In a long meeting packed with agenda items last week, the Athens-Clarke County Commission approved a massive new housing development off Atlanta Highway, possibly the largest ever approved in Athens’ history. They did so against the advice of the ACC Planning Commission, a resident advisory body which has become increasingly irrelevant in recent months.
In other items, the commission rejected two different short-term rentals, allowed people to live permanently in RVs located in mobile home parks, rejected a $25 million grant for North Avenue and approved a project concept for a new Center for Racial Justice and Black Futures.
Contents
Winslow Park approval
Short-term rentals rejected
Allowing RVs in trailer parks
RAISE grant rejected
Center for Racial Justice and Black Futures
Winslow Park approval
The commission approved a large housing development near Bogart, called ‘Winslow Park,’ consisting of 396 single-family homes, 216 townhomes and 313 apartment units.
The proposed site, 4500 and 4530 Atlanta Highway, was originally approved for a planned development back in 2004. This design was based on “New Urbanist” principles and specifically referenced Birkdale Village, a neighborhood outside Charlotte, NC, as an inspiration.
However, the new plan deviates sharply from these guidelines. According to the report from ACC planning staff, the original design “emphasized social connections, economic opportunity, environmental sustainability and attention to aesthetics” while the current plan “would add density while missing some of the design elements that are necessary to make dense neighborhoods into attractive spaces to live.”
Therefore, ACC staff recommended denial of this project. The ACC Planning Commission echoed that recommendation, expressing the opinion that the ACC Commission should hold out for a better design.
But that’s not what they ultimately decided to do. Instead, the ACC Commission approved the new Winslow Park development unanimously.
Commissioner Stephanie Johnson says that she heard from constituents about the need for density along the Atlanta Highway corridor, which is why she decided to support the development.
“I did review the report from the planning commission and I respect their expertise,” Johnson said at last Tuesday’s meeting. “I [hosted] a drop-in town hall that went really well last week. There were surprisingly many people who were in support of it and specifically stated their thanks for the opportunity to add density.”
Commissioner Melissa Link seconded Johnson’s motion of support.
“I think this is a good opportunity to get a lot of modest, owner-occupied middle-class housing on the market,” Link said. “I feel like there are some sound reasons behind the changes that are being requested to the [planned development.]”
This left at least one Athens-based developer, whose proposals have been rejected by the commission in recent months, a bit annoyed and befuddled.
“I’m a little confused about what you guys are approving and what you’re not approving. Who you’re speaking with and who you’re not speaking with,” developer Jared York told the commission during public comment. “You turned down a better development to a local small business owner…for political and personal reasons. If there was any reason why Jared York was not allowed to do a [planned development] in District 1 or District 3, I would have appreciated knowing it ahead of time.”
Some may dismiss York’s objections as sour grapes. Still, there has been a growing disconnect between the opinions of Athens-Clarke County government planners and the ACC Commission. At this very meeting, the ACC Commission voted in opposition to planning commission recommendations four times out of six opportunities.
Given that planning commissioners are appointed by the ACC Commission to provide expert advice, one might expect there to be at least some correlation in opinion between the two bodies. Yet, if there is a correlation at all, based on this meeting, it is a negative one.
Short-term rentals rejected
The ACC Commission rejected two different proposals for new short-term rentals within apartment buildings located at 284 Bailey Street and 1580 Barnett Shoals Road. The request was for a single unit in each apartment complex to be converted from a long-term to a short-term rental.
ACC planning staff recommended denial of the request on the basis that every unit taken off the long-term market would have the potential to increase upward pressure on rents. However, the ACC Planning Commission recommended approval, citing poorly written special-use criteria that they felt failed to provide them with a reasonable basis to evaluate the request.
The ACC Commission denied the new short-term rentals in a 7-2 vote, with Link and Commissioner Carol Myers as the only two commissioners to vote to approve the request.
“I would rather see a [short-term rental] in an intendedly [multifamily] neighborhood [than in single-family neighborhoods],” Link said in defense of her vote. “We do have a hotel room shortage.”
After rejecting these two short-term rentals, the commission sent their short-term rental regulation ordinance back to the planning commission for changes.
Commissioner Allison Wright abstained from the vote due to a potential conflict of interest.
Allowing RVs in trailer parks
The ACC Commission changed their regulations on recreational vehicles (RVs) at this meeting as well. From now on, people will be able to live in RVs as long as they are within a trailer park and the RV is in good repair with service connections.
New trailer parks are still prohibited in Athens.
RAISE grant rejected
The ACC Commission rejected a prestigious $25 million RAISE grant from the federal government intended to make North Avenue safer. The commission fears they would not be able to complete the project before the deadline and does not want to be on the hook for design expenses, which would run into the millions of dollars.
The commission is requesting that the existing $25 million RAISE grant be converted into a roughly $3 million planning grant. This would allow the design to be finished at the federal government’s expense, even if there would be no funding left over to actually build anything.
For more information on the grant, see APN’s earlier reporting on it here.
UPDATE 6/3/26: Last night, the mayor and commission accepted the original, staff-recommended four-lane concept for the RAISE grant after the US Congress granted an unlikely extension.
Center for Racial Justice and Black Futures
The commission authorized staff to spend $1.25 million for the design and construction of a new Black history center, called the Center for Racial Justice and Black Futures. This center was requested by descendants of the destroyed neighborhood of Linnentown and by the Athens Justice and Memory Project, chaired by author and activist Hattie Thomas Whitehead.
The Center for Racial Justice and Black Futures will be located at the Classic Center. It is scheduled to open in February 2026.
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