Athens City Council passes ordinance amending zoning codes, hears from Mount Zion Baptist Church Preservation Society

Athens City Council addressed renewable energy zoning codes and its concerns from residents and representatives for the preservation of Mount Zion Baptist Church requested support on Monday evening.

Councilmember Sarah Grace acknowledged concerns related to changes to the Title 23 zoning code that would add specific rules for the accessory energy systems. Title 23's purpose is to promote public health, safety, morals and general welfare through the protection of property rights and providing public utilities and services.

A resident named Greg Levell asked whether only one energy source would be included in the change and if previous requirements would remain in place. Grace assured Athenians the changes made to zoning codes includes much of the same language and only certain sections like the accessory energy system section receiving significant additions

Accessory energy systems include roof mounted solar systems, ground mounted solar systems, wind power energy systems and geothermal heating and cooling systems. These are all allowed by the city under current zoning codes, but residents will now be required to obtain a permit for them. Height requirements for such systems will not change under the ordinance. In residential areas systems cannot surpass 35 feet, compared to a maximum of 50 feet allowed in business areas.

“So the details of height and emergency access and screening and solar access easements are all outlined in the ordinance, but it doesn’t waive, as I said earlier, any of the other existing regulations that would cover the zone this energy system would be mounted in,” Grace said.

The council approved the ordinance unanimously.

The council also heard from members of the Mount Zion Baptist Church Preservation Society, who emphasized the church’s need for support. Mount Zion was the first Black church in Athens, but in recent years it has lacked the necessary funding and awareness needed to maintain it.

Dr. Tee Ford-Ahmed, the preservation society’s director of communications and media relations, discussed how she does not believe the church’s “most precious assets,” its stained glass windows, will not last past the summer.

“The windows are at peril for sure,” Ford-Ahmed said. “The hands that hold the stained glass together right now, are like rubber bands.”

Avery Nelson, a member of the preservation society’s board of directors, and Re’Aija Grice, an Ohio University senior studying exercise physiology, shared the impact the church has had on them. Nelson described it as being one of the only places she, a biracial woman, was able to feel a sense of belonging in a city where everywhere else made her feel outcast. Both Nelson and Grice emphasized the cultural history of the church, especially for Athens’ Black community.

“Right now, it feels like all we have in this town are plaques to commemorate the Black history in this town, to commemorate what it was, but Mount Zion is still here, it is a physical place,” Nelson said.

In other news, Councilmember Alan Swank introduced an ordinance that would ban single-use plastic bags from Athens businesses. The university would not be included in the ban, as it is a state entity, however Swank noted that the Office of Sustainability has already taken steps to create a more environmentally-friendly campus. If approved, the ban would be implemented on Aug. 1 and businesses would be provided a list of alternatives. Swank has called several companies to get an understanding of costs and depending on the material, thickness and even compostability of bags, they can range from 10 cents to 75 cents, he explained.