We are in the midst of our local governments discussing their comprehensive land use plans, an exercise of minimal importance because so few elected officials pay attention to those plans.
I have been sorting through answers given on a public survey related to the comprehensive plan issued by county government. Undeniably, most of the concerns mentioned by local citizens resulted from either a damaging or ineffective governmental decision-making process.
The best way to protect our investment in Fayette County and the municipalities would be to take an honest look at where we are and remember how we got there. Recall that some of the elements we consider assets in our community were deliberate, planned features that have been paying significant dividends over the years.
Most of the negative concerns emanate from poorly crafted, piecemeal decisions that never looked at the broader picture and the future implications of those decisions. Many of our current traffic congestion, school districting, land use and economic development difficulties are the result of haphazard decisions made by local governmental bodies.
The entire northwestern and southwestern sides of Peachtree City are one big planning question mark. Likewise, look at an outline of the city of Fayetteville on a map and it causes you to scratch your head.
There is no viable “village” planning in Peachtree City any longer. Likewise, in Fayetteville, the big box power center style of retail development took over, emulating Gwinnett County-style development patterns which weakened the commercial retail centers closer to the heart of the city.
I hope that everyone realizes that the fate of the Fayette Pavilion big box power center will have a dramatic impact on the entire county. Just as the Fayette Pavilion pulled retail anchors away from smaller, existing shopping centers, depleting their vitality, so too are the dangers of new retail shopping complexes crippling the Fayette Pavilion.
I can assure you that our county would be mortally wounded if the Fayette Pavilion collapsed and blight on that scale would have a substantial rippling effect throughout the county. Currently, many of the larger stores are seeing significant patronage from citizens of South Fulton and Clayton Counties due to a lack of retail opportunities in their areas for the time being.
Peachtree City has a lot riding on the City Council’s decisions revolving around the intersection of Ga. highways 54 and 74. The land use decisions in that area have been devastating, compounding the traffic congestion problems.
The Georgia Department of Transportation introduced the “continuous flow intersection” or CFI concept for the 54-74 intersection that features a crossover displaced left-hand turn, meaning the driver will make left-hand turns well before the intersection in a dedicated left-turn lane.
Will a CFI solve the congestion problem? It might help some, but it is certainly not a long-term solution. There are too many left-right contact points in the corridor to keep the flow moving.
I had stated before and GDOT recently confirmed that the introduction of the CFI, as opposed to the grade separation in our plans, is all about GDOT selecting the low-cost solution based on budget constraints. I think we should be pushing with all our might to get the grade separation.
The state of Georgia has a record $25 billion budget and they are receiving close to $1 billion annually in additional funding for transportation. We are contributing to that increased revenue and we should be obtaining long-term, viable solutions.
For the past two years, Fayette has been losing ground at the regional and state levels on winning funding for transportation projects. Two years ago, the tremendously important interchange at I-85 and Hwy. 74 had funding moved forward and the timeline advanced.
Over the past two years, the crucial interchange has all fallen back several years on the implementation timeline. This is unacceptable and it is devastating.
We have changed the leadership at the county level and I think it is time for our cities to go to a rotating municipal seat for their ARC board position as other counties have done. Our failure to have people who can fight, and I do mean fight, for Fayette County’s interest at the regional and state levels literally, and I do mean literally, makes life more difficult for us all.
At the Board of Commissioners meeting on Thursday, Feb. 23, we will be discussing some state-sponsored road projects that our neighboring counties would like to see, but would cause Fayette citizens long-term anguish.
The Hwy. 54 East project and McDonough Road projects are designed to move large volumes of traffic from outside of Fayette County into Fayette County. Now, what happens once we see a significant increase in volume streaming into the county on the eastern side of Fayetteville? Where do those cars go and how do they get there? What is the advantage of Fayette County becoming a major conduit for traffic congestion from other counties and when has that scenario ever worked elsewhere in metro Atlanta?
Focus on the larger picture.
Stop doing rezoning, development and annexation on a property-by-property basis with no regard for long-term sustainability for the entire community.
Fight for transportation solutions with long-term benefits and hold your leaders accountable because it is vitally important for our future.
Steve Brown, Commissioner
Fayette County Board of Commissioners
Peachtree City, Ga.
