Now is the time for every citizen in Fayette County to make their feelings known to the Fayetteville City Council that high density development should not be allowed in this county.
A precedent is about to be set that will adversely affect all of us and the future of Fayette County. Most of us moved here to avoid heavy traffic and crime, to enjoy larger lots and a rural atmosphere.
But now a development firm — used to building extremely compact developments around Atlanta — is trying to persuade the Fayetteville City Council to rezone 38 acres so it can put in 400 percent more residences than the property is zoned for.
Actually, this tract of land was originally zoned R22, which meant only 36 homes could be built on it. Then along came a developer who persuaded the council to approve changing the zoning to MO so he could build 88 residences for retirees. The recession halted that venture.
This time around, though, the Downtown Development Authority claims this marked increase in population is “within bounds” of its new Downtown Development Plans.
A bit shady, don’t you think? One would have hoped those in power would not have been so easily swayed by promises of increased tax revenue or increased foot traffic for businesses on the Square.
Didn’t they consider the corresponding long-term impact on local traffic, on our water and sewer systems, the added drain on police and fire protection and the decreased value in surrounding properties due to the presence of 276 apartment residences, 59 townhouses and 41 “cottages,” all crammed onto 38 acres?
And what about the estimated 700 more cars trying to get on Grady Avenue, an already heavily used cross-over between Ga. Highway 54 (The Waterfall) and Ga. Highway 85?
And what of the impact on surrounding residences due to crime that corresponds with transient renters? Didn’t they factor in any of this?
We have got to stop big money from persuading our officials to make changes conducive to their needs. This is simply not the place for such high density developments. Period.
Once this precedent has been set, the rest of county will be under siege by similar developers, so this affects those of you in other cities as well. In no time at all, our traffic will be totally gridlocked, our infrastructure overrun and we might as well move into Atlanta where at least there are standard amenities such as theaters, museums and art centers.
By the way, these are supposed to be “high-end” apartments for young professionals. Think about that. If you were a young professional who chose to live in Fayette County (versus Atlanta and its nightlife), wouldn’t you rather rent a three or four bedroom house in a fairly new tract for $1,500 rather than an 800-square-foot apartment? Also, Pinewood Studios is building on-site residences for their employees and is in no way linked to this development.
This is a very serious call to action. Please call Fayetteville City Hall at 770-461-6029 and ask to speak to the mayor or the city manager to voice your opinion. Or email me (Kathaleenbrewer@bellsouth.net) and I will hand-deliver all your correspondence to them. (The city website does not provide email addresses for the City Council members).
Otherwise they will continue to believe the developer’s hype about how this county needs this kind of development.
Kathaleen Brewer
Fayetteville, Ga.
