City looks at updating 33-year-old architecture plan

In 1978, the city of Athens adopted a plan outlining revitalization guidelines meant to maintain the historical integrity of the buildings uptown and encourage restoration.

It's been known as the "Zarney plan," named after the principle citizen who put it together, Kim Zarney. Now, City Planner Paul Logue is working on an update.

"I've been working with an intern, Jia Li – a recent (Ohio University) grad in urban planning – to update this plan," he said Friday. "Jia spent a great deal of time stitching together photos of the buildings in the downtown district as they look now and then we will compare them as they exist now to how they looked in the Zarney plan images and also compare what's been done to what was recommended in that plan."

The Zarney plan was originally brought into a reality by a group known as, "Community Design, Incorporated."

The chair of that group, John M. Jones, stated in a letter that the restoration program focuses on the uptown architectural design of the buildings.

"The majority of the buildings in (uptown) Athens were built around the turn-of-the-century," he wrote in April 1978. "The theme for our improvement design calls for restoring these buildings back to their original architectural design."

He wrote that the goal of the committee was to increase public awareness and appreciation of the architectural history of the uptown area. And that's what the goal of updating the plan is as well.

Logue noted that there have been many changes to the uptown area since the Zarney Plan was adopted and the goal now is to provide guidelines of how to re-do uptown building facades in accordance with historic preservation goals, although what is considered best practices has changed over the years.

"What might have been a best practice for historic preservation in the late '70s, might actually be an outdated theory right now," he said. "Kind of what we're looking at is to see what was right. I think it was mostly right though. It was a really good plan, I thought."

The Athens uptown has seen a good amount of changes since the plan was introduced and over the years has fallen more and more away from many of it suggestions. Some improvements have been made, though, with Logue pointing to better sidewalks and a number of trees being added. Some buildings are gone altogether, he noted.

In the city's comprehensive plan, a recommendation was made that Athens create a historic preservation ordinance. Logue said that recommendation, along with rekindled interest in the Armory from many citizens, has renewed interest in the Zarney plan.

He said that historic preservation ordinances are very common throughout the state.

"(They're enacted) in order to help protect historic buildings and encourage design that respects the historic nature of our downtown," he said.

As for the Zarney plan itself, photos provide guidelines for many of the buildings uptown, with artist drawings outlining recommendations below.

"Every effort should be made to preserve the inherently lively and varied forms present within this block," the plan states about the area between Union Street and Carpenter Street.

In conclusion, the plan urges merchants, landowners and developers to recognize that an "increased premium is being put upon the preservation of high quality architectural surroundings.

The opportunity is here and now at its best in history to make up for decades of indifference and to work jointly through supportive local groups and city hall for effective conservation and the redevelopment programs which will insure Athens' future as an outstanding community."

By 2008, however, after a program that offered tax abatements for suitably attractive uptown building renovation projects had lapsed, the Athens NEWS was reporting that renovations had been slowing down markedly.

Now some citizens are hoping to bring back the tax incentives. By 2006, the Community Design Group had disbanded, even. Up until then, the non-profit group was empowered to recommend uptown renovation projects for property tax abatements, which could be granted on the value of the building improvement.

Any property owner who was willing to work with the CDG, to make sure the planned renovations fitted with the Zarney plan recommendations, potentially could've earned the eight-year tax abatement.

After the Zarney plan is updated, it's unclear what steps the city may take to encourage its further implementation.

But the goals of the Zarney plan itself are clear, and relevant to many citizens today.

"If the citizens of Athens, in years to come, are to have a solid, beautiful, well-maintained and economically sound community," the plan concludes, "the success of the Community Design Committee's implementation of these proposed design guidelines, and a commitment to long-term comprehensive planning, become essential propositions."