Environment and Design to lead charrette

A team of students and faculty from the College of Environment and Design will partner with the Athens-Clarke Heritage Foundation Feb. 24-26 to explore the redevelopment possibilities of the Southern Manufacturing Co. property located on Oneta Street.

The multi-day collaborative design workshop, also known as a charrette, is designed to help create a new vision for the industrial property. It will provide an opportunity for community members to brainstorm community needs that can best be served by the Southern Mill property.

The foundation is asking participants to think about what could happen if this 18-plus acre abandoned mill property was considered for revitalization, taking into consideration pressing social needs and incorporating economic development tools with environmental best practices to create a socially sustainable project.

The three-day charrette includes a public input session Feb. 24 at 9 a.m. and a final presentation of the charrette and a question-and-answer session with the public and stakeholder group Feb. 26 at 4 p.m. Both events will take place at Old Fire Hall #2, Athens-Clarke Heritage Foundation headquarters, 489 Prince Ave.

Additionally, UGA master’s of environmental planning and design candidate Deepali Pavnaskar is conducting a research study for the area surrounding Southern Mill to evaluate the existing conditions and identify possible uses for the Southern Mill Industrial district.