Athens Mayor Ric Abel clarified the meaning of the term right of way at a press conference yesterday, responding to area residents' concerns that City Council is giving away a valuable piece of property to a developer.
An ordinance passed by Council two weeks ago will allow a retirement community developer to use the city's Morris Avenue right of way.
A right of way is a piece of land on which the property owner allows the city to build roads and place utility lines, Abel said. Abel added that rights of way have no monetary value to the city because the city does not own them. If the city does nothing with a right of way, the property owner can petition the city if he or she wants to develop the plot.
The land in question, which is owned by Ohio University but will be leased to the developer, was set aside about 150 years ago for the creation of Morris Avenue, Abel said. The plot remains undeveloped because the street was never extended beyond an old set of railroad tracks, he said.
Council voted to give the developer a revocable license to use the land but maintains the right to develop it in the future.
Abel also commented at the press conference about City Council discussions concerning the city's Halloween festivities.
The more than $60,000 annually spent on law enforcement and other costs for Halloween could be used to make Athens safer at other times of the year. Less money would be lost if the city could find a way to bring in more revenue or underwrite the costs in another way, the mayor said.
Abel said he believes the money spent at Halloween should be considered a safety measure rather than an endorsement of the celebration.
I've never really said that we sponsor Halloween. Sponsorship means you want it
he said, adding that he's unsure of how many city administrators and residents want it.
- by Kantele Franko 17
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