discussion-l Mailing List: BikeAthens Discussion: Selig project illegally obliterates bike corridors

[Melissa Link (melissajlink2000]

I have been working tirelessly with former commissioner Carl Jordan over the past several days analyzing the Selig Enterprises project and the egregious improprieties within ACC Planning that have allowed this to move forward as is. Carl has offered scrutiny of the abandonment of the rail-trail concept and I have offered scrutiny of the Hickory St. cut-through. Selig's plan presents an obliteration of the concept of a level corridor connection into North Campus that not only would offer direct bike/ped access into North Campus, but is intended to funnel buses from the MMTC to the bus bays on Jackson to avoid the climbing zig-zag through downtown. It also would divert inbound Oconee St. traffic directly to the N. Campus parking deck before hitting downtown. Such a connection is not viable without great additional taxpayer expense from the Oconee crossing portrayed on Selig's plan, and its 30' elevation difference is not conducive to bikes. 

The several thousand more students living in and around downtown are each provided with parking just outside their doors, we need to do everything possible to make biking & walking the most desirable transportation choice--Selig's plan only makes these options more difficult &  more will be compelled to hop in their conveniently parked cars for short trips into campus or across downtown and exacerbate the situation even more. Please our letters detailing this situation as posted on Athens Patch: http://athens.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/has-there-been-sufficient-scrutiny-for-selig-no-says-former-commissioner

and onlineathens: http://onlineathens.com/blog-post/nick-coltrain/2013-06-25/letter-cc-officials-opposing-selig

And take a look at the attached maps. One is a zoomed-in version of the Future Transportation Corridor Concept Map that mysteriously disappeared from ACC's website soon after Selig's initial plans were made public in late 2011. I visited Planning & forked over 8 bucks for this copy & another 8 bucks for the corresponding topographical map. I have amended the TCC map to include Selig's version of a Hickory St. cut-through, as well as a proposed compromise version that would not only allow for a viable complete corridor connection, but also accommodates a small rail-trail spur to adjoin a corresponding dedicated bike/ped path to run alongside Hickory for safe and level campus connection. 

This proposal not only very closely adheres to the TCC map concept, but it actually is safer, cheaper, and much more viable than the version proposed by ACC.  Additionally, it does not require the demolition of Jittery Joe's or the historic cotton warehouse. It also very likely could accommodate the granite outcropping & huge white oak behind Joe's (imagine this as a shaded cafe patio at a trail crossing--Hickory St. could actually be a destination rather than just a cut-through). 

If Selig could be compelled to save these historic & natural resources, this compromise concept still leaves a good 2/3 of the property's east end wide open for intensive large-footprinted development to accommodate their overwhelming desire for ginormous parking decks--though I suspect they would not be able to accommodate the full 1500 planned spaces & would have to scale the entire project down somewhat....

Please feel free to share this info far and wide. Our local government is bending over backwards and sideways to accommodate a project that nearly every planning commissioner admits to hating--Planning's interpretation of the TCC map turns the concept of a level and complete public corridor into campus completely upside down. The TCC map is an adopted policy that we must insist be enforced to make a better project for the benefit of the entire community. To neglect or improperly interpret this policy would represent an egregious failure of our local government and provide firm grounds for legal action. Incidentally, citizens of Decatur are moving forward with a lawsuit against DeKalb County contending a similar improper procedure for a Selig project there.

It is clear that the current Hickory St. interpretation was made behind closed doors & without proper official input. Planning did not consult with the Rail-Trail committee (in fact R-T chair Andy Herod has not called a meeting of this committee in more than 2 years), nor the Greenway commission. Leisure Services' concerns are not fully addressed, and no evidence of input from ACC or UGA Transit or UGA Planning is to be found in the agenda report. If the M&C wishes to see this project move forward as-is, they must ask Planning to first go through the proper procedures to bring up amendments to the TCC to be publicly debated and voted on by both the Planning Commission and the M&C.  I would welcome this debate--I'm sure y'all would as well....

Here are email addresses for the M&C, let them know what you think about this: 

Doug.lowry [at] athensclarkecounty.com; harry.sims [at] athensclarkecounty.com; George.maxwell [at] athensclarkecounty.com; allison.wright [at] athensclarkecounty.com; jared.bailey [at] athensclarkecounty.com; jerry.nesmith [at] athensclarkecounty.com; Kathy.hoard [at] athensclarkecounty.com; andy.herod [at] athensclarkecounty.com; Kelly.girtz [at] athensclarkecounty.com; mike.hamby [at] athensclarkecounty.com; nancy.denson [at] athensclarkecounty.com

Attachment: MAPTCCcompromise.pdf
Description: Adobe PDF document

Attachment: MAPseligTOPO.pdf
Description: Adobe PDF document