Athens staff push neighborhood corridor overlay for Stimson Avenue after wide public input

Consultants and city planning staff told the Athens City Planning Commission on Sept. 3 that a neighborhood corridor overlay district centered on the Stimson Avenue corridor could strengthen walkable, small-scale retail and residential development while preserving neighborhood access. The presentation followed a public engagement process that produced 424 comments and included 10 stakeholder sessions and an open house. "We got 424 total comments," the consultant David said during the presentation, summarizing the outreach.

The overlay, the presenters said, would not change underlying land uses but would add standards for building placement, sidewalks, parking orientation and signage to create a more pedestrian-oriented corridor. "The overlay zone itself is going to be general in nature, and can be applied on multiple corridors around town," Megan Jennings, a planning staff member, told the commission, explaining that Stimson Avenue is likely to be an early…