Blog Topic: Government
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In the Loop: Commission Temporarily Bans Demolitions in Two Athens Neighborhoods
Photo Credit: Austin Steele/file
The possibility that the house at 398 Milledge Circle would be demolished galvanized neighbors to seek a historic district.
During a contentious four-hour called meeting Tuesday night, the Athens-Clarke County Commission approved moratoriums on demolitions and some construction on Milledge Circle and Castalia Avenue in Five Points and in the West Hancock neighborhood.
Both moratoriums apply demolitions and changes to facades and rooflines for one year while neighborhood residents, county planners and commissioners study ways to protect those neighborhoods' historic character. But they allow interior renovations and add-ons to the backs of homes, in an effort to appease opponents who are planning improvement projects.
On Milledge Circle, residents are fighting to stop homebuyers from tearing down historic residences to build larger suburban-style houses—which they said has happened three times already and could happen again at 398 Milledge Circle.
"You come to realize Athens has been at the center of a demolition derby, so to speak," Milledge Circle resident and historic preservation professor John Waters said. "You don't know what to expect next door to your property, or what it's going to do to your quality of life."
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In the Loop: Will Georgia's Campus Carry Law Let UGA Tailgaters Pack Heat?
Photo Credit: Randy Schafer/file
The campus carry bill Gov. Nathan Deal signed last month explicitly bans guns at Sanford Stadium while allowing them on many other parts of the UGA campus. But officials are still grappling with at least one gray area—what the poorly worded law means for tailgaters.
One scenario has raised an interesting question for Georgia: Given the fact that up to 100,000 fans, if not more, partake in tailgating festivities many hours before kickoff, how will the law be interpreted on its campus for a Saturday football game?
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In the Loop: Commission Will Vote Tuesday on Demolition Bans
The Varsity's owners plan to demolish this 160-year-old Queen Anne house at 853 Reese Street that was once owned by slaves-turned-dentists James and Charlotte Mack and renowned educator Annie Burney.
The Athens-Clarke County Commission will vote Tuesday on whether to temporarily ban demolitions and new construction on Milledge Circle and in the Hancock Corridor while protections are being considered for those historic neighborhoods.
Milledge Circle homeowners have been spurred on by the imminent destruction of 398 Milledge Circle, continuing a recent trend of home-buyers snapping up historic properties only to demolish the houses to make way for much larger structures. A majority petitioned the commission for a historic district earlier this month.
Across town, the Gordy family, which owns The Varsity, applied for permits to demolish seven structures on the same block as the fast-food landmark, including several historic houses. The neighborhood along Hanock Avenue west of Milledge—listed on the National Register of Historic Places—is under threat because it's zoned multifamily, which is likely to entice developers looking to tear down older residences for denser and more expensive housing, according to a recent study of the West Broad area. Some residents have called for the neighborhood to be rezoned for small single-family lots.
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In the Loop: ACC Police Are Hosting Two Town Hall Meetings
Athens-Clarke County Police Chief Scott Freeman is hosting two town halls this week to seek feedback from citizens.
The first is today is Gaines Elementary School. The second is Thursday at Chase Street Elementary. Both are from 6:30–8 p.m.
For more information, contact Capt. Mark Sizemore at 706-613-3888 ext. 248 or [email protected].
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In the Loop: New CCSD Superintendent Demond Means Will Make $209,000 a Year
Photo Credit: Austin Steele/file
The Clarke County Board of Education has agreed to a three-year contract with new superintendent Demond Means that will pay him at least $209,000 annually, plus other benefits.
In addition to his base salary and the typical retirement and insurance benefits, Means will receive a $700 car allowance in lieu of mileage, and the district will pay $3,000 per year into a tax-deferred retirement plan.
The school board can fire Means for cause or buy out the remainder of his contract. If Means resigns before the contract ends, he will owe the district $5,000.
CCSD will also cover Means' relocation expenses up to $10,000, as well as reimburse him up to $5,000 for his travel to and from Milwaukee between now and July 10, when the contract kicks in, and for "professional growth" such as college classes and conferences.
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Grub Notes: Gov. Deal Signs Craft Brewery Bill and More Beer News
Beer lovers will soon be able to buy up to a case of beer a day from their favorite brewery after Gov. Nathan Deal signed a law this morning loosening restrictions on breweries, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
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In the Loop: Deal Signs Campus Carry; Hice Helps Pass Trumpcare
In spite of ongoing opposition in Athens, Gov. Nathan Deal has signed HB 280, this year's version of the "campus carry" legislation he vetoed last year.
Deal's veto statement last year included a full-throated defense of gun-free campuses, citing founding fathers Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe, who banned guns at the University of Virginia, and the late conservative Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who ruled in District of Columbia vs. Heller that banning guns in schools and on government property is not unconstitutional.
Deal also cited several specific objections in 2016, and addressing those apparently was enough to convince him to sign HB 280 in spite of his general objections to HB 859.
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In the Loop: The Varsity Files for Demolition Permits for Surrounding Properties
The owners of The Varsity have applied for permits to demolish a half-dozen structures on the same block, potentially allowing them to raze several historic houses to make way for a mega-development.
The permits are for 1076, 1086 and 1092 West Broad (the Dairy Queen that closed last year, a mechanic's shop and a house) and 835, 853 and 863 Reese Street.
The applications were filed Tuesday. Commissioner Melissa Link, who represents the area, said she has already exercised her power under county law to put a hold on those permits for 90 days.
"I have activated the 90-day delay, and I have every intention of seeking a long-term moratorium," she said.
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In the Loop: Epps Bridge Centre Phase II Is Coming Along
In the foreground are the new $3.3 million road Parkway Boulevard and the site of Epps Bridge Centre's second phase across the Oconee Connector from Phase 1.
Oconee County expects to open Parkway Boulevard from the Oconee Connector to Kohl’s by the end of May, county Public Works Director Emil Beshara told a meeting of the regional metropolitan transportation planning organization on Wednesday.
Construction on the roadway is “winding down,” Beshara told the group, with work remaining only on such things as pedestrian islands, guardrails, and striping.
The roadway will allow traffic to flow from Epps Bridge Parkway just inside Oconee County at the bridge over McNutt Creek to one of the entrances to Epps Bridge Centre or onto the Loop and Highway 316, or the reverse.
The county decided to spend $3.35 million to build the roadway not as a means of relieving traffic but to open up the area for further commercial development.
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In the Loop: Rep. Jody Hice Is Now in Favor of Trumpcare
Photo Credit: Joshua L. Jones/file
Athens congressman Jody Hice was one of the uber-conservative House members who helped scuttle President Donald Trump and Speaker Paul Ryan's attempt to undo much of Obamacare back in March.
The American Health Care Act would have thrown more than 20 million people off their policies by sunsetting Medicaid expansion and cutting subsidies for older low-income people.
Moderate Republicans said it went too far, while the House Freedom Caucus, of which Hice is a member, wanted an even more draconian plan. But the tea party has come around to the latest version of the Republican health care bill, although it remains unclear whether it will also win moderate support.
Hice said in a written statement:
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