Athens officials to push forward with zoning changes to boost growth of research labs

Athens-Clarke County planning commissioners are recommending unanimously that the county commission amend the county’s zoning and development standards to allow scientific research and development enterprises in areas zoned for commercial-office or commercial-neighborhood uses.

The proposed amendment, aimed at boosting scientific research and development enterprises in the county, was first presented to the county planning staff in a March memo from Ilka McConnell, the county’s economic development director, to Brad Griffin, the county planning director.

In the memo, McConnell noted that the county’s economic development concentration on developing and attracting biotechnology, engineering and early-stage business enterprises is hampered by “a very limited supply of appropriately zoned existing space” at a time of “high demand for lab space … .”

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McConnell also wrote that “appropriately zoned spaces” are essential in the county’s efforts to “retain talent, innovation, investment and the above-average wages that these types of businesses bring to our community ... .”

Expanding on that theme at the May meeting of the county-commission-appointed planning commission, McConnell said having lab space available is particularly critical for enterprises moving out of incubation space at the University of Georgia as they continue to grow and develop.

“When a company is developing a product, many times they’ll be in clinical trials or regulatory trials of some sort,” she explained. “They’re maybe doing some limited production, but they’re not yet at … full production, which would usually move them to E-I (employment industrial) zoning or I (industrial) zoning.”

A particular advantage of allowing fledgling scientific research and development businesses in C-O and C-N zones, she added, is that there are existing properties available in those areas that could be converted to, or developed as, appropriate facilities without major investment.

“So, this is sort of an interim state for these businesses,” McConnell continued, “and it is an important step for them in their life cycle as they’re developing their business.”

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McConnell went on to tell the planning commission that “it’s very expensive to develop lab space, so existing buildings are a lot more affordable than newly-built buildings.”

Currently, commercial-office zoning extends along North Milledge Avenue and parts of Prince Avenue, with a high concentration between Oglethorpe Avenue and the north side of the Athens Perimeter. There is also a significant amount of C-O zoning in the county’s eastern side, along Cedar Shoals Drive and Gaines School Road.

There are pockets of C-N zoning across much of Athens-Clarke County, with much of it located in the area between Prince Avenue and the north side of the Athens Perimeter.

Currently, scientific research and development uses are allowed outright in areas zoned for commercial-rural use. They also are allowed in areas zoned for commercial-general use and in areas zoned commercial-downtown. In both of those instances, however, there are limits on the gross floor area allowed for those uses.

The proposed amendment to allow scientific research and development uses in C-O and C-N zoning classifications would also include those limits on floor space. Enterprises within commercial-neighborhood zoning would be limited to no more than 10,000 square feet of gross floor space. In commercial-office zoning, scientific research and development enterprises would be limited to no more than 36,000 gross square feet of floor space.

The planning commission’s recommendation to approve the proposed amendment will be heard by the county commission at its agenda-setting session on May 21, and could get a final vote at the county commission’s regular monthly meeting on June 4.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Proposed zoning changes could boost number of research labs in Athens