The day may finally be coming that will bring initial activity to the Overlook retail development on Ga. Highway 54 West in Peachtree City. The proposed “continuous green T” intersection has received approval from the Ga. Department of Transportation (DOT) and construction could get underway as early as August. The $600,000 cost of the intersection is the responsibility of the developer.
Aside from other potential issues that are expected to bring a number of retail offerings, a RaceTrac gas station and Chick-fil-A restaurant, a significant issue has been the intersection that would allow both eastbound and westbound drivers to access to property on the south side of Hwy. 54 West at Line Creek Drive.
Former City Manager Jim Pennington at the June 4 meeting of the Peachtree City Council said DOT approved the new intersection that could see work activities begin as early as August and run through February.
“August to February won’t be a pretty time in Peachtree City,” Pennington said. “It should make for an interesting and lively time.”
The “continuous green T” traffic signal intersection would allow westbound traffic on Hwy. 54 to flow through without stopping, while side-street traffic on Line Creek Drive would be limited by a right-in, right-out access for southbound vehicles and a stacking lane for northbound vehicles turning left to go west on Hwy. 54, according to the city’s consulting traffic engineering firm.
Pennington said there is an issue with what DOT wants to have in place at the intersection that does not make sense to city staff.
“DOT wants a pedestrian crosswalk built into the ‘green T.’ That almost defeats the purpose of the ‘green T.’ We don’t understand it,” Pennington said of DOT’s rationale.
The idea of the continuous green T intersection is something new for Georgia and will be the state’s first.
“We’re kind of the test,” Pennington said, adding that there are similar intersections at Hilton Head in South Carolina though those intersections do not include pedestrian crossings.
The price tag for the intersection is $600,000 for which the developer pays the cost, said Pennington.
Pennington at the meeting said grading plans for the site have been approved.
The City Council in December approved an agreement with Trinity-Overlook Development to pay the city the appraised value of $100,000 for the abandonment of the majority of Line Creek Drive situated on the west side of the development
The city will retain the portion of the right-of-way that connects Line Creek Drive to Hwy. 54. That portion includes approximately 140 feet one one side of Line Creek Drive and approximately 195 feet on the other side of the street, city staff said at the meeting.
Once developed, the abandoned streets will be used for access to the commercial area.
Pennington during the June 4 meeting said that developers are working through financial issues, adding that they had spoken with the Fayette County Development Authority (FCDA) about tax credit issues.
Commenting on that conversation, FCDA CEO Alan Durham last week said the board had discussed some of the issues pertaining to the Overlook project and after the discussion decided that the authority would not provide tax abatement for retail, restaurant or hospitality projects.
“This is not in the best interest of Fayette County citizens,” Durham said.
