Athens City Council holds public hearing to discuss rezoning dispute on Pomeroy Road
Photo via: TNP Staff
In their Monday meeting, Athens City Council held a public hearing which continued the discussion around an ordinance that would rezone an 8-acre plot of land on Pomeroy Road.
The ordinance proposes the land be rezoned from its current R-1 status, which only permits single-family housing, to an R-3 status, which permits both single and multi-family housing. Spire Development submitted the rezoning request in order to construct a multi-unit apartment complex on the property.
During the public hearing, Sean McMickle, Spire Development’s representative, outlined the details of the proposed development. The current plan is for a three-story affordable housing complex, with 50 units ranging from one to three bedrooms.
McMickle emphasized the planned accessibility of the complex, saying, “This project in particular would do much good for the disabled community within Athens because of its elevator service design, also the flat nature of the site. Residents will not have any issues accessing the site and [with] the amenities on site we will have no issues creating an accessible route throughout the property.”
Since early December, there has been constant opposition from residents in the area of the proposed development site. A petition with 19 signatures opposing construction was submitted to council at their Dec. 9 meeting.
A primary concern of opponents to the development is the impact a high-density complex will have on the already heavily trafficked area.
Jerry Miller, representing the Lamar Drive-Pomeroy Road Community Task Force, pointed out the existing traffic and safety concerns, such as the street’s blind curve and multiple street entry points. He explained the task force’s concern that the new complex would only worsen traffic and increase safety risks.
“Now keep in mind that with 50 to 80 units, many will have children and those children will be crossing that road to the gas station to get their treats, add that to the additional 55 cars, add that to the lack of pedestrian safety and we're setting ourselves up for a dangerous situation,” Miller said.
Aaron Hager, on behalf of Debbie's Dispensary Athens located near the proposed site, expressed concerns about the impact the development may have on business.
“We've had multiple customers tell us that they don't feel comfortable during rush hour coming in and out of our parking lot due to the intersections right there,” Hager said. “So I think with this additional traffic that has been already mentioned, it's not only going to slow us down but also be a safety risk to our employees and the customers.”
Another key concern of opponents to the development is the flooding issues the land already experiences due to its low-lying geography. Many believe the proposed construction will worsen these issues and negatively affect nearby properties.
“This site is being built right now on property that is holding water now from my property when it rains hard, it's a retention area,” Frank Fugate, owner of rental properties near the site, said.
“If we fill in that flood water space with dirt we're not retaining that water that water is going downstream,” Aaron Leatherwood, local resident, said at the hearing. “The water can't be retained if we put dirt there and we push it away. Perhaps if they put in concrete pillars and elevated the whole thing and built like an Olympic size swimming pool underneath it then they would replace the flood water storage.”
McMickle expressed Spire’s acknowledgment of flood concerns and said the development will plan to utilize the critical storm method, meaning an underground water basin will be constructed to catch heavy rainwater.
The ordinance is scheduled to be voted on at the council’s next meeting on Monday, Feb. 18.
In other business:
The council passed the following ordinances:
Ordinance 0-01-25 authorizing improvements to East State Street signals.
Ordinance 0-02-25 authorizing the service safety director to enter into a development services agreement with Community Building Partners, LLC, and a purchasing program grant agreement with the state of Ohio for the Welcome Home Ohio Program.
Ordinance 0-03-25 authorizing Mayor Steve Patterson to enter into a contract extension to provide financial support for the operation of the Athens County Economic Development Council; and declaring an emergency.
Mayor Steve Patterson shared a memo from the Ohio Attorney General’s Office that stated no local legislation designating the city as a “sanctuary city” for immigrants will be tolerated.
Members Solveig Spjeldnes, Jeff Risner and Sam Crowl will not be running for reelection in the upcoming May election. The Athens County Independent reported that Spjeldnes only ever wanted to serve two terms, Risner has had the job since 2011, and Crowl was feeling increasingly burdened by the work.