Planning Commission recommends approval of Barnett Shoals master plan with binding design book and modified retaining‑wall condition

The Athens‑Clarke County Planning Commission on Feb. 6 voted unanimously to recommend approval of the Barnett Shoals (Shoals) neighborhood plan development (PD 20240713) with staff conditions and several applicant proffers, including a modified retaining‑wall standard and commitments for electric‑vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in the commercial area.

Planning staff described the proposal as a large, multi‑pod development on the former Lakewood plan area that would convert several parcels to Commercial Neighborhood (CN) and implement a new architectural design book in place of the county’s standard Section 9‑25 design standards. The applicant seeks flexibility across four “pods” with a range of housing types (staff said the plan allows roughly 540–795 units across phases) and a first phase that commits to at least 20,000 square feet of commercial designed as an “arts and entertainment” node. Staff supported the project with conditions and eight or more technical clarifications; staff also recommended controls to preserve rolling topography and limit excessive retaining walls.

Applicant representative Scott Haines of W&A Engineering presented revised language for staff’s retaining‑wall condition and asked that the stricter standard apply only to walls that rise above a public right of way, reduce the setback ratio from staff’s proposed 2:1 to 1:1, and raise the maximum single‑wall height from 10 feet to 12 feet adjacent to the right of way. Haines said taller walls would be needed only in limited locations along Barnett Shoals and that the applicant would avoid large visible walls where possible. Haines also proffered three EV charging stations and three 120‑volt outlets for e‑bikes in the commercial parking area.

Staff and commissioners discussed the tradeoffs between protecting public views and livability for adjacent homeowners and the engineering challenges created by the site’s steep and variable topography. Planning staff said their original language was drawn from existing downtown standards and was intended to avoid very large, exposed walls, including where walls could appear behind private yards. Several commissioners expressed support for the applicant’s site‑specific approach and for retaining the commercial main‑street element.

Commissioner Kristen moved to approve the future‑land‑use change; subsequent motions approved the zoning and the PD with staff conditions and the applicant’s proffered language on retaining walls and EV charging. Commissioners also added the applicant’s requested prohibition on drive‑through vehicle service in the CN list of prohibited uses.

The approved package includes: preservation of primary street and green‑space‑facing entrances, a semi‑binding street network with five vehicle connections (three to Barnett Shoals, one to Deacol/Deacol Drive and one to Parkridge Court), a design book to regulate building types and materials, a minimum of 20,000 square feet of commercial in the first phase, and landscape and parking requirements intended to limit front‑yard parking, improve pedestrian connections and keep guest parking within a short walk of residences. The commission attached conditions requiring technical compliance with the staff report, provision of required access easements, and that retaining walls adjacent to and above public rights of way meet the newly adopted setback/height language and screening requirements agreed at the meeting.

Commissioners recorded the votes as unanimous. Several commissioners said they supported the applicant’s modifications in order to preserve the commercial main‑street element and to avoid pushing the planned buildings back so far that commercial function would be lost.

The PD now moves forward to mayor and commission review and subsequent permitting steps; the binding design book and the retained conditions will guide future site‑level approvals and construction.