Residents of Athens express their opinions about the general plan of the city

ATHENS, Ala. (WAFF) – Athens city commissioners held a public hearing Monday on their new comprehensive master plan.

Several residents have told city leaders that the current master plan only benefits the south side of the city and ignores the needs of people on the north side.

The plan calls for a number of changes to Highway 72 to improve traffic flow and includes improvement projects such as improvements to the boulevards behind Marion and Washington Street. It also calls for additional sidewalks to increase connectivity between parks.

Enhanced features that some residents feel are overlooked in the northern parts of the city.

The planning commissioners convinced the public that the plans were only guidelines.

“These are recommendations,” said Gina Garth, a member of the Athens Planning Commission, “It’s up to the city council what they’re going to do to implement them.”

The vote was approved and will serve as a guideline for all city development plans for the next twenty years.

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