Sprouts to make formal presentation before PTC planners April 13

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A conceptual site plan provided by Sprouts Farmers Market specialty grocery store for property along Ga. Highway 54 and Walt Banks Road will be presented before the Peachtree City Planning Commission on April 13.

Planning commissioners heard an informal presentation on the project in March. 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 the only the developer for the project and was not representing Sprouts.

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.

Planning commissioners at the meeting 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.

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.

Commissioners on April 13 will also consider a conceptual site plan by MOBA USA that pertains to plans for an industrial subdivision with the initial phase that includes a two-story building totaling 50,000 sq. ft. to be used for offices and the assembly of electronic equipment and three tournament-size soccer fields on a portion of a 50-acre site across Hwy. 74 from the city’s athletic complex.

MOBA’s only U.S. office is located in Fayetteville. Project representatives said the company needs more space and wants to relocate in Peachtree City. The company currently employs 20-25 people and expects to double that number.

“The increased growth now mandates our search for a new expansion site,” said MOBA USA Vice President Jutta Harms. “Our target expansion area is within the I-85 corridor between Newnan, Palmetto, Fairburn, Tyrone and Peachtree City and will entail approximately doubling our current location size. This proposed growth path will create additional job opportunities.”

The MOBA USA site, located on the south side of the 50-acre parcel, would include three tournament-size soccer fields. Representatives said the MOBA executive lives in Peachtree City, has children involved with soccer and wants to have a portion of the site dedicated to men’s soccer for local residents and tournaments, adding that soccer played on the site would not compete with the city’s soccer activities.

Rast said the proposal requests two curbs cuts on Hwy. 74 which would provide a connection to an internal street, allowing the property to be subdivided into smaller tracts.

The property is bordered on the west by Hwy. 74 and on the east by the Line Creek Nature Area.

Rast said the proposal would include a path connection to the existing multi-use tunnel under Hwy. 74 which will ultimately allow the path system to interconnect to the athletic complex.