Commission roundup: Thornton running for re-election

At the end of a fairly short commission meeting on Tuesday, Commissioner Ovita Thornton announced that she is running for re-election.

During the meeting, the commission denied a rezoning request for townhomes on Pinecrest Drive, approved a rezone to allow heavy industrial uses on the former Southern Brewing Company lot and changed their demolition regulations after the demise of the historic Saye building in downtown Athens.

The commission also renamed the Lyndon House Arts Center’s south gallery after Nancy Lukasiewicz, the center’s co-founder, who died in 2022.

This was the first regular commission voting session attended by new ACC Manager Robert Cowell, Jr. in his official capacity.

Contents

Thornton running for re-election
Townhomes on Pinecrest Drive
Rezoning of the former Southern Brewing Company lot
Demolition regulations changed

Thornton running for re-election

At the end of the meeting, Thornton announced her intention to seek a third term as the ACC Commissioner for District 9, which covers north Athens from Newton Bridge Road to Spring Valley Road.

“I want to finish the work that we’ve already started here,” Thornton said. “I want to see the TSPLOST projects from 2023 get off the ground before 2026. Because I don’t know how I can support 2026 if we can’t get 2023 off the ground…I want to recommit to addressing the gang violence in this town and creating opportunities for youth.”

Throughout her first two terms, Thornton has often come into conflict with ACC staff and commission colleagues alike. She once criticized staff for pursuing a road safety project in her district that she disliked, calling it “a deal with the Devil.” She’s also been critical at times of more progressive commissioners in public and in private through text message for real and imagined slights, such as when she accused Commissioner Patrick Davenport of insufficiently supporting the Linnentown resolution, which he voted in favor of.

Thornton is well-known for her refusal to support “social justice” resolutions. In 2024, she was criticized by the right-wing for supporting a 2019 resolution that offered words of support for the immigrant community in Athens after the horrific mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, the deadliest attack against Latinos in modern American history. She now says that she regrets her vote and has refused to support similar resolutions since then. For example, she voted against proclaiming Athens a “safe haven” for the LGBTQ+ community, against a resolution for racial equity and economic justice, against raising a Pride flag above city hall and against the Athens Juneteenth celebration.

Furthermore, Thornton has consistently voiced skepticism about government efforts to address poverty and homelessness. She voted against a program intended to prevent evictions, repeatedly opposed the creation of a plan to reduce homelessness, voiced opposition to food assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic and voted against the creation of a sanctioned homeless encampment.

In previous campaigns, Thornton promised to provide more resources for District 9, and she has delivered on this promise. For example, she pushed for streetlights for Freeman Drive, repairs for the North Ave bridge, a multi-use path from Pinewoods to JJ Harris elementary and a park on the north side. With the exception of the park, funding for these items was included in TSPLOST 2023.

In her speech on Tuesday, Thornton also addressed her two DUI arrests from 2023. She says that she was “falsely accused” and that these accusations “almost ruined [her] reputation” and “hurt [her] spirit.” Prosecutors dropped the DUI charges in exchange for a plea deal.

Thornton is the first commissioner to announce her intention to run for re-election. Davenport, Commissioner Tiffany Taylor and Commissioner John Culpepper are also up for re-election in 2026, if they so choose. Commissioner Dexter Fisher is vacating his seat in District 5 to run for mayor.

Townhomes on Pinecrest Drive

The ACC Commission unanimously denied a developer’s request to upzone two parcels along Pinecrest Drive near UGA’s Foley Field to allow proposed townhomes to have three bedrooms each instead of two.

The proposal was for seven townhomes with 21 beds in total to replace the two existing single-family homes on these lots. Under current zoning, the developer could continue with this plan anyway but would be forced to downsize to 14 total beds, a number which co-owner Kevin Bentley called “not practical or desirable for our intended buyers.”

Several nearby residents came out to oppose the plan, saying that an upzone would disturb the neighborhood by harming affordability and that it would set a precedent for higher density in the area.

Commissioners generally didn’t have much to say about the development but it was clear they agreed with the residents.

“I’m reluctant to vote for an upzoning on a luxury property that doesn’t offer any substantial public benefit,” Commissioner Melissa Link said. “These folks could have gotten that little bit of extra density if they had gone through our inclusionary zoning process and contributed to our housing fund…I could see this being a serious party center that could really disrupt the neighborhood.”

Bentley denied that the townhomes were intended to be student housing, saying that his plan was to sell to “young professionals, retirees and families.”

ACC planning staff supported the development and the planning commission voted 6-1 to approve it. However, the opinion of these expert professionals and knowledgeable residents did not seem to be considered strongly by the ACC Commission when they made their decision.

Rezoning of the former Southern Brewing Company lot

At this meeting, the commission also rezoned the former Southern Brewing Company lot on Collins Industrial Boulevard for heavy industrial uses. This will allow Quality Block, a concrete company, to move from its current, relatively small lot on College Avenue and thereby expand its operations. 

“I just think it makes sense for this business to be moved,” Culpepper said, happy to get large concrete trucks off residential streets like College Avenue. Link concurred, calling the move “a no-brainer.”

However, Thornton motioned to deny the zoning change without providing a reason. Taylor seconded even though she agreed the move made sense, saying that there were other factors at play.

“I would like to submit on record that by us approving this rezone and them moving to [Collins Industrial Boulevard], which is fine because it’s industrial, there will be student houses put up in [College Avenue],” Taylor said. “It’s not coincidental. All of this area is prime real estate…there is a bigger plan for this area.”

Taylor, Thornton and Fisher voted against the rezone, all presumably for the same reason. However, it is worth noting that any future housing for the College Avenue lot would need to be approved by the commission, since it is currently zoned for industrial uses. The rezone passed 7-3.

Demolition regulations changed

In a final item of note, the commission changed their review process for building demolitions. The purpose of the change was to “prevent the loss of buildings that may have historical or architectural significance” and “provide the time necessary to initiate designation as an individual landmark, inclusion in a historic district or to consider alternatives for the building,” according to the new code (9-4-15, subsection C).

This comes in the wake of the demolition of the historic Saye building in downtown Athens, which was opposed by historic preservation advocates.

“The public should know that this is an amendment that is tightening up our demolition ordinance, adding more criteria to ensure that it is defensible in court so we don’t see another historic building demolished because we’ve been dragged into court and pressured,” Link said.

Link is speaking of a lawsuit filed against the county by First United Methodist Church, which owns the lot of the former Saye building and intends to construct a parking lot there.

The new demolition regulations passed unanimously.

Help APN continue covering local news for the Athens area!
Please consider becoming a member or giving a one-time donation via PayPal.