At Athens City Council’s meeting Monday night, council members will discuss upgrades to East State Street.
Council members will discuss an ordinance that would authorize the service-safety director to enter an agreement with the Ohio Department of Transportation for the lighting upgrade and replacement project on East State Street, according to council’s agenda.
The project would be a no-cost lighting upgrade because it uses Federal Highway Administration transportation money. It would be near U.S. Route 33 and U.S. Route 50 interchange, according to a previous Post report.
Additionally, council members will discuss establishing the Athens City Affordable Housing Commission.
Approximately 28 percent of housing in Athens is comprised of non-rental properties, according to a previous Post report. Council members have expressed a desire to increase the number of affordable housing options in Athens.
“Younger families are going into subdivisions outside of town, which changes the whole character of neighborhoods, and affects the economy,” Councilman Jeff Risner, D-2nd Ward, said.
According to a report by the City of Athens and Ohio University Affordable Housing Task Force, Athens has the highest rate of renter households in the 32 counties in Appalachian Ohio, and the rent disparity between student and non-student housing ranges from $86 to $895 per month, depending on the bedroom type.
“The student housing market has artificially inflated the value of residential housing stock, reduces the availability of single family rental property and led to significant growth in multi-tenant student housing that has left a number of single family homes being abandoned or in disrepair within the Athens’ City limits,” the report reads.
At the meeting, council members will discuss establishing the Athens City Affordable Housing Commission to help build a better market for owner-occupied homes around Athens.
“The commission is the public part of an eventual public/private partnership,” Councilwoman Michele Papai, D-3rd Ward, said in that previous Post report. “You need professionals who understand the housing needs, and there’s a lot to that. The mission involves all members of the community.”
