A proposal to build a gas station and convenience store off Ga. Highway 74 North next to two subdivisions got an informal thumbs-down from the Peachtree City Planning Commission Monday night.
The development plan would require a rezoning from office-institutional to general commercial, which would not be in conformity with the city’s land use plan, according to Community Development Director David Rast.
The 3.09-acre tract is located just south of McWilliams Drive a short distance north of Peachtree City Christian Church. At its rear it is bordered by both the Beachwood and Honeysuckle Ridge subdivisions.
The likely impact the gas station would have on adjacent neighbors was foremost on commissioners’ minds as they suggested the rezoning wouldn’t work.
“You have the operating hours of a convenience store, with car doors opening and shutting,” said Commission Chairman Patrick Staples.
There was some discussion about a new city requirement to create a 70-foot undisturbed buffer between the gas station and the subdivisions, whereas the current zoning only calls for a 30-foot buffer.
“Believe me, I’d take 30 feet of quiet after seven at night than 70 feet of convenience store until who knows when,” Staples said.
Commissioner Horace Batiste told developer Alvin Isbell that the rezoning would face an uphill battle because it is “a tough sell.”
The proposed architecture for the convenience store and the adjacent shops was well-received by the commission, and Staples suggested it would work well in another area of the city.
If the city did rezone the property, it would change the character of the area, Rast said.
Commissioner Joe Frazar noted that he hasn’t heard residents complaining about a lack of gas stations in the city.
Commissioner Lynda Wojcik said she felt the rezoning would deviate significantly from the city’s land use plan, so she couldn’t support it either.
Despite short notice of the meeting, several nearby residents voiced their opposition to the rezoning proposal for the gas station.
The rezoning application has not yet been formally submitted, so the commission couldn’t vote on it. If a rezoning is pursued, the commission’s vote would be one of recommendation only, as the final say on all rezoning matters rests with the Peachtree City Council.
