As demolition of the old Henderson County Memorial Hospital on Lindsey Lane in Athens nears completion, the question becomes: What to do with the property?
That is up to the Athens City Council, because ownership of the land was transferred to the City in September 2015 to expedite demolition of the building.
Up until this week, suggestions centered around creating some sort of park. That changed Monday night, however, when the City Council began discussing the “highest and best use” of the property.
With Mayor Jerry Don Vaught and Councilman Charles Elliott leading the way, the council directed City Manager Philip Rodriguez to look into selling the property for development as housing or apartments.
“I think it could be an ideal location for some new apartments or a small apartment complex,” Vaught said. “I would entertain possibly selling it for that purpose.”
“We need housing in this town about as bad as we need anything, whether it be apartments or whether it be zero lot line homes,” said Elliott. “We have an abundance of parks as far as the city is concerned.”
Monday’s discussion does not lock the City into selling the property or developing it for housing. It does, however, set a direction for what might happen on Lindsey Lane.
— Michael V. Hannigan/Henderson County Now
Right. Just ignore the citizens who live in the area….
Just another reason City Governments should not be in the real estate business.
It seems that our elected officials quickly abandoned the neighborhood that has suffered many years as the old hospital deterioated. Our city leaders are being short sighted in immediately seeking to sell the property. A park on that property would lift the value of the surrounding real estate over time by creating a more attractive and desirable neighborhood. Increased real estate value equates to a higher tax base over time. Good for the city and good for the citizens. If our city council members are serious about growing Athens and attracting new residents then we must do things that improve the quality of life in our community and provide reasons why someone would want to live here. Perhaps our city leaders should consider the overall environment of our community before rushing to sell a beautiful piece of property just to have another apartment building that will do nothing for the people in the neighborhood and only make money for a developer.