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Proposal to develop Jackson Street parking lots draws sharp public criticism and split commission response
Summary
An intergovernmental agreement with the Downtown Development Authority to redevelop county‑owned Jackson Street parking lots into mixed‑use development with a public parking deck, affordable‑housing payments and public plazas provoked heavy public comment and a tied vote that stalled the IGA.
An intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with the Athens Downtown Development Authority (ADDA) to amend a prior 2020 arrangement for redevelopment of County‑owned parking lots on Jackson Street became the meeting’s most contentious agenda item.
Developers and ADDA representatives told the commission the amended IGA would unlock a project that includes a 200‑space public parking deck, infrastructure improvements (notably sewer work to support Bethel Homes phases), a contribution estimated in public testimony at about $7.9 million to the county’s affordable‑housing fund, and public‑facing spaces intended to tie into the Jackson Street Art Walk. The development team said preservation of the Foundry building and relocation of an existing playscape to a site adjacent to Leipark would be…
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