Commission approves three planning items including downtown first-floor residential variance

The Athens-Clarke County commission approved three planning and zoning items on March 3, acting on recommendations from the planning commission.

For 166 West Clayton Street the commission approved a special-use amendment to allow an indoor-outdoor consolidated space. The vote was unanimous after no public comment was received on the item.

At 458 East Clayton Street developer representative David Matheni asked the commission to approve a variance that reduces the minimum required leasable commercial frontage on the ground floor to make the space marketable. Matheni said the space had been available “for nearly 10 years” and that the plan envisions three apartments (a five-bedroom, a four-bedroom and a three-bedroom) with off-site parking secured. Attorney Drake read language noting a waiver of the requirements in section 9-10-2 of the code to reduce the minimum percentage of leasable commercial frontage on the ground floor from 50% to 11%; the commission approved the special use and waiver with a single vote.

The commission also approved a rezoning for a portion of a parcel at 295 East Dory Street, moving about 0.92 acres from commercial downtown (CD) to government (GG). The motion to approve passed but several commissioners (Taylor, Fiser and Johnson) registered opposition on the roll call.

All three items will be memorialized in the ordinances read aloud on the floor; planning staff will return any technical documents to the commission if needed.