As the old saying goes, It was a foolish man
who built his house upon the sand. Yet despite the better judgment of that statement, the city of Athens seems poised to allow the Continuing Care Retirement Center to be built on land which is located on the city's flood plain. The Athens City Planning Commission has already unanimously approved the retirement center and although the measure is pending city council's final authorization, it seems that the center's construction is inevitable. It is unwise for the city council to authorize the project, despite the potential benefits it might contribute. The area that the center will be built on is historically prone to flooding, and the level of demand for the center is still unclear.
Consider the last time Athens experienced major flooding -last January. Although that flood would not have damaged the retirement center building, it came close to where the facility's parking lot is projected to sit. If the final plans are approved, then the city might face repeated problems of flooding each time Athens experiences the awful weather it is occasionally known for. And, even if the center is not directly affected by flooding, some have raised concerns that the construction of the center itself could cause flooding in other places around town.
Aside from the potential flooding, Ohio University should recognize that it made a major error in judgment when it decided to lease the land to a group backed by National Church Residences, a non-profit organization, for $1 a year -essentially giving it away. Although it might appear noble that the land was donated to a non-profit organization, in reality it was irresponsible. The National Church Residences is a non-profit agency that controls roughly $600 million in assets -according to IRS Form 990 reports -and could have bought the land instead of seeking the university's charity. Also, with yearly increases in tuition and fees it is questionable for the university to forfeit money that could alleviate the burden of tuition and other costs facing OU students.
There are some very public advocates for the center who claim that there is a huge need for such a center in Athens. On the surface, that does make some sense, primarily because of the population of professors around campus who might want to retire here in Athens. But if there were truly a high demand for a new retirement center, then the property would not have needed to be leased for such a small amount, and this center would likely already exist. Instead of adhering to the demand of the market for a new retirement center, all parties involved have created a need for a facility that could not have survived without the university's or city's aid.
Still, it appears extremely likely that city council will green light the project. It will take time -or at least Athens next big rain -to tell if the center was really warranted. 17
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