Athens-Clarke Planning Commission recommends denial of rezoning request for 570 Prince Avenue PD after contentious public comment

The Athens-Clarke County Planning Commission on Jan. 8 recommended denying a rezoning and master planned development (PD) application for 570 Prince Avenue, the site of the University of Georgia president's house, after more than two hours of public comment and technical questions.

Staff asked the commission to oppose the applicant's requested waiver that would allow roughly 53,541 square feet of hotel use in a commercial-neighborhood (CN) zone, saying the numeric cap in the code (10,000 square feet for hotel use in CN) was intended to scale hotels to the typical lot in that district. In its presentation, planning staff summarized the project's evolution: the applicant reduced the above‑grade building to about 38,500 square feet and decreased rooms from 116 to 72, but still seeks relief that staff concluded was too large given the ordinance's hard cap.

"Staff recommends denial," the planner stated during the presentation, citing concerns about scale even while noting the proposal meets many development standards.

The applicant, represented by Laurie…