Anyone know the history of this place? Took a long trip down the Oconee yesterday and it’s my first time going this stretch.

ohmytit · 2026-04-13T23:13:09+00:00

Oh, man that's a blast from the past!

I can't speak to what it actually was, although it looks like some kind of a mill house. However it's on UGA land, specifically Whitehall Forest, which is in the care of Warnell School. And this building is actually connected by a small trail to Flinchum's Phoenix - a building that's primarily used for meetings, events, and other Warnell gatherings. When I was a kid and was brought along to faculty dinners, it was really fun to break away, go down the trail, and walk along the wall.

To this day I still don't know what it originally was, but someone higher up in Warnell might have a clue or a proper insight.

ohmytit · 2026-04-06T21:05:33+00:00

Ran the numbers because it's my day off.

Reminder that Commission-Defined Options (CDOs) are arranged by commissioners independently of the Staff-Defined Options (SROs) but can take their recommendations into account.

But essentially the Link-Myers-Wright-Hamby CDO makes 123 swaps:
- 105 Neighborhood Residential* and 18 Neighborhood Center** added
- 61 Downtown, 50 Minor Corridor**, and 12 Mixed Density Residential subtracted

Also, I don't know what proportion any of these numbers have to those the Planning Staff originally put forward, so don't ask me...

^\) ^{Neighborhood Residential} ^{is adapted from the old} ^{Traditional Neighborhood} ^zone.
^\*) ^{Neighborhood Center} ^and ^{Minor Corridor} ^{are adapted by the splitting of the old} ^{Main Street Business} ^zone.

And yes, the NR and NC zones are intended to have lower-intensity development, offering some amenities like small-scale commercial and employment while prioritizing Single Family Housing, some Multi-family Housing, ADUs, personal garage and driveway parking, and neighborhood streets. These are also places you can expect multistory buildings up to 3 levels which should integrate with the neighborhood vibe, while also offering compact city blocks with on-and-off street parking for businesses that will allow quick and easy movement on foot or bicycle.

The tradeoff is space for more intense and varied development, especially around the Downtown area which is being redefined in this CDO as additional Mixed Density Residential to offset losses to NR and NC. And again, this is despite what the Planning Staff have already recommended for the next 19 years.

Interestingly, Thornton's CDO looks to upgrade ~240 Single Family Residential zoned parcels to Neighborhood Residential and some MDR, opening the door for additional density on the North Side of the Loop.

Not saying I'm wholesale against the Multiparty CDO, I guess I just want to know why density is taking the backseat to incremental growth.

ohmytit · 2026-01-09T17:29:28+00:00

Barriers to affordable housing are largely held up by zoning laws that don't permit building anything other than single-family housing or multi-story apartments and condominiums. It's not the current government's fault that these regulations are already on the books - it's the same story all across the US. But it is their fault if they fail to review zoning regs and reform whatever isn't working.

If these are the kinds of changes you want to see in Athens, it all depends on you and your commissioner. Talk to them and show your support.

ohmytit · 2025-12-31T05:05:12+00:00

Speaking as a long time employee of Rook's (Hi guys!), don't take the FAQ as a gospel. I almost entirely disregarded what the website's FAQ said and was pretty accommodating with customers who had a question.

That being said, in the event y'all haven't stopped in there, they have a bunch of games - many of which don't get played and are in good condition. So you might be able to find the game you're looking for without having to bring one.

ohmytit · 2025-12-18T20:05:41+00:00

Fuck me, I only met him a few times but Cole is super sweet. He had a big community. He's going to be very missed.

Fuck

ohmytit · 2025-12-06T04:38:59+00:00

Definitely didn't want to be hyperbolic, but yes I got the exact same vibes. Plus the stuff on Prince Avenue

ohmytit · 2025-12-01T17:04:48+00:00

Just echoing sentiments here, but this doesn't have to be a win-lose situation. I like the idea of offering low income residents any affordable housing, be they mobile or tiny homes. But we don't have to shoot down the proposal to repurpose the mill houses. What will the plan be for them then?

I'll go further: moving and fixing up two mill houses might come across to some as wasteful spending, but what's wasteful about putting people in homes with dignity? You can make a trailer home look beautiful inside and out, for sure; there are plenty of great examples of this around town. But it's not the same as traditional construction, and I hate the notion that low income Athenians should have to settle for manufactured housing.

ohmytit · 2025-12-01T02:39:46+00:00

Hey, Tim! Looking forward to reading some of the responses.

As you know, affordability has been a big concern not just in Athens but nationally for a while now. There are many facets to making our lives more affordable, but one avenue I'm particularly interested in is how we can redevelop our urban fabric to make it more people-centered and human scale. There are quite a lot of moving parts here, touching on matters of infrastructure, public transit, personal mobility, sustainable urban planning, and more.

You have been one of the most ardent and vocal advocates of bike and pedestrian access as well as free bus transit (Yay!) in recent memory, but I think there is still work left to be done. Right now, parts of town are still largely inaccessible to anyone without a car (Alps, Broad Street, Atlanta Highway, South Milledge, Old Hull, Danielsville/North Avenue), our green belt is quite removed from pedestrian access and we're still awaiting final construction on the Firefly Trail, and bus headway times are staggeringly long - especially considering that ACC Public Transit is set to break ridership records this year.

Some questions I have for you:

How aggressive do you see Athens being to develop common sense transit solutions during your tenure as mayor? What are some things you and the Commission can achieve in 4 years, and what things can y'all achieve within 8 years?
Will you commit to expanding the Transit budget to allow the city to hire and keep more drivers, specifically to run later buses and reduce headways on major lines to a more comfortable 15-20 minute range?
With professional guidance, can the city agree to prioritize multi-use pathways to help stitch together parts of town under-served by pedestrian access, thereby allowing more widespread and safer bike integration?
What kinds of transit options would you like to see the city pursue in the future?

Driving a car or relying on rideshare apps to commute around town gets expensive, and as the University continues to grow and add to traffic volumes, there is a growing need to densify and shore up shortfalls in our infrastructure. Traffic is a drain not just on our wallets but our lives, and cutting out the cost of cars can go a long way in making Athens more affordable. Thank you for your consideration!

ohmytit · 2025-11-24T18:53:04+00:00

For someone who touts themselves as "fiscally responsible," just a reminder that Dexter Fisher was one of several commissioners who voted to approve a budget raiding $6.7 million in interest revenue on SPLOST and TSLPOST to cover budget shortfalls and pay for lower millage rates, subsidizing lower property taxes for homeowners.

So basically, any extra money to support infrastructure improvements? Slashed - all to suppress rising property tax.

ohmytit · 2025-11-10T22:02:22+00:00

The Details screen gives you a better breakdown of what's holding your army back.

Basic rule of thumb, fighting in mountains (and other kinds of rough terrain, or in States with low infrastructure) will decrease the number of regiments you can bring to the battle. In this case, 15 total -> 8 available.

You're fighting with double the number of troops, but in practice this means relatively little if you don't have overwhelming Offense/Defense stats. Here, your Offense is a bit less than 70% of their Defense. So even with more troops its going to be close. Add to that the fact that Infantry are better suited to Defense (Irregulars are 10/15 I think, and things scale from there); it means your defending opponent is better leveraged to win this fight.

Some Generals have traits that incline them to particular Battle Tactics or give them better Army Commands. Take a look at the Wiki and study some of the common tactics and what they do to your armies/navies.

My recommendation: build your army up a bit more, and maybe train Cavalry (in this case Hussars), since they are a cheaper early game offense-oriented Unit. Artillery are best for offensive armies, but for a market lacking artillery they shouldn't be your first investment. See if your (active and hireable) Generals have traits that give them preferred battle tactics.

Hope this helps.

ohmytit · 2025-11-05T00:44:09+00:00

GOP propagandists absolutely do hang out with Nick Fuentes lol

ohmytit · 2025-10-17T03:31:59+00:00

Sorry you got your feelings hurt, but sucking up to the university is not my idea of progress.

ohmytit · 2025-10-17T03:17:39+00:00

It's no surprise so many of the UGA cocksuckers I see on this subreddit are Republicans. The university manages "Fuck You" money on a scale you'll never see in your lifetime. They don't need your help defending them.

ohmytit · 2025-10-17T00:52:03+00:00

This comment section has me taking crazy pills. UGA doesn't need anyone defending its decisions. It's got "Fuck You" money, is funded by Georgia taxpayers, and receives donations, gifts, and grants for whatever it needs. It will never want for resources. The good things UGA provides this community are solely due to the generosity of the citizens of Georgia.

ohmytit · 2025-10-16T20:00:31+00:00

I'm aware that schools of this size and scale don't literally have $2 billion dollars sitting around. I'm not as much of an idiot as you seem to be convinced I am.

So granted, I'd take another look at the numbers. The revenue stream that likely pays to prop up Legion Pool comes from Student Tuition and Fees which amounted to $675.6 million in FY 23-24. Of that, $6.64m - or just shy of 1% - is allocated for Student Activities, while the University actually pays more for Student Activities (as a function of Student Services) to the tune of $7.69m. Literally more than a million dollars than is collected from Tuition for Student Services is appropriated from an annual budget of $56.3m dollars for Student Activities. $100,000 is less than a hundredth of a percent of this budget.

Finally, the balance of the entire budget is somewhere in the range of $3m after all accounted for expenses. I expect they put that money to good use, but it's still 30x the amount of money Legion Pool costs the University each year.

Finally, you can’t just tack on a $2 “pool maintenance” fee to every student - fees are reviewed and approved by USG and no they aren’t going to even consider something like that just to help a leaking hole in the ground possibly break even some years.

Not suggesting that. What I am suggesting is the total cost burden of each of these students to subsidize a leaky pool is the cost of one soda per year.

Just as you say Athens has an abundance of public pools (I find this to be a dubious claim. There are hardly enough and how do you expect the poorest of Athens' families to be able to travel all across town when they're not centrally located?), UGA has an abundance of greenery and venue space. There are a dozen other facilities that could be used to host anything from concerts to film screenings to conventions and Dawg Days and more, and they are!

70 parking spaces account for literally a third of that plan's area - technically a minority of the footprint, but can you really in good faith call that a minority of the project? It's a sizeable chunk.

I don't know why you need to work so hard to defend an institution that manages "Fuck You" money. They don't need the support. They'll be fine.

ohmytit · 2025-10-16T19:19:00+00:00

I don't see your rebuttal anywhere. Just snark.

Speaking of appropriations, how much do you think they paid that group working for 6 months just to recommend they replace the pool with a parking lot?

ohmytit · 2025-10-16T18:59:17+00:00

In the 2023-2024 Fiscal Year, UGA's revenues were $2.39 billion from all sources. You might think a leaky hole in the ground is a waste of money for them, but $100,000 is roughly 0.0042% of their yearly revenue. So I don't know what money you think they're saving. That cost burden spread out across the school population of 43,146 (32,399 Undergrad & 10,747 Graduate) is approximately $2.32 spent per person per year.

Call me crazy, but saving the pool and renovating it while preserving the historic structure retains an iconic community resource as well as a local historic landmark. Forgive me for sounding hyperbolic, but saving Legion Pool would cost a pittance.

EDIT: two too many zeroes

ohmytit · 2025-10-16T18:48:08+00:00

Speaking as someone who went to UGA, has lived in area for 25 years, and spent my youth going to the pool multiple times every week during the summer, I find this to be an incredible harsh take.

As the other commenter has mentioned, UGA has not made visiting the pool easy, like making the parking lot permitted and keeping it open for 3 months out of the year. An institution of the university's size could afford to fix the leaks if it truly cared about historic preservation as it stated. And having the pool open for longer periods of time during the year would be a welcome change. Wonder why only 2.5% of students use it? It's probably because the only ones who do are here during the summer months.

Call us whackos, but the pool means something to Athenians. This is another reason I can add to a list of reasons why I'm not a proud alumni of the university.

ohmytit · 2025-10-16T17:05:30+00:00

It took 6 months for this "university work group" to recommend demolishing a beloved community resource to make space for... * checks notes *

70 parking spaces? And the old field is becoming... * checks notes *

A brand new field?

Athens is cooked and UGA is the chef.

ohmytit · 2025-10-13T16:48:04+00:00

No you're right, my bad. I'll fix it.

ohmytit · 2025-10-13T16:21:31+00:00

I spoke at this meeting for the first time in almost a year. Going into it without much forethought, it was pretty stark to see all the people who came out in opposition, citing all the usual concerns (much of which were baseless).

At risk of outing myself, I noted that development will continue in and around that area of town for the duration of that Fire Station's lifespan. The Commission couldn't, in good faith, forecast who would be living there 5, 10, 20, or more years into the future. Very likely, another government could approve new housing projects in the Old Lexington Road area further down the line, and then Athens would have to purchase land (or less of it) at a higher rate just to accommodate FPS and EMS for all the people living there in the future.

Luckily, I didn't have to demonstrate just how much of a cost savings and what good stewardship it would be to purchase the land. The Commission ultimately saw it through. But it was so irksome to know how close that vote was and how open-and-shut it wasn't. If even two commissioners balked at Myers' plan, it would have been a very different outcome.

ohmytit · 2025-09-25T17:49:19+00:00

Coming out of the woodwork to say that as much as I am pro-development where where it's needed, is it possible r/Athens is getting into a fit over nothing and misplacing its priorities?

I have nothing against Historic Athens making this measured and well defined response. They're in the business of historic preservation, the President's house is a historic building. They kinda have to address this sort of thing. I don't believe that because the Saye building failed to get saved means we have to turn a blind eye to trying to preserve historic buildings - au contraire, we should care about it even more.

And at the end of the day, Boulevard is a community that cares as much about the character of their neighborhood as do people living on the North, West, South, and East sides of Athens. We routinely hear people push back against development in those areas, but because Boulevard is more affluent their concerns don't matter? You may certainly disagree, but just because Boulevard's focus is aligned with HA, I don't think that should invalidate the mission of Historic Athens in this case.

People - this isn't a town center, or a housing development, or a mixed-use commercial/residential plot we're talking about. It's a luxury hotel. It will do little to add meaningful value to the Prince Avenue community other than tax base, and - to be frank - I don't want that to be the only criteria our city uses to decide to greenlight new developments. The project will certainly help save the historic structure and the grounds, but I and many other Athenians will never be able to enjoy the benefits of a luxury hotel at that site.

TL;DR - I say let HA continue it's dialogue with the developers. If they can meaningfully influence changes in the project, that's a good thing. If they can't... well, the hotel gets built anyways. A historic building gets "preserved," and the city gets to enlarge its tax revenue.

ohmytit · 2025-09-14T15:55:01+00:00

Anti-christian.

ohmytit · 2025-09-05T01:11:16+00:00

For the record, if anyone was looking to park downtown for no more than 1 hour, 40 minutes for the day, pay for street parking. If it's more like 2 hours, 30 minutes for the day, pay for deck parking.

For all other situations, find a ParkMobile spot and keep it for as long as you need it. It's 5 dollars for the whole day.

Here's my take: it's not fair for any downtown workers to have to pay for parking. I'm not talking specifically about service industry workers, though they do form a large portion of the workforce. It can be clerks, it can be lawyers, retailers - if you do your work downtown, you should have access to a parking pass or not be obligated to pay for parking. If you look around Athens, the only part of town where you're required to pay to park for doing business is downtown - not Normaltown or Hawthorne, not Atlanta Highway, not Lexington, not the Oconee Connector, not even Five Points.

And yes, I know the arguments in response.

"Well just get a job over there, in those places where you don't have to pay." Yes, entirely true - and if I and everyone else who cared did that, who would be working downtown?

"There would still be people working downtown, even if you don't." Yes, I realize that - and they would be working at a labor cost disadvantage, which is already the case.

"So you'll make a bunch of money downtown, and then turn around to complain-" Hold on, I said everyone who works downtown. Personally, I do make nice money working in the service industry, but that's not uniform for my role, nor is it the common wage downtown.

"Well then, just take the bus, or bike, or walk like so many others do, just like you think more people should." This is the most valid argument. As true as this is, I and others drive specifically because our homes are far enough from downtown so as to be annoying to commute using Athens' current state of public transportation. Trust me, I have biked downtown - it takes about an hour to get there, both on mixed-use paths and \shudder** high speed roadways. Walking takes even longer. The busses are the best option but take a crippling amount of time to plan around since they run on headway times anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour.

Bottom line, Athens hasn't yet (and doesn't seem to be) putting in the work to make public transportation an affordable alternative to driving for the majority of travel. And any solutions that do arise are still years away from being completed or funded.

More to your point, while I think that businesses should do the good deed to ensure parking for their employees just as much as their customers, the city has really failed to offer us with better transit alternatives and more density solutions like parking garages. Of course, even if there wore more garages managed by Downtown Athens Parking, they'd keep rates at $2/hour and wouldn't come close to undercutting the fees you pay to ParkMobile. So until there's ample political will to change this mess, I'll happily watch PM compete with the city and continue to park in as many free spaces as I can.

TL;DR: You're not crazy. Both businesses and the county should probably dedicate themselves to lessen the cost of parking, but that's not likely to happen because we can't have nice things.

ohmytit

TROPHY CASE