Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Housing Supportive topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning commission recommends Dairy Lane rezoning to R‑3 to meet urgent OFA funding deadline
Summary
The planning commission recommended rezoning a Dairy Lane parcel to R‑3 to allow the 3-17 board to develop 15 supportive housing units and to meet an OFA application deadline that could unlock roughly $2 million; the commission approved forwarding the rezoning to council with one abstention.
The Athens City Planning Commission on Jan. 21 recommended that city council rezone a portion of Dairy Lane to R‑3 to enable the 3‑17 board to construct supportive housing, citing a time-sensitive funding opportunity.
Attorney David Mott, representing the 3‑17 board, told commissioners the project has been pursued for 15 years and that a forthcoming OFA funding round could provide approximately $2,000,000 to support the development. Mott said the OFA schedule accelerated and the board must demonstrate local zoning compliance by the March 12 deadline to be eligible. "If this body votes it out today with a recommendation to city council, we can meet the 30 day requirement for the publication and meet the March 12 deadline," Mott said, urging commissioners to take the matter up as a case rather than defer it.
Staff explained the parcel is currently part of a larger Ohio University-owned property associated with The Ridges redevelopment; the rezoning would affect a carved-out portion of that parcel. Commissioners noted surrounding zoning includes R‑3 and that the requested R‑3 designation would align with nearby uses. Staff and the attorney said the immediate goal is to enable the 3‑17 board to demonstrate zoning compliance for the OFA application; the board still must finalize ownership, purchase or lease arrangements and satisfy other application requirements.
Commissioners discussed recusal and potential neighborhood impacts; one commissioner disclosed a professional relationship with the 3‑17 board and recused from any vote. After discussion a motion to forward a recommendation to city council carried; the record shows one abstention. Staff will transmit the recommendation to council so the required public-notice and hearing schedule can proceed in time to meet the OFA deadline.
Key details available in the commission packet: the presentation described a small development of roughly 15 single‑bedroom units intended for people who can live independently but face housing barriers; the rezoning would change the parcel from educational/Ohio University ownership (EI) to R‑3 multi‑unit residential, and relevant maps and proposed parcel survey lines are in the packet for future hearings.
