A few weeks ago, Athens City Council passed two ordinances that will allow the construction of a retirement center on Stimson Ave (next to the Hocking River) on land belonging to Ohio University. The vote was plagued by controversy, as the Ohio Ethics Commission urged three of council's seven members not to vote on the issue because of their status as OU employees. Another member missed the vote when she traveled out of town.
Because only three council members voted on such a hotly contested issue, it's no surprise that opponents of the project have been collecting signatures to put a referendum on the ballot to overturn council's decision. Athens residents should get to have the final say on this controversial issue.
Despite many reasonable arguments for the center, it's not worth it.
The university agreed to lease the land to the nonprofit National Church Residences for $1 a year. On its face, the move looks admirable, but National Church Residences is not the stereotypical non-profit group. The organization has about $600 million in assets, according to IRS Form 990 reports, and could have easily afforded to buy the land. If the public overturns council's decision, OU will be spared the consequences of its economic (mis)management.
Saving the academics from their miscalculation is not the only reason to vote down the retirement center. If demand for such a facility existed in Athens, the university could have charged much more for the land and the retirement center would probably exist if its absence had ever been a problem before. Critics have a legitimate concern that the center will be left to rot like the poorly maintained student houses down the street. And, while flooding concerns have largely been debunked, the placement of the center on a current patch of green space is still a legitimate - and reasonable - problem for many residents.
In any event, whether the retirement center is ultimately built or not should be the decision of Athens voters. Only then can the city reach a resolution to what has become the most divisive issue in town.
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Citizens right to protest development
