The City of Athens is moving forward to create a special improvement district to continue beautification projects within the city.
Athens Mayor Steve Patterson said the special improvement district creates a self-imposed tax, or fee, that a property owner pays annually.
“(Special improvement districts) bring money into a designated area (and) that money can be used only for beautification projects in that area,” he said.
Those projects can range from redoing a sidewalk streetscape, adding park benches and putting planters with flowers or trees near businesses.
“You can really get creative with what you want to do with a special improvement district,” Patterson said.
While there is a fee included, it all depends on what the property owner agrees upon and how much they are willing to pay, Patterson said.
Property owners on Court Street and those on Carpenter Street, State Street, Washington Street and Union Street are included.
“I’ve spoken to pretty much all of the property owners within that first area,” he said. “I’ve gotten positive responses from all of them to be able to do this.”
Eric Coon, a property manager for Cornwell Poperties on Court Street, said he thinks this is a great idea.
“I think any improvement for the downtown is going to bring more people downtown,” he said.
John Wharton, owner of Ohio Realty, plans to be a part of the special improvement district and would like to see even further improvements to the city in the future.
“Keep the gum off the sidewalks, keep all the trash picked up, keep all the graffiti off the walls, be able to have hanging baskets, benches, more bike racks,” he said. “Just make it more attractive.”
Patterson is encouraging Ohio University to become involved.
“They get the same services, and for the Uptown area, it becomes continuous and contiguous up and down through the Court Street area when it comes to gum removal and snow removal and beautification,” Patterson said.
If the university does not become involved, all of the beautification efforts would stop at Court Street Coffee, which would make the process “disjointed,” according to Patterson.
For example, the former Woolworth’s building on Court Street is owned by OU, and so is the Athena Cinema. Patterson said within the special improvement district, beautification projects would circumvent them.
“We want to partner with the university so everything is in sync,” he said.
Coon said he agrees that it is important for OU to be involved in this project.
“I think everybody with the landlords and business people and OU have to work hand in hand and close together, we are all trying to promote Athens and that is important,” he said. “If Athens looks better, more kids want to come.”
