Athens commission flags ADU code gap and discusses county CRA to incentivize accessible housing

Commission members told the Affordable Housing Commission that Athens currently lacks a formal definition for accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in its zoning code, which means existing detached units with a dwelling above a garage have been treated as principal structures and required variances at the Board of Zoning Appeals.

"We don't have any definition or description of accessory dwelling units," the meeting chair said while summarizing a recent zoning‑appeals case that required a variance for an existing garage‑conversion unit. Commissioners said that gap is related to ongoing comprehensive plan work and suggested moving to address ADU rules more quickly.

The commission also discussed a County‑led Community Reinvestment Area (CRA) that county Commissioner Chris Schmiel and county planner Connor Lavelle are developing, initially focused on accessible housing. Members emphasized that the county CRA will not affect projects inside the city unless Athens adopts a compatible local incentive; one commissioner offered draft ordinance language and said the city footprint for a CRA could be the entire city or a targeted area.

Members urged the commission to be prepared to provide feedback to city council and planning staff once the county firmed criteria. One commissioner expressed interest in including the Ridges property in a CRA footprint to support senior housing and other priorities.

Next steps: commissioners requested that county and city staff present formal CRA criteria once available and that the commission consider drafting ordinance language and a recommended footprint for the city to adopt if warranted.