate assistants and facilitators at UGA's Fanning Institute will spend months taking public input before sitting down to write the plan for future growth through 2030. If comments at Tuesday's ADDA meeting were any indication, Athens residents have very different visions of what downtown should be.

Melissa Link told the ADDA that high rents and new development are pushing out artists and other creative types. "These days, it's almost cheaper to move to Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and do your work than Athens, GA, and a lot of people have done that," she said.

Property owner Marion Cartwright said rents are higher because taxes are higher. He urged planners to focus on business owners and tenants. "What keeps downtown viable is businesses that make money and generate money," he said.

A nine-member committee—one appointed by each ADDA board member and two by downtown property owners—will supervise the master plan.