Planning staff says Athens is more restrictive than peer cities on small-lot "patio homes"; council asks for options to raise side setbacks

Athens — Planning staff compared Athens’ patio‑home regulations with zoning rules in roughly 39 peer cities and told council that Athens’ overall density and setback rules are generally more restrictive than most of the sample cities. Staff recommended that council review options rather than eliminate patio homes outright.

Staff explained how Athens’ patio-home rules currently operate: patio homes allow reduced lot widths (down to 50 feet in some districts) but require conserved open space acreage so overall density limits in each zoning district are preserved. The planning presentation said the city’s effective developable area for a patio-home project can be larger than the lots in peer municipalities because the code requires reserving conservation/open-space areas that cannot be built on.

Council members asked whether setbacks could be changed—for example, to require a 10‑foot side setback on both lots rather than the current 5/15 alternation—and how that would affect buildable area. Planning staff said the change is feasible but cautioned that increasing setbacks on already-small lots reduces the buildable footprint and could make patio-home projects less likely. Staff recommended returning with specific ordinance language and options to raise setbacks if council desires.

Council directed planning staff (Anthony) to return at the next work session with options for tightening setbacks (including the 10/10 option) and the tradeoffs for density and house size. No ordinance change was adopted at this meeting.