Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission places Gaines School Road rezoning on 40-day hold after traffic, drainage and scale concerns
Summary
A developer-requested mixed-density plan for 450–460 Gaines School Road was put on a 40‑day hold so staff, the developer and neighbors can complete a traffic study and review stormwater easements after robust public comment about scale, drainage and the developer’s proposed setbacks.
Athens-Clarke County commissioners on April 1 voted to place a proposed mixed-density rezoning and future land-use change for 450 and 460 Gaines School Road on a 40‑day hold to allow a traffic study and additional review of stormwater and site design issues.
The project, proposed as a planned development (PD) combining neighborhood‑scale commercial frontage and mixed-density residential (RM‑2) on roughly 7–8 acres, drew public comment on multiple topics: vehicle speeds and safety at the Ponderosa Drive/Gaines School Road intersection, downstream stormwater and drainage, building height and setbacks, proposed accessory dwelling units and the proposed two‑foot commercial buffer.
Buck Bacon, a project engineer representing the applicant, told commissioners the team has secured easements needed to address drainage with neighbors and asked for a 40‑day hold while the developer completes a traffic study and staff has time to review it. “We would like to ask this body to place a maximum 40‑day hold while we complete the study, allow staff to review it, allow us to share it with the public and this body,” Bacon said.
Neighbors and neighborhood leaders pressed for the hold to ensure thorough review. Ken Portier, president of the Cedar Creek Civic Association, said the intersection study was “long overdue” given growth along the corridor and noted school traffic patterns that could affect peak-period counts. Others raised concerns about the proposed density relative to surrounding RS‑15 lots, the adequacy of the 2‑foot landscaped buffer in front of commercial frontage, and the visibility and safety at existing Cedar Creek and Ponderosa intersections.
Commissioner Taylor made the motion to hold (seconded by Commissioner Davenport). After discussion on process and community concerns, commissioners voted to hold both the future land-use map amendment and the rezoning ordinance for up to 40 days so the traffic work can be completed and shared with staff and the public.
Why it matters: The project is sited in a corridor adjacent to schools and established neighborhoods; a traffic signal, intersection redesign, or other safety measures could have long-term implications for travel, school access and emergency response. Neighbors asked for a careful study to avoid putting new development into an already constrained drainage and circulation area.
What’s next: Staff and the applicant will complete the traffic study, produce materials for staff review, and present the results to the public and the commission during the hold period; the rezoning and future land-use items will return to the commission following that review.
