A public hearing was held Monday night to discuss the rezoning of 0 Pomeroy Road to make it into a multifamily residence zone by Spire Development.
To make a multifamily residence zone, Spire Development is planning to build 50 rental housing unit development. The pricing for the units will range from $358 to $1,300 depending on how many bedrooms are present.
Currently, Athens’ market-rate housing is 97.7% occupied and is in a shortage for rentals. It was also identified that 37.7% of renters in Athens pay 30% or more of their gross income to rent.
“I encourage the council to consider whether this is a good use for the site and a good use for the community that will help bring much-needed affordable housing in the community,” said Sean McMickle, a representative of Spire Development. “I would encourage the council to support the project if it is something that creates good within the community.”
McMickle said Spire Development spoke with a third-party traffic engineer on how this project will affect traffic in the community. If the development is built, traffic on the road will experience 23 to 25 peak-hour trips during the busiest time of the day and a 1.9% increase in traffic will happen.
“We have offered to extend sidewalks to the side, and we stand by that,” McMickle said. “That is a desire of the community, and there are many residential avenues that at this time are not suitable for pedestrians. But with development and increasing infrastructure to become better suited for it.”
Jerry Miller, a resident of 14 Canterbury Drive, spoke about his and other residents' opposition to the project and concerns.
Miller said he is concerned about the traffic and narrowness of the road. Currently, the road has a blind curve leading directly into the merging of traffic which Miller says causes challenges with turning onto the road.
“It’s only 31 feet on the Pomeroy Road with the bridge, certainly not enough space for two lanes of traffic and pedestrian traffic sidewalks on either side,” Miller said, comparing it to other roads, such as Maplewood Drive, Richland Avenue, East State Street and Columbus Road, span from 36 to 65 feet.
Sharon Walker, a resident who lives at 18 Pomeroy Road, said according to the Ohio Department of Transportation on average Pomeroy Road is a low visibility road receiving 2,200 vehicles a day.
“It is a low visible area with high-speed cars, and they frequently drive through my yard about six times a year,” Walker said. “They do go through the fence, they do go into that vet clinic, and on Friday this past week, my sister came to visit me, and came in three feet of smashing into the back of her car.”
Some residents are also concerned the proposed development area is a known flood hazard. Currently, Spire Development is planning to use the critical storm method which retains rainfall and will reduce flooding by building an underground retention basin for stormwater. Miller said this is misleading because they will not retain the floodwater but lead to increased flooding.
Eric Lucas, owner of Carpet One Floor and Moore, said he is still concerned about potential flooding and is worried about the possible effect on his business. Lucas has seen multiple cases of people waking up to find their house flooding, causing up to $50,000 in damage.
“It's a great, great worry of ours,” Lucas said. “I have cameras. I live out in Albany, so when it starts raining, I have to watch the cameras in case it starts building up.”
Residents are also concerned the rental housing units development does not align with Athens’ 2040 Comprehensive Plan. One of the goals of the plan is to increase owner occupation. Spire Development plans to help accomplish this goal by offering houses ranging from one to three bedrooms; however, residents feel Athens needs to specifically focus on occupying three-bedroom houses.
In Miller’s final statements, he encouraged the city to come speak to the residents.
“As citizens, we need stability and a government that is predictable, helpful and intent to better focus on our lives,” Miller said. “We shouldn’t hurt all the businesses by taking away their parking, not using their workforce and not using our businesses in the construction process. We shouldn't destabilize neighborhoods by changing their character on short notice. Athens does need to grow and zoning sometimes needs to change, but process should be proactive, inclusive and delimited.”