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Athens City Council approved zoning changes to create a neighborhood business hub along Columbus Road

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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — The Athens City Council on Monday approved a plan to rezone the old fire station on Columbus Road and the area around it for commercial development.

A rezoning proposal to create a business hub on Columbus Rd. in Athens.
The Athens City Council approved rezoning a stretch of Columbus Road to create a business hub around the old fire station. [City of Athens]
The fire station has been sitting empty since the new station on Stimson Avenue was completed last year and the city is anxious to lease it out.

But the land it sits on was zoned for residential use, and so were the parcels on either side of it stretching up and down Columbus Road.

City officials saw an opportunity to not only put the old fire station building back into productive use but create a neighborhood business hub by rezoning the area around it for commercial use.

The original plan also proposed rezoning a strip of parcels along Lancaster and Columbia. They are zoned for single-family homes only, but the Planning Commission suggested rezoning them to allow for duplexes as well to increase housing opportunities.

In response to concerns from neighbors, the council amended that proposal to keep the Lancaster-Columbia strip zoned as is so any potential zoning changes could be studied some more.

Mayor Steve Patterson told the council at a previous meeting that creating a neighborhood business hub promotes the city’s goal to reduce its carbon footprint by making it easier for residents to walk to stores, shops, restaurants and other establishments.

Now that the rezoning plan has been approved, the city can begin considering lease proposals from businesses interested in occupying the old fire station.