Remarks by Ovita Thornton
54 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 1 of 3
- Play at 32:23
“I make, I make a motion to approve this item. All right.”
Commission · Aug 4, 2026
- Play at 2:37:01
“I appreciate Commissioner Hamby and Culpepper for making the motion, and I support that. At our agenda-setting meeting, and the reason why at our agenda-setting meeting, I think I sounded like... I didn't understand what our planning director was presenting, and I didn't. Because all of this and everything I can think of has been around unhoused folk, single mamas trying to find a place to live, and veterans, people with mental health. So how do we move to ADUs as a solution for those folk that I was thinking about. I am glad that the speakers brought their personal stories and agendas. I get…”
Commission · Aug 4, 2026
- Play at 2:47:24
“Again, I am one of those people you are describing. Again, I do plan on having an ADU. I'm not going to no retirement home, but I am saying When we started talking about zoning, and especially when we tack on that GIC, which I was a part of, we talked about access to home ownership. That was our group, right? And we promoted zoning. And the reason why, and I think Commissioner Fischer kind of alluded to it, Our zoning laws had not been changed since 1991, and they were intentionally race discriminatory. And I met with Kelly, I think I saw Danielle and Matt, racially discriminatory. So I…”
Commission · Aug 4, 2026
- Play at 3:05:56
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
Commission · Aug 4, 2026
- Play at 5:52:31
“I totally support our business owners downtown, and I do think that this, what is it, item 29 does contradict item 30. It shows that we are. not organized. We should not have had two different issues around homelessness. I struggle now. I'm trying to figure out and I have sent all of you emails about some concerns that I have had This should have, both of these should have really been led by the Homeless Coalition. So my question is, well it's not even a question. I'm not gonna vote for this, but I understand and empathetic with the business owners, because nobody wants to step in there…”
Commission · Aug 4, 2026
- Play at 5:55:18
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
Commission · Aug 4, 2026
- Play at 6:12:05
“Again, I'm not going to support this, but I do think that item number 30, the support, maybe that should be the first thing that resolution tackles. I worked on that committee with some folk, and I really wanted them to put teeth in it, but we made it informative with education and data, but the next step would be to come up with a plan, like a plan. And I've also strongly suggested that our business people be a part of those conversations. Because I don't think our business people are so insensitive. They're just trying to do business.”
Commission · Aug 4, 2026
- Play at 6:13:14
“If 29 doesn't pass, can we make some kind of amendment that would be the first thing we would tackle?”
Commission · Aug 4, 2026
- Play at 6:17:12
“I'm ready to vote, too. I think it speaks for itself, and after tonight, I think there's a lot of marching forward to do.”
Commission · Aug 4, 2026
- Play at 6:18:00
“I think that's in here. I think there's something. Is it in here? Look at the first sentence. I think it's in there.”
Commission · Aug 4, 2026
- Play at 6:23:03
“Commissioner Thorpe. I was just going to try to respond to Commissioner Johnson's comment. I think Commissioner Myers probably did it better. But the reason why it's a little loose like that, because we wanted to get more input from folks. So I know with me being involved that we would get exactly what you're talking about. One of the other things Commissioner Fischer and I have talked about is how do we, let's start making sure, even though I'm not going to be here, but start getting those reports from these nonprofits so we'll all know what's going on. So I think a reporting process,…”
Commission · Aug 4, 2026
- Play at 39:19
“I have a couple questions. Well, I'll let my colleague go. Go ahead. I guess I'm hoping this is a new era of working with UGA and the local government and the historic communities. I appreciate the energy and the presentation from the young man and they did their homework. You got to do your homework. You got to go and talk to the neighbors. You got to go figure out where the concerns are before things come before this commission. So it's good to hear the young and the seasonally young be supportive of this project. I hope this is what the future of this local government is going to look…”
Commission · Jul 21, 2026
- Play at 43:20
“That's what I... And that's kind of... Let me see that mic. Thank you.”
Commission · Jul 21, 2026
- Play at 55:11
“Okay. I guess I better pay attention, huh?”
Commission · Jul 21, 2026
- Play at 1:02:30
“This project has long been on the assembly line for a long time, and I do think giving them the additional time to make it right. We want it to be right and not rush through. We don't lose anything. There's no money or waivers on our part. It's just about time. This is probably the first subdivision that has been built in a long, long, long, long time. So we struggled with the dollar amount early on, but It is what it is. I do think that they've taken in consideration the traffic studies and they've tried to work with that. I see Dexter pointing at me, but I think that because the districts…”
Commission · Jul 21, 2026
- Play at 1:07:09
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
Commission · Jul 21, 2026
- Play at 1:07:57
“And so if we have a list of that, but to say that AIM has to give us their blessing, I'm struggling with that.”
Commission · Jul 21, 2026
- Play at 1:08:46
“Mayor, I know when we had several accidents on 29 and Harvey Mathis, we did that R curve, which has been a tremendous help for people coming out on Harvey Mathis and 29. So again, I think that I'm glad this has come up because safety should be a key issue. But all the projects that are coming down the pike and maybe, Mayor, you could share with the rest of us some of the things that we can be looking for. Anyone else? Commissioner Lake.”
Commission · Jul 21, 2026
- Play at 1:12:53
“And since Commissioner Johnson brought up the TAD dollars, again, you have not requested anything thus far. Since we're talking about this traffic light, and I do know the Newton Bridge TAD group has, I think they're the only group that has come before us with a plan, which is on infrastructure, so that might be another option if we wanna put that on our radar for that safety on that Newton Bridge and Cathwood. I hadn't thought about that.”
Commission · Jul 21, 2026
- Play at 2:59:21
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
Commission · Jul 21, 2026
- Play at 3:02:19
“I'm going to say this about what was clearly spelled out in private conversations. And maybe they should have been more public. Let's do low-hanging fruit. Let's work on those little things such as smaller lot sizes or blah, blah. Which is the second one. But I get that. But I'm saying, you took the big piece and started, I would have assumed that this would be a, so forgive me if I misunderstood how this should have moved. I really was excited about changing the rezoning for manufactured homes, you know. Benny Coleman made a good point and said that to the committee, because guess what? I…”
Commission · Jul 21, 2026
- Play at 3:21:43
“I will be sharing my notes. Again, again, you know, There has been a former, and we've had several, so you don't know who I'm talking about. A former manager said, when I would flip about something, well, this is what the commission said. And I'm like, no, that's not what I meant. And so, yeah, I get it. What might have been... a green light to go did not look like what I thought it was going to turn out to be. So I want to give staff credit for at least putting, you gave us something to work with. You gave this commission and this community something to work with. I am so, I would like to…”
Commission · Jul 21, 2026
- Play at 3:40:00
“Yeah, I want to just go on record. I do like this text amendment. And I keep thinking about places that may be built in the future, being able to build those smaller size houses, and I'm not referring to ADUs or backyard cottages per se, but I could see where this provides housing for our vulnerable veterans that are unhoused. um maybe a small family it also and again i'm talking about new development and new buildings it also probably decreases the cost of building so builders can still make a profit but maybe not as you know make enough as equal to a smaller unit so i do like this um…”
Commission · Jul 21, 2026
- Play at 3:55:39
“This is what I was waiting for, which I do believe indirectly or directly connects to the text amendment. And our committee was to expand access to home ownership. And when we came up with the banding income limits, That was clearly not using federal dollars. It had to be community dollars. This looks like, the way it's written, that we are kind of looking at the AMI from the federal money. Now, I just need clarification because that AMI, the way it was presented, is not going to be, be able to be used with the federal dollars. Steph, can you clarify?”
Commission · Jul 21, 2026
- Play at 3:57:17
“So then, I think then, when we word this, you really need to explain, that needs to be clear that we do not follow the same regulations with this banding AMI. And it was really addressed because of the housing trust fund money. That's kind of where we were looking at. So this, if you wanna use that as a baseline, that's fine, but.”
Commission · Jul 21, 2026