Community Corner
Is it Time for Design Standards in Athens?
Some wonder: Is it time for design standards in older Athens neighborhoods?
This new house sits at Pinecrest and University, where a one-story ranch built in the 1950s was torn down earlier this year.
The new house is larger than the prior one. It's larger than some of the other houses on University Drive. So are many of the new homes going up in Five Points.
The demolition of the Stiles house and the construction of a new, larger house have prompted some in the neighborhood to call for the ACC Planning Commission and County Commission to adopt design standards.
These wouldn't say what style a house should be or even how large, but would specify a certain setback requirement and a height limitation. These rules, some believe, would help control the scale of new houses in older, in-town neighborhoods.
What do you think? Would design standards work? Or should local government put any rules on what someone does with his or her property?
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
