Much has been said about the amount of growth Athens and Limestone County has experienced over the past few years, with many more new residents expected to come in the near future.

One of the major questions amidst all this growth is where all these new and future residents will live? Part of this answer are the new apartment complexes springing up around the city. The City Council unanimously approved the rezoning of 13.8 acres on Trade Street, south of Tractor Supply, from B-2 General Business District to R-2 Multi-Family Residential District at the Monday, Dec. 20, meeting.

The land is set to house a proposed 80-unit apartment complex called Autumn Falls. Director of Public Works James Rich said the Planning Commission recommended approval of the plan, which will have two- and three-bedroom one-story apartments.

He said the plan for the site meets green space requirements and includes a clubhouse and storm shelter.

Rosanna Kinnear, who owns the property with her husband Harold, said they have owned the land for a “long, long time” but did not have the traffic to attract general business to the area.

“We spent our personal money building Trade Street,” she said. “We put in sewage, and we put in water, so it’s ready to go. If approved, I think it will be an asset to the area.”

Rezoning requests

This rezoning request was one of more than 30 the City Council saw on agendas, part of 60 total public hearings, across 24 meetings in 2021.

The City Council heard rezoning requests on approximately 929 acres of land, about 3.5% of the 40.87 square miles that Athens encompasses.

Of the 33 rezoning requests, 18 came on Sept. 13 or later, about 570 acres of the total amount.

The single largest request came on Sept. 13, when the Council received a request to rezone around 234 acres of property owned by Newby Farms on the east side of Cambridge Lane south of French Mill Creek from EST-Estate Residential and Agricultural District to a R-1-3 High Density Single Family Residential District. The request was passed at a later date.

The plan for the property involved a 700-home development. The area is near the upcoming Greenbrier Parkway project and looks to attract future residents who will soon be working for Mazda-Toyota Manufacturing and other businesses that are expanding in Limestone County.

Many residents concerns over issues like safety of children and others due to the increase in traffic, the congestion that traffic increase would bring, how dangerous the Cambridge Lane and U.S. 72 intersection is and why the new subdivision needs to be high density.

Several of them spoke at Council meetings and said they were not opposed to growth and new homes being built in Athens, but questioned why there had to be some many lots put in one development.

Rezoning debate

A rezoning request was made by Ozark Properties, LLC during the July 26 meeting to rezone about 33 acres of land south of Elm Street and north of Market Street from a R-1-1 low-density single family district to R-1-3 high-density single family district. R-1-3 zoning allows for more houses to be built on smaller lots across a piece of land than R-1-1 allows.

While discussing the hearing, several members of the Council discussed issues and concerns they have when it comes to R-1-3 zoning and how it will factor in to the future of Athens and the growth the city is experiencing.

Council member Harold Wales said at the time he has developed an attitude of being against R-1-3 zoning.

“It seems like every time I pick up a piece of paper or request coming through the City, evidently the developer is requesting R-1-3,” he said. “I’ve got to tell y’all, I’m seeing some of these R-1-3s. They’re small houses. I’m afraid what’s going to happen after I’m gone from being a part of this, our city is going to look like a square box almost.”

Wales went on to request that the Council have some work sessions in the future to study zoning and R-1-3s.

“It is probably OK in certain areas, but each day that I live I am further pushed away from (R-1-3) zoning,” he said. “I don’t want to see our city become that. I love our city, and I’ll do anything to protect it. I do not believe me sitting here voting for R-1-3s almost weekly is good for our city.”

Council member Wayne Harper said at the time it does feel like the Council is voting on a lot of R-1-3 zoning requests.

“I’m not saying they’re all bad, but it seems like that’s all we’re getting,” Harper said.

He went on to say he felt that zoning format would be “fine” for the development in question.

Council member Dana Henry said some R-1-3 zoning proposals are developer driven, but she also said the format is more popular in the market right now because of younger buyers and their interests.

“Kids my son’s age don’t necessarily want a larger home,” she said. “They don’t necessarily want a yard. I don’t like the idea of squished neighborhoods —I drive through some, and everyone is parked all over the street and it looks awful. However, they choose to live there because that is what’s affordable to them.”

Council member Chris Seibert, while discussing the zoning issue with City Planner Matt Davidson, said he and his fellow members need to be aware if they are approving too many R-1-3 zoning proposals.

“We don’t want to be this neighborhood of tons of little tiny houses on little tiny lots,” he said.

Council member Frank Travis said he agreed with everyone else but said he did not want to starve an area of growth because the Council feels a particular way about it.

“We have to find an intersection where both sides are comfortable,” Henry said. “On the surface, I don’t necessarily like it, but that’s what people are buying these days. Where the answer lies is somewhere in the middle.”