Athens-Clarke County commissioners seemed largely supportive on Tuesday of a proposal that would bring 227 new single-family homes to the county’s west side.
The new subdivision, if approved, would be built near Cleveland Road and close to the Caterpillar plant. It would also incorporate a modest amount of commercial space.
No one from the surrounding neighborhood showed up to speak for or against the plan. That was a noticeable contrast to a meeting of the county’s Planning Commission last month, where several residents of the area shared concerns about the development in a sometimes-fiery series of exchanges.
At the meeting, planning commissioners voted to advance the proposal, with some conditions, to ACC commissioners for final approval.
Tuesday’s meeting was more muted and local lawmakers had mostly technical questions about traffic, sewers, and the possibility of extending public transit to the area.
District 6 Commissioner Jesse Houle represents the area. They said that some residents still had concerns about traffic.
"I've had a few residents reach out, kind of suspicious of whether the road that they're building will be able to accommodate the amount of traffic that we're anticipating would start using this better aligned intersection instead of going down the existing road," they said.
Houle who said they were inclined to support the proposal, noted that adding a sewer connection for the development, as required, could also benefit nearby homeowners still on older septic systems.
This kind of housing in that location is kind of what's needed.ACC Commissioner Melissa Link
Commissioner Melissa Link, who represents a portion of in-town Athens, praised what she called the "diversity of housing," and tied the proposed project to another, much larger residential development coming to the Georgia Square Mall property.
"We need to realize that how much growth is going on with the redevelopment of the mall and this is going to be like a whole new bedroom community of Athens. So this kind of housing in that location is kind of what's needed," Link said.
ACC commissioners are expected to vote on the matter on August 6.
