A proposal to add more than 7 acres to Peachtree City’s eastern city limits along Ga. Highway 54 and Sumner Road will be studied further by city staff. The additional work was approved unanimously by the City Council Thursday night.
The request centers on a 4.4-acre tract containing a new professional building owned by Foot Pain, LLC and three other smaller tracts between that site and the current end of the city limits on the north side of Hwy. 54 and Sumner Road.
Several residents who live nearby said they want to see better landscaping installed along Sumner Road to replace the greenbelt that was taken out during construction. Developer Chuck Ogletree said that could be accomplished if the site is annexed into the city, at the time he brings a proposal to expand the parking lot on the property.
While Ogletree pitched the building’s excellent architectural view, residents complained that the reduction of landscaping along Sumner Road have exposed them to a poorer view and even more noise when the dumpsters are emptied early in the morning at the Publix grocery store on the other side of the highway.
Ogletree said he wants the site annexed to access the city’s sewer system, though it is not required.
There are no future development plans yet for the other smaller tracts, Ogletree noted. Each parcel is zoned community commercial and is currently part of unincorporated Fayette County.
Ogletree added that the planning commission asked him to approach the other property owners to see if they would join his annexation bid. The commission’s reason was that without those parcels, the Foot Pain site would jut out from Sumner Road giving the appearance of an island.
Councilmember Vanessa Fleisch said she did not see what the city would gain by annexing the site. Mayor Don Haddix said he wanted to find a way to help the residents who live nearby and asked for more landscaping on the site.
City Planner David Rast noted that a 28-acre tract along Hwy. 54 a few parcels to the east is also seeking an annexation into the city, and he suggested the city study the entire area. Council directed Rast to try and speak with owners of the land in-between the two proposed annexations.
