Cedar Creek
CIVIC ASSOCIATION
ATHENS, GEORGIA
July 1, 2026
CCCA Membership Update
Our membership slowly grows but is still way below last year's level. If you have not already done so, please renew now, and talk to your neighbors about joining as well. Click on the JOIN/PAY button in this page's header to choose your payment options, and please remember to fill out the membership form, including your email address. To pay by check, make it out to "CCCA" and mail to (or drop off at) "CCCA Treasurer, 190 Mockingbird Circle, Athens, GA 30605". Remember to include your home address so we know which residence to credit the membership. Providing your email allows you to stay connected with our community by receiving our monthly email updates.
2026 Calendar
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July 4 - Saturday - US Independence Day
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July 16 - Thursday - CCCA Board Meeting
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July 21 - Tuesday - ACC Mayor & Commissioners Meeting, 6PM City Hall
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July 30 - Thursday - Groundbreaking Eastside Library (no public)
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August 4 - Tuesday - ACC Mayor & Commissioners Meeting
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August 5 - Wednesday - First Day of School
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September 7 - Monday - Labor Day
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September 17 - Thursday - CCCA Board Meeting (Tentative)
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September 20 - Sunday - Cedar Creek Pool Last Day
Follow-up on ongoing issues
450 Gaines School Road -Nothing new to report.
ATT fiber optic cable placement --- If you also have issues with this project, contact Jacob Banks, Field Supervisor for ANSCO, the contractor at 470-475-4037 or via email at jacob.banks@anscollc.com. Alternatively you can contact Steve McDaniel the utility inspector for Clarke County at 762-400-6703 or via email at Steve.McDaniel@accgov.com. Just remember that it takes a little time for replanted grass to fill in the disturbed areas - especially with so little rain!
What we are keeping an eye on...
Planning Commission proposed text amendments to the zoning for residential single family developments/neighborhoods (RS) - Read the article above, and check out the attached documents.
CC Volunteer Landscape Crew Activities Report
Landscape Crew volunteers are being asked to adopt a dozen small plotted plants to water over the Summer at your home. These are the plants that will inhabit the two Bee and Butterfly Sanctuary Gardens to be installed in Cedar Creek Court in September. These 12 plants occupy about 15 square feet (3' x 5') and can be placed anywhere they are guaranteed to get some direct sun light during the day while also being protected from deer. If you are going to be on vacation in July or August you will need to work with another volunteer to ensure the plants are cared for. Contact Rob Gorman at rdfgorman@gmail.com if you are interested in "babysitting" these plants.
Going Wild for Native Plants: A Series
by Cathy R. Payne
What’s the big deal with native plants?
When I was a young girl, about ten years old, in 1960s Minnesota, we had fields of milkweed and countless Monarch butterflies hovering above the plants. They seemed unlimited. I learned that the Monarchs laid their eggs exclusively on milkweed, also known as Asclepias. The caterpillars hatched from an egg, and immediately began consuming the leaves. I took some into my bedroom, and kept them in a jar. I diligently harvested fresh leaves for them. Eventually, several of the mature caterpillars turned into a chrysalis and later became Monarch butterflies.
Today, we have much less milkweed growing, and Monarch butterfly counts are declining. The same is true of insects, including moths, pollinating bees, dragonflies, and more.
Many insects are similarly specialists and must locate plants that will support their development. Some plant species, such as trees, are keystone species. A White Oak tree will support over 500 kinds of wildlife, either on its leaves, on the trunk, on leaf litter, or under the ground.
Nearly all terrestrial birds rear their young on insects. The best meal for a young nestling is a caterpillar or moth. To feed hatchlings, nestlings, and fledglings over a period of six weeks, mating bluebirds take turns feeding their young a total of about 9,000 insects. After that, they are on their own. If there are not enough native host plants to support the native birds, they are unable to thrive. I get excited when the plants in my garden are full of holes. I know they are doing their work!
Nature’s ecosystems are intricate, and there are many ways to help mother nature. To start, check out www.homegrownnationalpark.org and download the app wildr. Read books by Douglas W. Tallamy. I suggest you start with Bringing Nature Home, 2007. For a deep dive, read this article at Homegrown National Park
Questions? Email Cathy at paynecr05@icloud.com
Q and A: Ask the CCCA Board a question and we will try to find an answer.
Q: What do we know about the status of ADUs or auxiliary dwelling units?
Read the article above. If you can't download these documents, call Ken Portier at 678-644-9724 to request printed copies. Leave a message if he doesn't answer with your name and a phone number so he can get back to you.
The CCCA newsletter is printed locally in Athens by Jack Jones of Duplicating Systems Inc. Thanks.
Major Zoning Changes Proposed for Single Family Residential Neighborhoods
The CCCA Board is concerned about two proposed zoning changes that we expect will be discussed at the July 21 meeting of the Mayor & Commissioners and potentially be voted on at their August 4 regular session. It is important that you take these changes seriously - this could impact the value of your home and your quality of life!
What is proposed? On June 4, the Athens-Clarke County Planning Commission reviewed and approved two Planning Department proposed zoning changes to amend the ACC Code of Ordinances to allow “by right” construction of secondary dwelling units (SDs, also called auxiliary dwelling units or ADUs) and alter allowable minimum SD unit sizes in ALL residential single family (RS) zoned properties in the county.
Why is this important to Cedar Creek? Because, if these amendments pass, every single-family lot in our RS-25 zoned subdivision would henceforth be permitted to build, adjacent to their primary home, a “secondary dwelling unit.” That is, another smaller complete home with kitchen, bathroom, bedrooms, and separate entrance built in your and/or your neighbor’s side or back yard, without a public hearing and without any neighborhood notification. As a result of this major zoning change, every single-family residential zone like Cedar Creek would automatically change and become a potential two-family zone. This major zoning change would occur WITHOUT any rezoning notices, WITHOUT a public vote, and with the only public hearings being the two to be held before the Mayor and Commissioners in July and August.
The CCCA Board has discussed these two proposed zoning changes and concluded that these documents need much more work even before being considered for adoption. Below are links to PDF documents containing texts of the two proposed zoning changes, a list of unanswered questions the CCCA Board has compiled about these changes, and a document from the Civic Accountability Project that explains these changes and their impacts in more detail. The CCCA Board feels that this is an issue that the incoming Commissioners and Mayor should discuss and decide how these changes should be implemented. Please consider speaking your thoughts on these changes at the Mayor and Commission meetings on July 21 and August 4. Finally, let Commissioner Davenport know your thoughts on this matter.
Commissioner Davenport - email: patrick.davenport@accgov.com
Download pdf: Unanswered Questions on the Proposed Zoning Changes
Download pdf: Proposed Text - Secondary Dwellings
Download pdf: Proposed Text - Review Minimum Home Size
Download pdf: Civic Accountability Project Review of Proposed Changes
Consider participating. Remember the future is yours, but only if you work to make it so.
President’s Letter
Dear Neighbors,
Typically July is a slow month for news in Cedar Creek, but not so this year. The biggest item: A zoning change that will allow secondary dwellings in all single-family zones throughout the county, The CCCA Board is deeply concerned about the impact of the proposed zoning changes on Cedar Creek. We are working hard to compile the issues and questions we have with this change and communicate them to the county leadership. See the article below.
AT&T has installed fiber on the east side of Cedar Creek, and sales reps are canvassing the area to sign people up. By all reports the reps are friendly, courteous, and efficient. But if anyone comes to your door, be sure to check their credentials, and don't let them in if you are at all uncomfortable.
Also this month see the first in our newsletter series on the importance of native plants to our landscape, courtesy of CCCA member Cathy R. Payne. We appreciate the advice from Cathy and others on this important topic.
-Jack Dominey
Happy Birthday - 250 years of the USA
For America’s 250th birthday, Pulitzer winning historian Joseph Ellis challenges every US resident to take one simple action: Read the country’s equivalent of its birth announcement, the Declaration of Independence. You probably have not read the Declaration of Independence since the 9th grade and probably only remember through the third paragraph. There is so much in this 250 year old document that is relevant to current events that we strongly recommend that you read the whole document. An easy to read copy is available from the Federal Government Archives - accessible by clicking on the Declaration of Independence image.
The rest of the story: What happened to the co-signers of the Declaration of Independence - read: https://www.americanrevolution.org/signers/#44-roger-sherman-ct