Some members of the Athens City Council on Friday said they would likely vote “no” on a proposal to rezone 24 acres from a general business district to a multiple family residential district to accommodate a new apartment development.

The council will hold a public hearing on the issue at its regularly scheduled meeting at 5:30 p.m. Monday. Council members are set to vote on the issue following the hearing.

The precise location of the development is south of U.S. 72, west of Lindsay Lane and north of Whitfield Drive. J&J Development would like to construct three-story apartment buildings containing a total of 480 apartments.

District 2 Councilman Harold Wales, who represents the area where the development would be built, stood steadfast in his decision to vote against the rezoning request.

“Since I have been on the council, I can’t think of any issue we’ve had that has created this amount of anxiety,” said Wales, now in his 14th year as a councilman. “This whole side of town does not want any part of these apartments at this location.”

Councilmen Frank Travis and Wayne Harper both said Friday they also anticipated voting “no” unless they saw something in the plans or heard something from the developer they had not previously considered.

“As an elected official, my responsibility is to carry out the wishes of the public, whether for or against,” Travis said. “The response I have received has been to not support it, but I’m not going in with a closed mind. … I do think we need luxury apartments.”

Harper said he had received numerous calls, texts and emails against the project. He added he would likely vote “no” unless he heard something “awfully convincing” that would force him to support it.

“I just don’t think I could go against something the public feels so strongly about,” he said.

Councilman Joseph Cannon said he was doing his best to keep an open mind about the proposal. As of Friday, he wasn’t leaning for or against the project.

“I have personal concerns about it, but it’s my job as a city councilman to go into it with an open mind,” he said. “People need to understand that in a business district, other things could go there. It could be a hotel instead of apartments.”

Athens Mayor Ronnie Marks doubted the votes were there to approve the rezoning request. He explained the general business district could accommodate businesses not favored by nearby residents.

“I know at one time a tractor-supply company was looking at that property,” he said. “I do know the developer has done the research and believes (the apartments) meet a critical need in Athens. It’s the City Council’s decision to look at all sides.”

Prior to the council’s public hearing and meeting, the Athens Planning Commission will hold a specially called meeting on the same rezoning proposal. Both Wales and Marks serve on the commission.

The commission’s charge is to either give a favorable or unfavorable recommendation to the rezoning request. An unfavorable recommendation by the commission does not necessarily mean the council would vote the request down.

Resident opposition

Residents from the nearby Canebrake, Indian Trace, Diamond Point neighborhoods will likely present a united front of opposition at both meetings. The neighborhoods are generally regarded as some of the most exclusive in the city, with home values ranging from $250,000 to $1 million.

This week, residents canvassed the streets in an effort to encourage attendance. Whitfield Drive resident Garnett Crask didn’t know how many fliers had been left at nearby homes, but “all of Canebrake” had been covered.

Crask and his neighbors have numerous concerns about the development, comprised of 480 units built in three-story buildings. Those concerns include increased traffic on Lindsay Lane, inadequate utilities and storm water runoff.

Crask said a number of homes along Whitfield Drive have swimming pools. He explained having a three-story apartment complex to the immediate north of his street would present a loss of privacy.

He believes there are more appropriate areas in the city where the development could be built, including north of U.S. 72 off Athens-Limestone Boulevard or the former Pilgrim’s Pride property now being cleared.

“(The apartments) would be more appropriate there and wouldn’t infringe on the Whitfield and Winslow residential sections,” Crask said.

Whitfield Drive resident Jon Coulter also established a Go Fund Me page “to help continue to fight this rezoning.” As of Friday, it had reached $800 of a $5,000 goal.

“This go-fund-me account is being established to help defray the cost for legal counsel, and incidental expenses such as printing flyers, signs, etc. to help fight this proposed rezoning,” reads a description of the account. “Any money that is raised by this go-fund-me that exceeds the actual cost of expenses used directly for this effort will be used for beautification projects for the subdivisions in the area of the proposed rezoning.”

One of those who donated was Joe Teal, who said he hopes his Diamond Pointe neighbors would also support the effort.

“I know at least a couple of the guys who have retained legal counsel from their own pockets to help keep our neighborhood nice,” he said in a post to the site. “They are good and honest men who can be trusted to do the right thing. We should help them!”