Proposed West Broad Apartments Draw Opposition Over Downtown Expansion

A rezoning request for a six-story apartment building on West Broad Street has the support of a nearby historic Black church but faces opposition because it would extend downtown's boundaries and potentially threaten single-family neighborhoods west of downtown. Cardinal Group, a Denver-based developer, proposes 181 units with 425 bedrooms and eight five-bedroom townhouses on the block bordered by West Broad, Finley, Reese and Pope streets, currently a small strip mall occupied by Butter Bites and Encounter Cafe. As concessions, the developer agreed to rehabilitate piped-under Tanyard Creek, create a commemorative garden for Hill First Baptist Church, and contribute $2.2 million to ACC's affordable housing trust fund. About a dozen residents from the Cobbham and Dearing Street historic districts raised concerns about the viewshed, parking, and the precedent of expanding the C-D zone. Planning commissioners voted narrowly to urge approval of the rezoning. The planning commission also moved forward on an overlay district for the Georgia Square Mall redevelopment but voted to table their work for a third time.

Via Flagpole: https://flagpole.com/news/city-dope/2026/10/07/proposed-apartments-would-push-downtown-athens-further-west/