Peachtree City planning commissioners on March 9 had an informal discussion that could lead to a small retail center on Ga. Highway 54 and Walt Banks Road that could include a Sprouts Farmers Market specialty grocery store.
Though only a workshop discussion item that did not include a vote, Mirabeland Investments President Terry Taylor presented a concept plan for the retail center that would include a 30,060 sq. ft. specialty grocery store and 12,554 sq. ft. of additional retail space in two buildings designed to accommodate several small shops and restaurants. The initial plan called for 227 parking spaces.
Taylor noted that he was only the developer for the project and was not representing Sprouts, adding that, to date, the process pertaining to the proposal is informal.
The 4.71-acre site is zoned LUC 16 (limited use commercial) and is situated at the intersection of Walt Banks Road and Hwy. 54. The site abuts Finance Way and Lexington Circle. Access to the property would be from Lexington Circle and Finance Way.
Commenting on the proposal, Senior Planner David Rast said the site comes with 50-foot buffers along Hwy. 54 and along Walt Banks Road.
As a workshop item that included a general discussion and no vote, planning commissioners surfaced a number of potential items, such as the consideration for installing a sidewalk adjacent to Lexington Circle, providing room for golf cart parallel parking near the retail entrance, signage issues, placement of the retail buildings on the property and how the vegetation on the Walt Banks Road buffer area might be addressed.
Rast said the distance of the retail site from McIntosh High School and Holy Trinity Catholic Church meets ordinance requirements for the sale of wine and beer.
A date for a formal presentation was not set at the Monday meeting. Taylor indicated that a formal approval by his client, if it occurs, could come before the end of the month.
Rast noted that several developments had been proposed for the site in past years though none of those had come to fruition.
Sprouts Farmers Market operates full-line grocery stores.
Headquartered in Phoenix, Sprouts operates in 12 states and has five stores in Georgia, all of which are in northeast metro Atlanta.
Below, the produce section in a typical Sprouts Farmers Market. Photo/Sprouts website.
