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Council committee advances Dairy Lane rezoning plan for sober housing with $2 million attached
Summary
The Planning & Development Committee agreed to proceed on a standard timetable for rezoning a portion of Dairy Lane from educational to multifamily to support a sober-housing project tied to the 3-17 board; committee members said roughly $2 million in funding is associated and set a timeline for readings and a public hearing.
The Athens City Council Planning & Development Committee agreed on Feb. 2 to move forward on a rezoning request for land on Dairy Lane that would convert property currently zoned E1 (educational) to R3 (multifamily) to allow a supervised, sober-housing project overseen by the 3-17 board.
Member Swank, who introduced the item, said the planning commission voted unanimously to recommend rezoning and that the developer told the city there is approximately "$2,000,000 worth of funding associated with this" to support the project. The committee set a schedule of a first reading on March 2, a public hearing on March 16 and a final vote in early April (target April 6), allowing the usual 30-day notice and three-reading process.
Mayor Patterson emphasized the proximity of existing supervised services, noting the project site sits "past the Clem House, past the Dairy Barn" and near 317 offices, which would allow high levels of oversight during early phases. Members said the zoning change would help speed future phases when financing is available but rejected the previously requested expedited timeline after the developer missed an earlier paperwork deadline.
Public and committee members at the meeting urged preserving the usual hearing window so neighbors have time to review plans. Member Thomas said he supports a measured schedule, adding that holding the public hearing and then delaying a same-day vote "gives us time in case there are things that come up from the community that are relevant and important things we should consider."
What happens next: Clerk Walker will schedule the March 16 public hearing and the item will proceed through first, second and third readings per the timeline the committee approved. If the council votes to rezone, the change will convert the specified parcel from educational zoning to R3 multifamily, enabling the proposed housing development.
