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From YouTube: Athens Planning Commission - November 19, 2020
Description
Athens Planning Commission - November 19, 2020
A
A
All
members
are
present,
so
a
quorum
has
been
established
would
like
to
welcome
our
newest
member
to
the
planning
commission,
mr
john
kotowski,
and
I'm
sure
most
of
you
in
town
know
john
and
all
the
great
contributions
he's
made
to
the
city
of
athens
and
we
look
forward
to
his
input
and
contributions
to
the
city
planning.
Commission.
Welcome.
C
C
C
I
think
we
started
in
early
2018
or
late
2017
with
a
lot
with
visioning
and
the
public
workshops,
and
then
the
planning
process
working
myself
working
with
a
few
interns.
We
continue
doing
research
and
small
group
discussion
and
surveys
and
neighborhood
information
gathering
a
lot
of
meetings
through
2018
and
into
2019.
Where
we
drafting
a
document,
we
were
preparing
to
bring
this
forward
in
early
2020.
C
It's
also
a
realization
that
we
have
very
little
room
to
grow
outside
the
existing
city
limits
of
athens,
we're
kind
of
pinned
in
based
on
our
topography
and
our
floodplains,
as
well
as
the
the
cost
of
providing
services
as
we
spread
out
further
and
how
that
weighs
down
our
city
infrastructure
from
the
perspective
of
the
community.
Looking
at
sustainability
issues,
there's
a
lot
of
demand
and
interest
towards
moving
away
from
fossil
fuels
as
a
as
our
primary
source
of
energy.
C
Into
renewable
energy,
as
well
as
being
more
efficient
with
the
the
use
of
energy
in
the
city,
also
looking
we're
looking
at
our
the
corridors
of
athens
and
how
they
are
going
to
change
over
time
and
two
of
our
corridors.
Union,
street
and
stimson
avenue
are
probably
are
keys
to
being
gateways
into
the
city
and
those
are
the
two
if
we're
looking
for,
where
there's
a
where
there's
some
opportunity
for
growth
and
economic
development,
if
we're
trying
to
grow
sustainably
without
growing
outside
the
existing
boundaries
of
our
city.
C
C
And
lastly,
I
think
one
of
the
key
things
to
take
aways
from
the
communities
that
we
heard
that
there's
high
quality
recreational
opportunities
within
the
city
are
key
as
well
as
high
quality,
public
arts,
and
so
those
are
also
things
that
we're
trying
to
build
into
our
comprehensive
plan.
Our
city
plans.
C
So
I
know
you
said
just
about
five
minutes
or
jane.
I
think
I'm
right
up
on
five
minutes
and
if
john,
we
do
have
detailed
presentations
and
patty
and
I
can
provide
links
to
the
previous
planning
commission
meetings.
If
you
want
to
see
those
they're
kind
of
boring,
I
won't
be
I'm
not
going
to
deny
that
or
we
can
talk
offline
but
r.j.
I
think
you
said
you
want
to
open
it
up
for
discussion.
So
unless
there's
anything
else,
I'll
proceed
to
the
planning
commission.
A
C
Thank
you.
It
was
a
community
effort,
there's
no
doubt
about
it
and
and
full
disclosure.
I
do
want
to
make
sure
we
give
credit.
There
was
several
interns
that
participated
in
the
planning
process
and
really
helped
out
to
get
it
across
across
the
field.
They
were
really
fortunate
to
have
an
outstanding
group
of
interns
in
the
last
several
years.
B
B
C
We
also
just
kind
of
as
a
sidebar
when
we
were
working
with
the
county
to
get
a
development
agreement
or
an
infrastructure
agreement
so
that
the
sewer
project
could
occur.
One
of
the
real
concerns
that
the
city
had
was
making
sure
that
that
sewer
project
was
focused
on
a
public
health
issue.
First,
making
sure
that
we
address
sewer
issues
and
septic
issues
that
exist
out
in
that
area
and
also
because
there's
no
zoning
and
there's
no
planning
for
those
portions
of
athens
township.
C
We
didn't
want
to
shoot
ourselves
in
the
foot
where
we
were
creating
a
corridor
that
was
outside
the
city
limits.
That's
right
for
economic
ripe
for
economic
development,
which
could
actually
incentivize
existing
businesses
and
enterprises
in
the
city
to
move
outside
the
city
to
avoid
payment
of
income
taxes
as
a
primary
example.
C
A
My
concern
has
been
about
density
in
population
just
being
able
to
get
out
and
breathe.
You
know
maybe
additional
balcony
space
infusion
so
that
people,
if
they're,
confined
to
a
house
to
their
apartment,
whatever
that
you
know
they
do
have
some
space,
so
they
don't
go
insane
with
this
thing,
can
you
again
just
talk
a
little
bit
about?
A
C
I'm
not
I'm,
I'm
not
sure
about
the
question
of
whether
it
infringes
what
I,
what
I
can
say
is
the
recommendation
for
allowance
of
accessory
structures.
I
think
I
think
the
need
for
that
still
holds
for
multiple
reasons
that
we
heard
through
the
planning
process,
one
of
which
is
to
if
people
should
choose
to
is
to
give
them
an
opportunity
to
remain
in
their
homes
longer
by
by
collecting
some
having
a
revenue
stream
coming
in,
so
that
they
can
maintain
their
property.
C
They
can
retrofit
it
for
aging
in
place
and
things
of
those
things
along
those
lines.
It's
also
really
important.
I
think,
if
we're
looking
at
it
from
a
family
who
may
have
a
an
adult
with
a
disability
who
wants
some
independence
but
also
wants
to
be
close
to
caregivers
and
family,
so
that
they
from
that
perspective
as
it
relates
to
the
pandemic.
C
Specifically,
I
think
you
know,
as
long
as
I
think,
there's
the
the
health
recommendations,
both
at
the
federal
state
and
local
level.
I
think,
as
long
as
we're
all
following
those
rules
we
are,
we
are
minimizing
our
our
risk
of
exposure,
I'm
not
a
health.
You
know
public
health,
professional
though
that
being
said,
I
think,
as
you
know,
if
we're,
if
we're
concerned
about
those
changes
in
especially
under
times
of
pandemic,
we
can
look
and
say
you
know:
how
can
we
make
these
things
happen?
C
Maybe
maybe
it's
a
little
bit
tightening
on
that?
Those
are
recommendations
that
the
planning
commission
would
be
reviewing
at
some
point
if
we're
moving
forward
with
it
rj
before
it
goes
to
city
council.
So
I
think
there's
a
lot
of
opportunity
to
investigate
and
discuss
timing
and
whether
we
do
need
to
be
looking
at
public
health
issues,
and
I
think
we'll
be
doing
a
lot
more
of
that
just
in
general,
discussing
public
health
as
it
relates
to
our
public
spaces,
our
streets,
our
sidewalks,
our
parks,
etc.
C
Yeah
and
as
you're
aware
and
just
so
john's
aware
as
well,
which
in
case
I
assume
he
is,
but
you
know,
adopting
a
comprehensive
plan
does
not
mean
that
laws
are
changing.
Of
course,
in
some
states
you
have
to
have
your
laws
need
to
be
your
zoning
regulations
and
those
schemes
they
all
need
to
be
in
accordance
with
your
comprehensive
plan
at
the
time
that
it's
adopted
in
ohio,
it's
not
ohio.
I
kind
of
I
actually
look
at
our
comprehensive
plan
and
even
our
past
comprehensive
plan.
C
It's
almost
like
it's
a
menu
and
saying
you
know
here's
these
are.
This
is
what
we
want
to
achieve.
This
is
the
community
we
want
to
build.
These
are
strategies
that
might
get
us
there,
and
so
you
know
what
are
the
prime?
What
are
the
primary
strategies?
What
are
the
strategies
that
will
work
based
on
current
politics,
based
on
the
the
goals
of
city
council,
the
goals
of
a
mayor,
the
goals
of
a
city
planning
commission?
C
So
we
have
there's
a
lot
of
flexibility
with
what
we
move
forward
with
and
when
we
move
forward
with
it.
Of
course,
there
are
things
that
can
be
intractable,
that
over
time
are
no
longer
intractable,
and
so,
as
you
know,
as
as
we
change
as
a
community
and
as
we
learn
more,
then
some
some
issues
might
be
more
salient
in
five
years
than
they
are
going
to
be
in
a
year.
A
C
That's
not
a
bad
idea,
but
I
will
say
that
there
wasn't
the
planning
process.
There
wasn't
consensus
on
that
issue
with
the
resp,
with
with
the
exception
of
historic
areas
of
the
community.
I
do
think
you
know
you're
right
they're.
In
a
worst
case
scenario,
it
could
create
a
little
bit
of
it
could
take
away
from
the
uniformity
uniformity
of
our
community.
C
D
C
What
I
won't
speak
with
administration
as
a
whole-
I
I'll
speak
for
on
on
on
my
opinion
on
that.
The
the
reality
is
that
our
subdivision
regulations
are
built
for
traditional,
suburban
cul-de-sac,
style,
larger
lots,
larger
homes,
a
lot
of
separation,
and
so,
if
somebody
wanted
to
build
something
if
they
wanted
to
build
housing,
options
that
are
on
smaller
lots,
smaller
homes,
with
more
open
space,
shared
parks
and
things
along
those
lines.
C
If
they
wanted
to
build
townhouses
and
condominiums
a
lot
of
those
things,
we
really
we
don't
easily
allow
to
happen,
and
so
it
doesn't
happen,
because
if
the
process
means
well,
you
got
to
go,
get
a
variance
and
then
you've
got
to
get
out
passing
city
council
to
approve
it.
And
you
need
to
provide
you
need
to
invest.
You
know
twenty
thousand
dollars
for
site
plans
prior
to
getting
an
approval.
C
We
need
to
think
about
on
a
per
linear
foot.
How
much
does
it
cost
us
to
serve
those
subdivisions?
What
does
it
cost
to
plow
the
streets
and
and
to
provide
sewer
and
to
maintain
that
sewer
and
to
maintain
that
gutter
and
to
provide
those
and
maintain
those
water
lines,
and
if
we're
only
maintaining
for
if
we
can
get
developers
says
well
put,
I
can
put
30
lots
in
as
opposed
to
what
our
current
code
would
allow
for
eight.
E
Let
me
add
to
that,
if
I
may-
and
that
is
rj
to
your
question,
the
other
piece
of
this
and
paul
was
kind
of
touching
on
it.
A
little
bit
is
you
know
the
the
the
issues
that
have
come
forward
with
the
affordable
housing
commission,
you
know
is
pretty
loud
and
clear.
Is
that
lot
size?
You
know
it
dictates
cost
of
that
home
to
some
degree
and
it
kind
of
is
counterintuitive
to
creating
housing
that
we're
we
are
really
at
a
deficit
is
in
the
125
150
to
250
range.
E
You
know,
and
I
look
at
some
existing
puds
that
are
not
developed
and
they're
not
developed
for
a
multitude
of
reasons,
and
even
if
they
were,
those
lots
which
are
substantial.
Oakmont4
is
a
great
example
to
where
those
would
be
in
the
300,
000
price
range
or
higher,
potentially,
and
to
have
smaller
lots
makes
for
more
affordable
housing.
That
starter,
you
know,
individuals,
young
professionals,
people
who
want
to
retire
in
place
and
are
downsizing.
E
Well,
I
I
think
I
mean
it
could
certainly
go
forward.
That
would
really
be
dependent
upon
the
developer.
If
a
developer
feels
that
the
market
is
there
right
to
develop
400
000
homes
plus,
if
the
market's
there,
then
that
will
be
the
market.
But
I
would
contend
that
where
the
real
market
is
at.
This
point
in
time
is
in
that
150
to
250
range
and
those
are
few
and
far
between.
E
At
this
point,
I
would
suspect
that
we
would
be
engaging
with
a
lot
more
developers
in
that
that
price
range
and
development
range,
but
again
to
have
a
developable
land
that
are
smaller
parcels
than
what
exists
right
now
and
as
you're
well
aware,
the
parcels
that
exist
up
at
university
estates
under
that
existing
pd
are
large
parcels
and
there's
development
going
on
there.
But
it's
again
where,
where
the
deficit
is
in,
that
lower
price
range,
so
the
market's
going
to
drive
that
rj.
C
And
rj
just
to
kind
of
double
check
on.
If
you
recall
several
years
ago,
we
we
did
an
analysis
of
our
our
existing
subdivision
regulations
and
looked
at
lots
throughout
the
entire
city
of
athens
and,
for
example,
the
the
tr,
the
historic
you
know,
the
the
west
side
of
athens.
That's
been
the
west
side
of
athens
for
over
100
years.
C
Almost
every
lot
on
the
west
side
of
athens
is
non-conforming,
based
upon
our
current
subdivision
regulations,
with
the
exception
of
the
the
south
side
of
athens
most
of
the
cities,
we
could.
We
can't
build
the
city
that
we
have
today
based
on
our
subdivision
regulations.
If
a
developer
came
in
and
said,
I
want
to
make
something
that
looks
like
the
west
side
of
athens,
2nd
street
shaffer
street
miller,
all
those
streets,
they
would
have
to
get
a
variance
for
every
lot
that
they
wanted
to
build.
C
In
order
to
do
that,
our
subdivision
regulations
would
not
allow
for
a
neighborhood
to
be
built
like
that,
because
again,
it's
focused
on
a
suburban
style
of
housing
as
opposed
to
building
a
community
style
or
city
style
of
housing.
And
there's
a
lot
of
you
know:
there's
been
a
lot
of
new
home
new
communities
that
have
been
built
over
the
last
20
30
years
throughout
the
united
states
that
have
a
more
they
call
it
typically
the
new
urbanism
style.
C
I
would
think
we're
at
this
point
we're
trying
to
maintain
our
population
based
on
current.
You
know
current
trends
with
the
university,
but
I
think
I
don't
think
we
want
to
shut
the
door
to
growth
period.
I
grew
up
in
youngstown
ohio
and
you
know
that
city
was
went
from
135
000
people
right
now.
It's
down
to
65
000
people.
I
can
tell
you
as
a
city
planner.
That
is
not
a
situation
we
want
to
have
in
a
city
where
we
are
shrinking.
C
E
I
would
agree
with
with
paul's
comment:
I
mean
they
they,
I
don't.
I
don't
think
that
this
is
stating
that
that
future
development
of
homes
have
to
be
smaller
homes.
It's
just
this
is
freeing
things
up
for
there
to
be
smaller
homes.
If
someone
chooses
and
if
a
developer
chooses,
because
the
market
will
bear
to
build
more
smaller
dwellings.
E
D
Okay,
I
wanted
to
echo
what
you
were
saying
earlier,
but
first
let
me
note
that
university
estates,
at
least
in
the
early
phases,
had
several
people
bought
lots
on
either
side
of
them.
So
it's
not
really
built
out,
but
I
don't
think
it's
ever
going
to
get
built
out
because
it
was
built
with
very
small
lots
and
they
had
big
houses
on
them
and
then
they
have
next
door.
Neighbor
is
themselves
all
right.
D
I
mean
not
the
variance
but
the
the
second
structure
on
the
lot,
and
I
I'm
a
little
concerned
about
that,
especially
after
a
year,
ago's
experience
when
and
I'm
only
speaking
for
other
for
the
citizens,
not
for
myself
so
much.
But
what
what
happens
is
that
if
you
build
a
building
up
in
the
garage,
then
then
it's
there
forever,
even
if
it
was
to
help
to
house
your
son
who
has
cp
or
something
else
and
it's
a
problem.
D
I
think
for
some
neighborhoods
and
I
do
hope
that
we
build
in
notification
substantial
notification
to
the
people
in
the
neighborhood.
So
we
don't
have
a
repeat
of
what
we
had
last
time
with
the
with
the
the
rbos
or
whatever
their
equivalent
is.
You
know,
I
think
that
both
rj
and
I
and
I
and
the
other
and
christie
and
the
people
that
went
to
that
to
the
meeting
were
astonished
that
there
was
such
a
proposal
going
on,
and
I
think
that
there's
the
individual's
rights
and
then
the
larger
rights
of
the
neighborhood,
okay,
amen.
D
I'm
done
yeah
I
mean
I
just
didn't
you
think
the
rbo
was
a
little
bit.
I
mean
we
were.
We
were
broadsided
by
people
who
were
totally
unaware
of
what
was
going
on,
and
I
think
it
was
not
the
best
thing.
I
hope
that
if
council
decides
to
go
forward
with
this,
they
make
it
well
known
that
they're
going
to
follow
certain
rules.
D
Let
me
just
talk
a
little
bit
about
sidewalks
and
streets
because
once
again
neighborhood
issues,
my
neighborhood,
has
been
inundated
by
people
taking
shortcuts
and
it's
okay
because
they
pay
for
the
street
too.
I
don't
mind
that,
but
what
I
do
mind
is
that
sidewalks
aren't
on
sides
of
the
street
and
maybe
can't
be
built
and
don't
tell
me
you
want
to
narrow
paul.
Don't
tell
me
you
want
to
narrow
madison,
because
I
think
it
won't
work.
It's
very
narrow
right
now
and
it's
a
major
artery.
D
I
think
that
steep
streets,
even
if
we
can't
meet
the
four
foot
sidewalk
requirement,
probably
not
realistic.
Why
don't
we
consider
some
place
where
pedestrians
can
get
off
the
street
if
a
car
is
barreling
down
on
them?
I
talked
to
a
couple
people
going
down
the
hill.
I
mean
when
there
wasn't
someone
behind
me
or
coming
up
the
hill,
and
I
I
was
concerned
that
there's
not
enough
room
for
the
sidewalk.
D
D
The
risk
allow
the
people
to
use.
I'm
sorry
paul,
allow
the
people
to
use
the
street
too
or
adjacent
to
the
street.
I
mean
I've
seen
the
school
bus,
stop
the
disgorges,
sometimes
in
the
olden
days,
a
bunch
of
kids
and
then
you
see
somebody
mindlessly
driving
along
texting
and
it's
awful
because
the
kids
don't
have
any
place
to
stand.
D
I
don't
have
kids,
but
I
have
grandkids
and
I
can
just
see
them
splattered
all
over
the
road,
because
it's
joneswood
very
dangerous
street.
I
tell
them
to
walk
behind
the
hedge
in
front
of
my
house.
Please
I
hey
well
anyway.
That's
my
safety
concern.
I
don't
know
who
enforces
safety?
Exactly
maybe
captain
I
don't
know.
A
B
Oh,
I
I
you
know.
The
only
thing
I
will
do
is
I
will
reinforce
what
nancy
was
saying
about
safety
and
and
others
about
safety
of
pedestrians
and
bicyclists,
and
you
know
people
with
alternative
ways
of
getting
around.
I
and-
and
I
agree
you
know
with
her
on
on
madison-
I
I
you
know,
I
see
people
walking
their
dogs
on
joneswood,
it's
very
dangerous
there.
There
we
really
need
to
find
ways
to
be
able
to
to
allow
people
to
to
move
off
the
off
the
streets
when
necessary.
So.
C
Just
along
those
lines,
so
you're
a
additional
comment
about
that
or
over
the
summer
and
into
the
fall.
I
spent
a
lot
of
time
working
with
a
few
members
of
the
city's
disabilities
commission
to
better
understand
their
experiences
getting
around
athens
and
for
I
think,
most
of
us
on
this
call.
We
are,
I
think,
at
this
point
in
our
lives.
We
are,
I
think,
we're
an
able-bodied
bodied
group
of
people.
C
You
know
just
sometimes
it's
a
crack
in
a
sidewalk
or
a
rough
patch
or
uneven,
curb
there's
so
many
of
those
little
things
all
over
our
community
that
a
lot
of
we
don't
even
acknowledge,
but
that
they
experience
every
day
or
and
it
discourages
them
from
being.
You
know
more
active
members
of
our
community,
so
we're
working
on
a
lot
of
that
too.
I
just
had
a
just
had
disabilities
meeting
last
night.
We
gave
myself
a
noah
tremblay
from
the
disabilities
commission.
C
We
gave
a
presentation
about
some
of
the
things
that
we
experienced
and
we're
so
we're
trying
to
address
those
issues
too.
It
is
making
this
city
safer.
For
everybody
is
a
you
know,
a
big
is
probably
the
biggest
goal
we
have
it's.
You
know
it's
under
our
police
powers
of
health,
safety
and
welfare
and
we're
constantly
trying
to
make
that
those
improvements.
C
A
D
A
A
C
Very
briefly,
I
already
mentioned
the
work
we're
doing
with
the
city's
disabilities.
Commission,
that's
been
a
really
great
exercise,
also
continuing
on
the
the
mount
zion
project,
the
certified
local
government
grant
that
the
city
received
for
that.
We
should
have
that
report
wrapped
up
by
the
end
of
this
year
and
there
with
these,
the
athens
county
age
friendly,
athens
planning
process
is
continuing
is
ongoing
if
any
members
of
this
commission
are
interested
in
joining
us.
I
think
I
know
mayor
patterson's
already
involved
as
well
as
myself.
C
A
A
E
Yeah,
the
only
announcement
is
just
a
reminder
to
everybody:
the
governor's
order.
He
has
implemented
a
curfew
of
10
p.m,
to
5
a.m,
so
know
that
that's
out
there,
the
other
thing.
It's
just
a
reminder
to
everybody.
Please
wear
a
mask
social
distance,
wash
your
hands
frequently!
You
know
it's.
This
is
in
our
hands
literally.
This
is
in
our
hands
to
sit
there
and
protect
each
other.