The Athens City Council on Dec. 22 agreed to carry over proposed amendments to the city’s zoning ordinance that would change open-space requirements and how stormwater-management features can count toward those requirements, after residents and council members urged more time to review potential effects.

City Planner Aaron Tidwell told the council the changes (spanning sections 6.10.0.1–6.10.0.18) would clarify categories of open space and add language governing when detention/retention ponds may be credited toward a developer’s open-space percentage. Under the proposed text, certain stormwater-management features could be counted in part as open space when designed and treated as site amenities, subject to standards in subsection 6.10.0.6.

At the public hearing, resident Rick Johnson told the council he was “disappointed” the vote had been delayed but emphasized a key concern: subdivisions have, in some cases, used detention basins to satisfy 100% of their open-space requirement, creating little usable community space. “A detention facility is basically a hole in the ground that holds water for a temporary amount of time,” Johnson said, urging the council to preserve areas for active recreation and congregation.

Mayor William Marks and other council members said they had received late-day calls from developers and wanted every council member present and fully briefed before the council acts. Marks said re-advertisement would be required if substantive changes are made; the council agreed the item would be carried over to the next meeting for additional review.

Tidwell and the planning staff framed the amendments as a mix of clarifications, housekeeping edits and a limited set of new standards to ensure compatibility of development adjacent to major roadways and to provide staff processes for review and applicant appeals. No final action was taken on the open-space package; the public hearing was closed and the ordinance will return for further consideration.

The council did adopt an unrelated zoning amendment on food trucks and heard public comment on several other agenda items during the meeting.