To the editor:
This letter is in reply to Tom Hanlin’s “elephant in the room” regarding the city’s comprehensive plan update and zoning.
As a parent, when I notice myself allowing my kids to break my own rules, I try to use it as an opportunity to reconsider why that rule existed and whether it’s still serving my family. If it isn’t, I change or discard it.
With that in mind, consider that the “elephant in the room” (the land use inside the hypothetical circle drawn with a ¾ mile radius around Uptown) isn’t that zoning as it’s currently written should be enforced, no exceptions, no changes, or Else. The elephant is that Athens’ current zoning laws no longer serve the current needs of Athens.
Athens is growing, like it or not. Even if we weren’t growing in population—which we are—we are growing in households. The average household size in America is down from 3.7 eighty years ago to 2.1 now. That means we need more units to serve the same number of people. Right now, Athens has a shortage of all types; mother-in-law suites, garage apartments, and alley cottages are all easy ways to add smaller units for smaller households. And we know they blend right in because Athens already has a bunch in the middle of our supposedly “single-family” neighborhoods.
Think about that. Whether it’s Uptown’s buildings without parking or your neighbor’s duplex, the elephant in the room is that Athens’s current laws make it illegal to continue to build our city in the way that we know for a fact works, looks, and feels great. That’s right, we’ve made it illegal to build more of our most valuable and beloved places! If that sounds bad, that’s because it is!
Luckily, we can change that.
Like the adults we are, we can use our city plan revamp as an opportunity to remind ourselves that the goal of Athens is not to be a picture-perfect ideal or a perfectly preserved museum, but to be a living, bustling home where we can all prosper together. Amend the zoning so it matches reality. Let ourselves grow a little in a way that is person-centric, resilient, and charming.
Or we could double down on overcrowding, freeze the heart of our city in a tomb of regulations, and prioritize parking over people. Keep the current zoning. Make our teenager drink from a sippy cup.
What kind of city do you want to live in?
Stephanie Hunter
Strong Towns Athens Leadership
Athens, Ohio