Approval depends on 3 members who campaigned against annexations in 2009
A 77-acre parcel that was zoned more than a decade ago by Fayette County for commercial, office and residential use on the city’s southern border — a rezoning opposed at that time by the Peachtree City Council because it violated the county’s land use plan — is now up for annexation by a different City Council.
And this time, both city staff and a split city Planning Commission say the council should say yes. The annexation and rezoning request is on the council’s Thursday night agenda.
Three of the five council members opposed such annexations when they ran for office in 2009. In answering detailed questions from The Citizen, council members Eric Imker, Kim Learnard and Vanessa Fleisch at that time came out unequivocally against further annexations after the West Village was brought into the city during a controversial annexation and rezoning of hundreds of acres.
“Annexing more land to build additional housing is obviously going to hurt existing unsold homes,” then-candidate Imker wrote in a letter to The Citizen July 21, 2009.
“After the approximately 1,400 [West Village] homes are built, I do not see any reason to expand the city limits through annexation. Adding more homes would cost the city a great deal in infrastructure and services that would always be a part of our budget. Continually planning for expanding fire, police, and cart paths while annexing in more land will wreak havoc on the budgeting process,” then-candidate Fleisch wrote to The Citizen on Oct. 27, 2009.
“Even an annexation that at first glance appears to be a cost benefit due to building permits and impact fees can end up costing a city millions of dollars over time,” then-candidate Learnard wrote to The Citizen on Oct. 27, 2009.
All three, however, raised no objections to the proposal in July when they granted the applicant’s request for consideration.
The proposal calls for two lots to be used for offices and 90 lots for residences on the 77 acres. The developer pledges to deed to the city a pond, greenbelt and buffers totaling 27 acres and road rights of way totaling nearly 10 acres.
The developer estimates a five-year net revenue increase to the city of $401,392 in taxes and fees if the annexation is approved as requested.
CORRECTION — The line above in the earlier online version misattributed the revenue estimate to city staff. The estimate is from the developer. The city’s estimate was not available as of Monday afternoon.
