originally published June 25, 2008

A Bad Economy and a New Trend: Judging from the way things are going lately, it seems as though the best way to hedge against a bad housing market is to bet on elderly people; they aren’t getting any younger. A few months ago, we saw a residential development called Twin Shoals come through with a proposal to retool it with a nursing home, and other units catering specifically to the elderly. The proposed North Creek Village off Freeman Drive has had a similar angle, in at least a portion of the project, since its outset.

The next project to ride this wave is Summerville on Jennings Mill Road, originally a mixed-use commercial and residential development which has been redesigned to include a nursing home and an assisted living facility. Single-family lots, townhomes and mixed-use lofts are fewer in the new plans there, with so-called “mansion flats” filling some of that space. Mansion flats are typically three-story structures with an elevator and at least six apartments. They are designed to look like one big house, though. These units are typically marketed for people who don’t need much space or a yard to maintain, and are thus popular with the older crowd. Ansonborough on the Eastside has a pair of these which sold out, while the townhomes there aren’t going as quickly. (Don’t read that as a critique of Ansonborough - I think it’s a great project). A final note on the Summerville site plan is that a future extension of Jennings Mill Parkway will bridge the bypass and run through the development, with a right turn onto another existing piece of the road. How that issue will affect that corridor’s ability to relieve congestion on Atlanta Highway is going to be interesting to watch.

Questions for the Future: The question that this trend raises is how many elderly residents Athens is going to be attracting; that’s certainly been mentioned as a strategy with potential for future economic development. In thinking ahead, though, it’s worth remembering that some apartment complexes are now essentially student ghettos; will entire areas of the city one day be filled with retirees in a similar way? It’s all hypothetical at this point, but there are a few things to bear in mind when it comes to economics.

First off, elderly people pay property taxes yet typically don’t have any kids in the school district, which might help things a good bit in that department. Secondly, Athens is improving its status as a regional healthcare center. Having a large population of people needing medical services might help to draw further healthcare jobs to the area. Although nursing home residents won’t necessarily be contributing heavily to retail sales, an influx of more able-bodied retirees might contribute an amount of disposable income comparable to students’, if not greater. It’s worth considering, though, how land-use planning and development will be affected by a real demographic change along these lines.

Elsewhere in Town: Another note right now is that the Urban Flats at Martin Luther King Drive and Ruth Drive are back again, after those designs were tabled several times. This go-round there’s a plan that looks like it might just get the job done; the structures adequately address the street, with parking hidden inside the block. Past iterations had buildings which ignored the street, and had parking visible from the approach on MLK. This version’s site plan also includes walks from the street, so that Athens might get something that functions like a proper rowhouse. This will be a welcome change for the area, since so many projects in that part of town have done a terrible job. As always, we’ll have to wait and see what the end product looks like before deciding if it’s truly a good project.

Church News: One more note is that St. Joseph’s Catholic Church has revised plans for its new home on Epps Bridge Parkway again, this time pushing the buildings around a bit, but without any drastic changes. The plans leave a good buffer along McNutt’s Creek, as well as between the new structures and the adjacent neighborhood. The new Mission Revival sanctuary sitting on the hill over Epps Bridge Parkway will certainly make for an interesting gateway into Athens. While on the topic of churches, it is worth noting that two much smaller churches have submitted plans, one on Oglethorpe Avenue and one on Townon Drive.

No Demo: Athens-Clarke has now put in place a demolition moratorium for the proposed Reese Street Historic District, which totals about four blocks in area and is roughly centered on Reese and Pope streets. The moratorium will last until Aug. 8, 2008 (unless it is extended, like the one for Milledge Avenue has been). A demolition moratorium is a common practice when an area will soon be locally designated as historic, but this one might be seen to have particular impact after Kappa Alpha fraternity’s development arm demolished two houses this spring which would have been a part of the district.

In other news, there’s still not much public talk of any sort of district or guidelines for Milledge Avenue, which is well into its six-month moratorium extension.

Conflict of Interests: Out at Athens-Clarke County’s Holland Youth Sports Complex on Newton Bridge Road, there are plans for a new baseball field to be donated to the park; the only catch is that if it is built, it will require more trees to be planted in the park. The question isn’t whether or not to build the field, but how to work with the local tree ordinance to allow this particular plan to work. There are a few options, the first being for the city to simply grant itself a variance. Variances are given when there are extenuating circumstances and if there is a public benefit; a donated new field for kids sounds like a great reason for a variance. Other possibilities include a deal wherein the necessary trees are planted offsite, perhaps as street trees in a neighborhood, on a major thoroughfare, or in the playground of a local elementary school.

One Last Note: The rumor around town - as yet unconfirmed by Flagpole despite several unreturned phone calls - is that the management of the Georgia Traditions highrise on East Broad Street is considering turning a couple of floors of that building into hotel space, rather than selling those units as condominiums as originally planned. Unfortunately, further details on that project so far are hard to come by.

Kevan Williams

Contact Kevan Williams at athensrising@flagpole.com.