A different take on a retention facility was approved Sept. 17 by the Peachtree City Council. The council approved the concept for a wetlands amenity area at the Line Creek Nature Area funded by the developers of The Overlook retail area on Ga. Highway 54 West in lieu of an underground detention pond at the new retail site.
The council approved the wetlands amenity area to be established on city property in the Line Creek Nature Area through a Memorandum of Understanding between Trinity-Overlook LLC and Southern Conservation Trust (SCT) and subject to an approved development agreement and meeting all applicable requirements.
Representing Trinity, Jim Lowe said the company, in concert with SCT that manages the Line Creek Nature Area, wanted to forego the underground detention pond planned for the west side of The Overlook retail development and substitute a wetlands amenity area a short distance to the southwest which would be situated near the nature area’s parking lot.
SCT representatives at the meeting said they were pleased with the plan, citing it as a public benefit and noting that the construction of a wetlands area supplied by stormwater runoff is a widely accepted technology.
Among the features of the wetland amenity will be various standing pools of water in an area of approximately one-acre, perimeter fencing and a boardwalk over a portion of the pond area. The idea behind the initiative is to clean the runoff before it travels downstream and to provide a habitat for various species of aquatic wildlife and plants and to attract fowl to the area.
With access to the amenity provided to visitors to the area, it will provide yet another facet to the often-used Line Creek Nature Area accessible on Hwy. 54 West, SCT representatives said.
In terms of cost, the underground detention pond would run $691,000. The total cost of constructing the wetlands amenity area would run $575,000. Beyond that, Lowe said Trinity will provide SCT with $100,000 and will maintain the wetland amenity perpetually.
