The Peachtree City Council on Nov. 3 approved a variance for the Goddard School day care facility in the Braelinn Office Park. Pictured, from left, are council members Mike King, Terry Ernst, Kim Learnard and Phil Prebor. Photo/Ben Nelms.
The Peachtree City Council on Nov. 3 granted a variance that will lead to the construction of a Goddard School day care center on the last buildable tract in the Braelinn Office Park.
The 3-1 vote with Councilwoman Kim Learnard opposed granted a variance on the front setback requirement. Eight parking spaces, of the less than 30 proposed, will be situated near streetside and would have encroached into the 20-foot setback.
Learnard prior to the vote said she didn’t like the proposal and could not support it.
The motion to approve was made by Councilman Phil Prebor with a second by Councilman Terry Ernst, who said he did so reluctantly, “because of what we have here.”
While several council members appeared hesitant to approve the request, Councilman Mike King essentially summed up the resulting vote saying, “The request is more appealing than what we’ve got now.”
That comment mirrored what project representative Jefferson Browne said minutes earlier. He noted that, aside from being the remaining buildable tract at the Braelinn Office Park, the .83-acre tract had seen no takers other than Goddard who had been interested in the space two years ago.
“There’s a reason why some of the lots in Peachtree City haven’t been developed,” Browne said. “They are difficult to work with.”
Mayor Vanessa Fleisch did not attend the meeting.
Planning commissioners on Oct. 10 approved the conceptual site plan and elevations for a freestanding Goddard School Montessori day care facility totaling 8,725 sq. ft. in the Braelinn Office Park adjacent to the shopping center.
The proposal by Browne included a variance request pertaining to a front parking setback which required it to be addressed by council members on Nov. 3.
Senior Planner David Rast on Oct. 10 said the site is the last remaining tract in the office park, adding that Goddard had been looking at the site for some time.
The building exterior will feature cultured stone, Hardiplank siding and architectural shingles.
