Most of the political conversation around town these days is centered on the traffic situation near the intersection of Ga. highways 74 and 54. The situation is bad and about to get worse.
I am sponsoring a vote to stop the connection road of the large new shopping center into the Planterra Ridge subdivision and stop another proposed stop light on the agenda for our next council meeting.
We need to focus on protecting our neighborhoods.
I will also be proposing two other ordinances that should help future councils do right by our citizens, and avoid some of the miscommunication that has plagued our current council.
The first ordinance was suggested by a participant of the citizen meeting I chaired on the proposed Overlook development.
This ordinance will change the way real estate developers provide traffic studies for any developments proposed for the city. This ordinance, once enacted, will require developers to pay the city for an independent study the city hires. This will take politics out of the equation, focusing on protecting our neighborhoods.
The second ordinance will be to create a traffic management ordinance that will not allow any new development around the intersection of Hwys 74 and 54, making traffic worse.
This ordinance would apply strict standards to any development until a comprehensive study is complete. When the study is presented to the city, the ordinance would “expire,” thereby allowing a future council to make a correct and data-driven decision on the area.
I believe that this is a responsible and reasonable response to our current situation. It addresses the concerns of protecting our subdivisions and maintaining traffic flow. It allows those who want more data to get data, and it keeps us from making critical mistakes.
Hopefully the City Council will do the right thing. It is time to work together for what is right for Peachtree City.
George Dienhart
City Council Post 2
Peachtree City, Ga.
