ATHENS, Ohio — In December 2025, consultants working with the Athens Planning Commission presented to the public draft legislation for proposed neighborhood corridor overlay zones.
American Structurepoint Inc. presented an ordinance draft informed by public input at an open house on Dec. 16 and the Athens Planning Commission meeting Dec. 17. The presentations followed an an open house held in February 2025 and a subsequent feedback process.
Neighborhood corridor overlay zones are additional sets of code that apply regulations to a specific designated area. The city already has two overlay zones, its Uptown Historic District and its Wellhead Protection Area.
If all goes as planned, Athens City Council will consider a neighborhood corridor overlay zones ordinance soon. First, the ordinance will be drafted by the Athens Planning Commission. When the commission votes on a recommendation for the proposed language, the ordinance will then make its way to the Planning & Development Committee, council member Alan Swank, 4th Ward, told the Independent in an email.
“After we have discussed it in committee and voted to advance it, we will schedule a public hearing and after the hearing start it through the three reading process,” Swank said.
The next time the planning commission will discuss the proposed ordinance is Wednesday, Jan. 21, City Planner Meghan Jennings said. At the Dec. 17 meeting, she said she and American Structurepoint Senior Project Manager David Baird wrote the draft.
Jennings is currently making additional updates to the draft, which she anticipates sharing with the public by the end of the week.
“There are proposed changes from the planning commission to the draft language, I’m working on that right now,” she told the Independent Tuesday.
The city’s neighborhood corridor overlay zones project is taking place in two phases, Jennings said. It will first develop the code for the zones.
“We did think it would be best to separate the two and just focus on the code first and then talk about where it should be applied, where it’s appropriate,” Jennings said.
Jennings said the public may continue to comment on the neighborhood corridor overlay zones as it appears in public meetings.
Baird said at the Dec. 17 planning commission meeting that the city will adopt the overlay zone language first, then separately adopt ordinances to apply the overlay zoning to specific areas. The city will work with neighborhoods to determine where best to apply the regulations, Jennings said.
Some of the proposed regulations in the neighborhood corridor overlay zones that Baird presented to the planning commission included:
- Existing buildings would be exempt from parking requirements.
- New buildings would receive a 50% reduction in the required amount of parking spaces. There’s also reductions available for locations near bus stops or that build bus shelters; and bicycle parking requirements.
- A minimum eight-foot sidewalk requirement.
- No pole signs — projected signs encouraged.
Jennings said she anticipates that the city’s neighborhood corridor overlay zones project webpage will be updated by the end of the week.
Athens City Council’s next regular meeting will be 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 12 at Athens City Hall, Council Chambers, third floor, 8 E. Washington St. Meetings are also streamed online. Regular sessions are on the first and third Mondays of the month; committee meetings are on the second and fourth Mondays.
The Athens Planning Commission’s next regular meeting will be at noon Wednesday, Jan. 21 at Athens City Hall, Council Chambers, third floor, 8 E. Washington St. Meetings are also streamed online. It meets the first and third Wednesdays every month.
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