The ACC Commission has approved a community garden, better sidewalks and additional greenspace for 585 Vine Street (also known as Triangle Plaza or “the block”) despite angry comments from some nearby residents who mistakenly believe the new design could allow student housing.
Farm to Neighborhood, a nonprofit dedicated to helping everyone gain access to “delicious, nutritious and affordable food,” requested the change to Triangle Plaza’s design because otherwise growing a community garden of this size would not be allowed at this location. The current design, which until now has been mostly taken up by 28 parking spaces, was originally approved as a planned development in 1996. That means that any changes to the design, no matter how small or well-intentioned, must be approved by the mayor and commission before they can be implemented.
The new design will allow Rashe Malcolm, the owner of Triangle Plaza, to remove ten parking spaces to provide space for the community garden as well as a teaching kitchen, 22 new trees and improvements to nearby sidewalks. No other changes can be made legally at the site, even if Malcolm were to sell the property. Therefore, housing of any kind is not allowed at this location, both now and in the future.
The new design is funded by a $965,613 grant from the state government.
In addition to her role as a property owner, Malcolm is also the executive director of Farm to Neighborhood and the owner of Rashe’s Cuisine, a Jamaican restaurant located in the plaza.
ACC Commissioners and members of the public alike generally agree that the community garden and teaching kitchen could be a welcome improvement and an asset for the surrounding neighborhood. However, ten Athens residents spoke during public comment to oppose the changes, several of whom live near Triangle Plaza in inner east Athens.
“What they’re asking for will eventually change the whole landscape of our neighborhood. Because the [planned development], you can do anything with it. You can move streets, you can do anything with it,” said Willa Fambrough, inner east Athens resident. “They don’t have to come back [for approval], they can build apartments up to the sky [if this is approved.]”
Speakers expressed concern that the redevelopment would raise nearby property values, potentially putting residents at risk of displacement. Some said that they were not given enough notice about the changes and that they were not consulted about it. Others expressed their unfounded belief that the community garden was part of a conspiracy that would allow Malcolm to enrich herself at the expense of the community.
Conspiracy theories and misinformation spread
“This planned development amendment is not about a garden. It’s a cover,” claimed Dr. Cshanyse Allen, the president of the Inner East Athens Neighbors association. “This amendment looks like a backdoor for something much larger, a project that includes a grocery store with student housing stacked on top of it.”
“[Changing the Triangle Plaza planned development] would be the end of this community and the blood would be on each of your hands,” former mayoral candidate Mara Zúñiga told the mayor and commission. Zúñiga is the former treasurer of the Athens GOP.
The idea that the redevelopment could allow student housing at a future date is completely false, but misinformation like this has been spreading around social media, encouraged by the Inner East Athens Neighbors group.
Allen hosted a Facebook livestream on the day before the vote, but nothing she said changes the fact that Triangle Plaza is protected by a planned development. No changes can happen in the area without weeks of public input followed by a vote such as the one that happened on Tuesday that will allow for a community garden. The vote does not allow for housing. This fact was confirmed by ACC Planning Director Bruce Lonnee during the meeting.
Allen’s livestream took an ominous turn when she told listeners that “the planning department needs to be gutted. Why? Because they are trying to gut us. They’re trying to get rid of us. We need them gone. We need Bruce Lonnee to tell the truth about what he’s really planning to do.”
Lonnee has no authority to make any changes to Triangle Plaza and he has not proposed any changes. The only body that can allow changes like those requested by Farm to Neighborhood is the mayor and commission.
Myeisha Coggins, the secretary of Farm to Neighborhood’s board of directors, said during public comment that she “resonates with everyone’s concerns” but is nonetheless excited for the changes to Triangle Plaza.
“This project is really simple. It’s rooted in one idea: building healthier, stronger and more sustainable neighborhoods, by and for the people already living here,” Coggins said. “The neighborhood has long been a food desert, but this project changes that. Families will be able to grow and access fresh and local food, children and youth will learn about agriculture, nutrition and culinary skills through a program called ‘healthy youth’…Our children and the children after them will benefit from the safer sidewalks, the new greenspace and a vibrant community hub that was intentionally designed to serve them.”
Commission discussion and vote
Commissioner Tiffany Taylor, who was born in inner east Athens and still lives on Fairview Street, where she was raised, pleaded with the crowd to try and understand why she was supporting a community garden in her neighborhood.
“I know what ‘the block’ looks like. I know what eviction looks like. I know what gentrification looks like. That’s why I got elected. Your concerns are my concerns,” Taylor told the assembled crowd. “[But] I know that Rashe isn’t trying to harm this community. I’ve volunteered in her garden, my children [have] too. Rashe is what east Athens is. She just is. Change is inevitable and it’s scary and ‘not in my backyard’ – I feel the same way! Because I motion to approve this, it does not make me less ‘east side’ than anybody else.”
As Taylor finished her remarks, someone in the crowd angrily grumbled, “Move!”
Commissioner Ovita Thornton then made an alternate motion, attempting to delay the vote by 30 days, hoping that the two sides could work out their disagreements.
“There’s two sides to every story,” Thornton said. “No disrespect to anybody on Rashe’s team, but I do believe there are devils that work behind the scenes. At the end of the day…I do not want my name attached to that.”
Commissioner Dexter Fisher supported Thornton’s motion. He said that he didn’t understand the need to change the planned development because a different garden was actually in the original 1996 planned development. However, the original garden was not at the exact location or of the same size that Farm to Neighborhood requested, and in any case the original design did not include the sidewalk improvements and additional trees that will be planted.
“It saddens me that people are fighting,” said Commissioner Patrick Davenport. “If you look at inner east Athens, you see other people literally buying up property [to build student housing] and they’re not getting any pushback as much as another Black person who is trying to at least do some good in the community.”
Thornton’s motion to hold for 30 days failed 6-5, with Mayor Kelly Girtz breaking the tie to avoid the 30-day delay. Commissioners Stephanie Johnson, John Culpepper and Carol Myers voted in favor of delay, along with Thornton and Fisher.
After Thornton’s motion failed, Taylor’s motion passed 7-3 to allow the redevelopment. Fisher, Johnson and Thornton were the only commissioners who voted against the community garden.
Help APN continue covering local news for the Athens area!
Please consider becoming a member or giving a one-time donation via PayPal.
