For some in our county, the answer to our future seems to be quite clear: conform. Then again, I am still having a difficult time attempting to discern what question they are answering. Even further, I am wondering if they are asking questions at all.
There appears to be this urge among the political leadership in Fayette County to follow the beaten path laid by the metro counties that preceded us in various growth scenarios.
If Fayette County maintains slow steady growth, our infrastructure will keep pace and our taxes will remain reasonable. This is why projects like the West Fayetteville Bypass, immediately opening up new development tracks in large quantity, providing free road frontage to development interests, are detrimental to our forward progress.
The West Fayetteville Bypass has never been about mending current traffic congestion. In support of the project, Fayetteville Mayor Ken Steele admitted in a letter to the editor (June 17, 2010) the bypass was all about future development in the heart of the county.
Steele’s plan includes annexing all the property around Piedmont Fayette Hospital when the economy returns and unleashing some aggressive development in the bypass area. There are several potential development plans floating around for those properties, including significant residential.
So here is a question: How is the enabling or ramping up of residential development along the West Fayetteville Bypass route going to affect our future traffic as opposed to letting the area grow slow, naturally?
In Peachtree City, where esthetics and unique village-oriented development have played an important role, there is a new disconnect emerging about which path to take in the future. New players do not seem to have a hold on the development vision that brought Peachtree City to prominence and day-to-day observance of routine maintenance and enforcement of regulations has waned.
The city is now allowing bars to serve alcohol until 2 a.m. because we were concerned about losing some of the potential late night profits from public drunkenness to our neighbor Coweta County (not to mention the potential DUI fines). Nothing says “family oriented, high quality” like bars being open till 2 a.m. Things are changing in Peachtree City, my friend.
Here is another question: Is it important for Peachtree City to remain a unique village-oriented community with a higher value on esthetics than surrounding areas or not?
We have a contingent (some public and others behind the scenes) assuring us mass transit in Fayette County is the solution for getting to work on time for our commuters. The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) transportation planners say mass transit is unwarranted and unsustainable for our county well into the future and everyone on the Fayette County Board of Commissioners agrees, but three members mysteriously voted to keep us in the regional mass transit plans.
Fayetteville Mayor Ken Steele has always voted in favor of mass transit in our county too. As our ARC representative, Steele also voted for a substantial portion of our Fayette County sales tax dollars to be spent on mass transit in the 2012 referendum formula.
Another good question: Why do these politicians vote in favor of something in a regional plan when even the regional planners themselves say it is unwarranted for at least 50 years?
The governmental entities in our county have plans out the wazoo, but, more importantly, do we have a vision of what we want to be in the future? I have seen the beginning of some pretty dramatic shifts over the last five or so years.
I have always contended that being unique made Fayette County attractive in the past and remaining unique will keep us attractive in the future. Conforming to “whatever the other counties are doing” is not going to improve our future.
I recall a past letter writer saying that Fayette County is on top statistically so why would we want to copy the other counties. That is a good point.
Our prosperity comes not in following the beaten path laid by others, but in creating a significant vision of our own and fearlessly following it. Last question: What are you doing to keep our community unique and attractive for families wanting a higher standard?
Steve Brown
County Commissioner, Post 4
Commissionerbrownt@fayettecountyga.gov
Peachtree City, Ga.
