Despite receiving some praise from Athens City Council members, plans to build a balcony on a new residential building are still on hold.
The former Blue Gator building, 63 N. Court St., has requested a revocable license to begin construction of a new balcony. A revocable license is required for a building if it has never been used as a residential building in the past.
Bryan Wharton, a partner who proposed the project, said a balcony would be a good addition to the look of uptown.
“The primary goal is to have a nice appearance from the street and make a positive project uptown,” Wharton said. “I feel like we’re close to doing that.”
Councilman Elahu Gosney, D-at large, said that he doesn’t think that the proposed balcony be any more hazardous than a fire escape and that the balcony would be an aesthetic improvement to Court Street.
“Court Street will look better,” he said. “I actually like the atmosphere it creates.”
Concerns from other departments in the city, including the Athens Police Department, fire department, city planner and code office, were about behavior and safety.
“People can misbehave on a 2 ft. balcony or a fire escape,” Wharton said. “If that can happen from a 2 ft. balcony, it can happen from a 4 ft. balcony.”
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