Cedar Creek
CIVIC ASSOCIATION
ATHENS, GEORGIA
July 1, 2026
Questions & Answers
February 2026
What can be done about cars parked/abandoned on a neighborhood street on a permanent basis or which have been parked for a while but block the sight line on oncoming traffic?
Examples:
(1) A pickup truck parked on a neighborhood street with all tires flat that has not moved in over 3 months.
(2) A car parked for more than 2 days that makes it hard to see oncoming traffic.
Answers:
----For clearly abandoned vehicles, call the Athens-Clarke County police department at 706-613-3345 (non-emergency) and report the vehicle and quote ordinance 3-9-2 (see below). You can alternatively contact the ACC Communications Department (work hours M-F) at 706-613-3795 or info@accgov.com and they will route your concern to the appropriate department. Note, a junked vehicle is any vehicle that "either does not have lawfully affixed on it an unexpired license plate or tax stamp, or which vehicle is wrecked, dismantled, partially dismantled, inoperative, abandoned, or discarded."
---For vehicles that have not moved for two or more days, call the ACC Communications Department and report a violation of ordinance Section 3-3-20 (see below).
Athens-Clarke County Municipal Code, Sec. 3-9-2. - Storing, parking or leaving unattended any junked vehicle or abandoned motor vehicle prohibited; declared nuisance; exceptions.
No person shall park, store, leave, or permit the parking storing or leaving of any abandoned motor vehicle or any junked vehicle upon any public property within Athens-Clarke County for a period of time in excess of three (3) days. Nor shall any person park, store, leave or permit the parking, storing or leaving of any junked vehicle upon any private property within Athens-Clarke County for a period of time in excess of 30 days. The presence of an abandoned motor vehicle on public property or of a junked vehicle or any parts of such a vehicle on private or public property is hereby declared a public nuisance which may be abated as such in accordance with the provisions of this chapter. This section shall not apply to any vehicle enclosed within a building on private property or to any vehicle held by an automotive maintenance, repair, or salvage facility, or similar business enterprise, lawfully licensed by Athens-Clarke County and properly operated in an appropriate business zone, pursuant to the zoning laws of Athens-Clarke County, or to any motor vehicle in operable condition specifically adopted or designed for operation on raceways or drag strips.
Athens-Clarke County Municipal Code, Sec. 3-3-20. - Parking for more than 48 hours in one place.
In addition to and cumulative of any provision of this Code, it shall be unlawful for the operator of any vehicle to park the same continuously in one place for more than 48 hours on any public street, highway or alley, or in an Athens-Clarke County parking deck, lot or garage, or on any other facility or property owned or leased by Athens-Clarke County.
April 2026
Why is it that every new housing development seems to start with all the trees being cut down?
While this seems to be the case, in reality, the issue of trees and development is much more complicated. Athens Clarke County has a Community Tree Management Ordinance, (see https://accgov.com/273/Tree-Ordinance) that requires the conservation and replanting of the tree canopy and street and parking lot trees during development. The county's goal is to retain at least 45% of tree cover. Developers are required to have tree replacement plans approved by county staff prior to any construction. To aid this planning and implementation, the county has provided detailed instructions on what kinds of and sizes of trees are acceptable/appropriate for different situations, how they should be planted, maintained and replaced if the initial planting fails. Questions and comments about trees and the tree ordinance should be directed to the Athens-Clarke County Arborist by calling the Planning Department at 706 613 3515.
May 2026
Does English ivy growing on trees damage the tree? Should I remove English ivy from the tree?
A search of the internet shows conflicting opinions on whether English ivy growing on trees can damage the tree and lead to its death. It is true that ivy can harm its host tree over time if you don't prune it. Some claim that the problem actually isn't with the ivy that climbs up the tree trunk but with the clusters of ivy on top of the tree – these, over time, will prevent the tree from getting the light it needs. In Georgia, the ivy grows so fast that keeping up with pruning is difficult. We suggest it is safer to periodically remove the ivy. In short, ivy Competes with trees for nutrients, water, and if not pruned, from light - potentially weakening the tree and stunting growth, Blocks sunlight from reaching the tree's leaves, hindering photosynthesis, Adds weight to the tree, increasing the risk of branch breakage, Harbors pests and diseases that may affect the tree's health, and, May cause physical damage by wrapping around and constricting tree trunks. An older, mature tree may be able to handle a little ivy growth but it is best to simply keep ivy away from trees. Rather than pulling it down, simply cut the ivy near the base of the tree, remove a short section of ivy bark, then allow the ivy remaining on the tree to die and fall off. This avoids damaging the tree further by pulling the clinging ivy from the tree bark.
English ivy (Hedera helix) is classified as an exotic and invasive species in Georgia. Homeowners are encouraged to not plant ivy and to remove it where possible. Ivy can be very hard to remove from your yard. Most people who have been successful at this say the steps are:
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Cut the ivy back to ground level using pruning shears, saw, weed whipper and/or mower.
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Rake and dispose of cuttings in a bag to prevent regrowth.
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Dig up as many roots as you can with a garden spade, hoe, or forest adze, and bag the removed roots as well.
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Mulch heavily to discourage regrowth.
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Repeat steps 1-4 every couple of months until you no longer see ivy sprouts.
Note that chemical herbicides typically don't work well with ivy because the leaves have a heavy wax coating that sheds the chemical, preventing it from getting into the leaves, stems, and root where herbicides need to access to be effective. Ivy can regrow from small root segments that the herbicides may not reach. Multiple applications may be needed to be effective.
June 2026
Where did those large stones on the second Ponderosa Dr island come from?
Under the Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful program of which the Cedar Creek Civic Association (CCCA) is a member, the CCCA requested and obtained permission to place, at CCCA expense, three additional boulders to the west end of the second island of the Ponderosa Dr entrance. The boulders have three purposes - to serve as resting
places for pedestrians and cyclists, to provide "interest" to this part of the island which currently has little land cover, and to discourage parking in the right of way - an ongoing issue with this location. In future, we see these boulders as being anchor points to future vegetative plantings/hedges linking the three boulders as part of our beautification of this part of the second island green space. On Friday, May 29, members of the Landscape Crew oversaw the placement of the boulders. Issues remain with the placement of one of the boulders which should be quickly resolved in consultation with county staff.
July 2026
What do we know about the status of ADUs or auxiliary dwelling units?
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. The CCCA Board compiled a list of unanswered questions about the proposed changes. 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.
March 2026
Why is the CCCA no longer publishing a community directory?
In May of 2024, the CCCA Board made the difficult decision to no longer publish a community directory - the last published directory was 2022. The reason the Board continues to support this decision centers around the risks that the information in the directory could be used to: (1) invade your privacy, (2) support identity theft, (3) lead to scams, and/or (4) enable harassment of members of our community. It is too easy for the directory, in a hard copy or digital format, to be copied and then used and distributed by individuals outside of our community for purposes it was never intended to be used. The Information the CCCA collects on residents; names, phone numbers and emall addresses, are used by CCCA committees to email the monthly newsletters, to send out annual reminders of membership renewal and to help in our neighborhood watch efforts. Periodically we send postcard reminders to both CCCA members and non-members using names and addresses in our database. When asked in 2024, many residents were willing to provide information to the Board only under the condition that the information NOT be published In a distributed directory, resulting In what would have been a very incomplete and practically useless directory.
If you google "community directory" you will find a number of articles extolling the virtues of a directory of neighbor's phone numbers and email addresses. If you read carefully, you find that their "community" is much smailer than Cedar Creek's 659 homes. In these modern times, if you want your neighbors’ contact information you will have to do what was done in the past - go next door, introduce yourself, and ask for it.