Athens officials debate allowing new industry to shun building sidewalks

Athens-Clarke County’s Department of Transportation and Public Works recently asked officials to turn back the clock requiring new enterprises in one of the county’s industrial zones to install sidewalks along the public road perimeters of their properties.

The proposed amendment would, if passed, reverse a policy decision made in 2013 to exempt areas zoned for employment-industrial (E-I) use from the sidewalk requirement. Facilities allowed outright in E-I zones include media production venues, indoor recreation, administrative and research facilities, plant nurseries and other uses.

According to information presented to the planning commission, the exemption was enacted to promote economic development, lessening the expense of developing an E-I site. But in the intervening years, according to Daniel Sizemore, the bicycle, pedestrian and safety coordinator for Transportation and Public Works, the exemption has come into conflict with evolving local transportation policy.

More: Athens commission committee to recommend greater restrictions on public smoking, some bans

Sizemore noted that the exemption has implications for the county’s Athens in Motion program, which seeks to boost “active transportation” options – bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure – as alternatives for getting to local destinations. In the recent past, planning commissioners learned, the exemption has prevented the construction of sidewalks in areas where the Athens in Motion plan has projected that they would become available.

Nonetheless, at least some planning commissioners wondered whether it made sense to require sidewalks to be built along the perimeter of new developments in E-I-zoned areas, particularly if they did not join with another already-existing sidewalk.

Addressing the “sidewalk to nowhere” concerns, Sizemore suggested that over the long term, development in E-I-zoned areas could produce worthwhile sidewalks. And even in areas where a new sidewalk wouldn’t connect with an existing sidewalk, it could help keep pedestrians safe.

More: Despite pilot shortage, Athens airport remains hopeful to recruit American Airlines

Planning Commissioner Kristen Morales suggested that if the exemption was removed, anyone looking to develop an E-I property retained the ability to seek a variance to get out of having to build a sidewalk. But, she asked, “If somebody doesn’t want to come to Clarke County because they don’t want to build a sidewalk in front of their factory, how much do they even care about the community?”

The planning commission heard a dissenting voice from the public as Grant Whitworth of Whitworth Land Corporation, whose work includes industrial real estate, suggested the proposed exemption was brought forward “just on a whim.” Calling the 2013 exemption “a great effort for Athens-Clarke County to show that they are business friendly,” Whitworth predicted that “there’s going to be a lot of upset people about this” proposed amendment.

Planning commissioners ultimately decided to table the proposal, while indicating that they would like some additional background from county government staff before making any final recommendations for the county commission’s consideration.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Athens officials debate allowing new industry to shun building sidewalks