Sheila Crisp

The North Downtown Athens Master Planning Study outlines a vision for the transformational redevelopment of North Downtown Athens, Georgia, specifically focusing on the Bethel Midtown Village and College & Hoyt communities. The primary objective is to cultivate a healthy, mixed-income, mixed-use neighborhood with an increased provision of quality affordable housing. Key strategic areas include enhancing connectivity, integrating diverse green spaces and sustainable infrastructure, promoting active commercial and civic uses, and ensuring long-term climate resilience. The plan emphasizes community engagement, historical preservation, and fostering generational wealth-building through homeownership within a multi-phased redevelopment framework.

Envision Athens is a community-wide initiative aimed at developing a common vision and a 20-year strategy for the future community and economic development of Athens-Clarke County. The effort emphasizes accountability and implementation of change, involving diverse stakeholders. It seeks input from residents on issues such as jobs, housing, transportation, and education, and is guided by a 38-member citizen steering committee to create a thoughtful blueprint for the community's potential.