city pages resists adding amenities like trees and pedestrian crossings that may slow traffic), ACC should consider taking over control from the state and paying the maintenance costs itself, the study suggests. Prominent in the public comments were traffic concerns (“a huge issue at this choke Public comments have fairly poured in point crossing the Oconee River”) and antipato county planners about the future of two thy to the proposed big-box “anchor” for the Athens streets, Prince Avenue and Oconee/ Selig development: “Suddenly I may as well Oak streets (which runs from downtown to the live in Buford,” one citizen wrote. “I have bypass, where it becomes Lexington Road). seen many [earlier] failures in downtown, Drafts of the two “corridor” studies were comand this large out-of-scale chain reeks with pleted by county planners in October, shortly disaster,” commented another. Still another before Selig Enterprises announced its plans doubted that a “massive-scale big box develfor a controversial new retail/apartment devel- opment” like Selig’s “can be located at the opment along Oconee Street. heart of town without overwhelming the infraEach street study is over 50 pages long. structure, even if it is massively upgraded.” Aside from the usual demographics and plan“This corridor is dangerous to cross, and ning boilerplate (“Sustainable development cars are known to speed through red lights,” should achieve a balance that satisfies the a commenter wrote. “As for quality of life, it community’s housing, recreational, educaconcerns me that bus stops often don’t have tional, commercial, and industrial needs”), at minimum a place to sit.” Said another, some specific recommendations are included. “a bike and pedestrian path connecting Oak Both studies are available on the AthensStreet with East Campus would help a lot.” Clarke County website, and “When I first moved public comments will be into this area, I was able “This is a neighborhood accepted at least through to walk to campus by cutJan. 5. street and should not be ting through the cemetery. The Oak/Oconee study Why is that no longer postreated as a speedway.” sible for the general pubsuggests wider sidewalks, trees and retaining walls, lic?” asked another. (The as “likely development” will extend eastward report suggested approaching the cemetery’s from downtown. Connections to nearby Dudley owners about dealing with security concerns Park and the Greenway should be better and making that “remarkable greenspace marked, and a wider bridge across the Oconee asset” more accessible.) There were also conRiver is needed to accommodate bicycles and cerns about crime: “I have had my cars broken sidewalks. County parking requirements should into three times in the last four months.” be relaxed, encouraging more on-street parkACC Transportation and Public Works ing and fewer large lots (although parking lots Director David Clark was noncommittal about “are not typically driven by zoning minimums the impact of the Selig development on trafbut rather by private prerogatives”). fic. Clark told Flagpole there’s been no count Denser housing development would support of traffic on the Oconee Street hill—but Selig more neighborhood businesses (and justify must submit a traffic impact study that will more frequent bus service), the study says, include that information. Clark’s department but airport noise presents conflicts. Because will then evaluate and comment on Selig’s the corridor is a state-maintained highway traffic study, but because Oconee Street is (and the Georgia Department of Transportation a state-maintained highway, it is GDOT that
Prince, Oak/Oconee Corridor Studies Get Plenty of Feedback
must approve or reject it. Typically, Clark said, a developer will propose to “mitigate” traffic problems, perhaps by paying for wider traffic lanes or adding a stoplight. Like the Oak/Oconee study, the county’s Prince Avenue Corridor Study draws on earlier studies and public comments (including the 2004 “Community Approach to Planning Prince Avenue”), plus a couple of UGA landscape architecture projects. Its recommendations are mostly general (and similar to those for Oak/Oconee): consider taking over local control from GDOT; tweak zoning and encourage denser residential development; “accommodate” bicycles and relax county parking requirements; conduct a traffic circulation study and make a master, block-by-block streetscape plan (neither was done for either study). Citizens who commented liked the trees and walkable shopping areas along Prince. But
fast traffic was the overwhelming concern: “People drive too fast, never signal when they switch lanes and are completely oblivious to pedestrians and bikers,” wrote one commenter. “This is a neighborhood street and should not be treated as a speedway,” added a business owner. The solution, some suggested: a center median or reducing Prince to three lanes, a controversial proposal which could be implemented only if the county were to take over Prince between downtown and Milledge. “Policing and high-tech crosswalks only have limited impact,” one commenter suggested, and added that three-laning “has improved Milledge, Lumpkin, and Baxter for all users.” Some commenters also feared “outof-scale” development of office or “monster medical” buildings, and criticized “fast-food architecture.” John Huie
The Parents and family of the bride and groom would like to congratulate Kathryn F. Watson and Airman 1st Class Travis E. Thomas on their upcoming nuptials.
And we welcome Airman 1st Class Jarrod A. Neujahr, Airman 1st Class Erin Traniello, and Airman 1st Class Zachary D. Taylor. Enjoy your stay in Athens, be safe and come back to visit our town. 146 e. clayton st.
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DECEMBER 14, 2011 · FLAGPOLE.COM
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