An iconic Peachtree City pizza place — Partners II — may be headed toward a makeover, and in the process may trigger the redevelopment of Aberdeen Village Center, the city’s first retail center, dating from the 1970s.
If rezoning is approved by the City Council, a restaurant that served its first pizza in January 1977 will still be in its familiar place, but it will be encased in a 3-story brick building that replaces the 1970s-style wooden storefront and adds 12 high-end condominiums as a second and third story. The original will be demolished and rebuilt, with its familiar ground-level outdoor patio moved upstairs to the second-floor rooftop.
The condos will range in size from 1,900 to 2,500 square feet. The owners’ attorney Rick Lindsey — in response to a query about the price of the new units — answered, “They are high end, not cheap, probably north of $500,000.”
The plan got city staff approval and positive reviews from the city Planning Commission at its April 25 meeting.
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Here’s the staff report:
“Aberdeen Village Associates, the Applicant, is requesting the rezoning of 7.6 acres from GC General Commercial to LUC Limited Use Commercial. The proposal is to replace the existing building closest to Highway 54 in the same footprint with a 3-story mixed-use building.
“The subject property is a portion of the Aberdeen Village shopping center, excluding the dental office building and the office building along Highway 54 where Bank of America is located. Of the two retail buildings on the property, only the front building is proposed for redevelopment.
“The applicant is proposing to demolish the existing building and replace it in the same footprint with a 3-story brick building. Retail use would be on the ground floor, such as it is today. The existing restaurant would remain in the front corner of the building with a 2nd-story outdoor seating area facing Hwy. 54 where the current outdoor patio is located.
“The upper stories would be 12 owner-occupied condominium units. Each two-bedroom home would have a two-car garage, a private elevator and a roof-top deck.
“The Limited Use Commercial zoning district is request-specific. This means that only the specifically requested uses are permitted; in this case, a mixed-use building with groundlevel retail and 12 owner-occupied condominiums. No future residential or commercial space may be built on the property without first going through the rezoning public hearing process,” the staff report said.
Owners Jim and Marilyn Royal “may seek to redevelop the other building on the site in a similar fashion in the future,” the report said. Royal put in a family bowling lanes in the other original building in the center as detailed in a May 16, 2019 article in The Citizen.
[CORRECTION] The planning staff report supplemental report provided by the applicant and included in the full report to the planning commission continued in glowing terms:
“The applicant plans to develop the property so that it is a truly walkable with sidewalks and beautiful landscaping,” the applicant said.
“The location of the property, which is adjacent to the cart path bridge over Hwy. 54, is ideal for residents of the condominiums to access the park at Drake Field and Lake Peachtree. The site is also within short walking distances to churches, medical and dental offices, restaurants, and retail stores.
“Residents will be able to hop in the elevator and go downstairs to eat at Partners Pizza, enjoy a cocktail at Y-Knot [Sports Bar], bowl at Royal Lanes, or take a stroll along the shores of beautiful Lake Peachtree.
“The residential units will be located on the second and third floors of the building. They will be higher-end condominiums designed for both seniors who wish to downsize to a smaller home with upgraded finishes and younger families who just do not want the hassle of yard maintenance and upkeep,” the applicant continued.
“Each unit will come with an enclosed garage with separate private elevators leading from the garage to the first floor of the condos. The residential units will also be accessible via an elevated outdoor walkway along the front of the building with stairs leading to the residential parking located behind the building.
“Each unit will be two-stories with two bedrooms and two bathrooms. Private elevators will serve both levels of each of the twelve units. Outdoor patios for the condominiums will be located on the roof, which are also served by the private elevators.
“The units will be richly appointed with high-end appliances and finishes — truly luxury living in the heart of Peachtree City,” the applicant said.
“The first floor of the building will be commercial. Partners II Pizza will continue to be located where it is currently. There will be three to four additional retail spaces accessible via the front sidewalk — much like it is today. In addition, there will be an outside seating area for Partners on the second floor next to Hwy 54 overlooking the open space across Hwy. 54 and Drake Field.
“Finally, the planned architecture will provide an update to the aesthetics of the center and will serve as a good model for other redevelopment that may occur in the area. The proposed redevelopment of the property will be an asset to Aberdeen Village and will provide a new housing option for Peachtree City residents who want to live within walking distance from many amenities and avoid the hassle of driving,” the [CORRECTION] staff report supplemental report from the applicant said.
“The land use plan calls for this area of Peachtree City to be commercial. The requested rezoning of LUC remains in conformity with this goal. The property has been commercial for about as long as Peachtree City has been incorporated. The shopping center can use refurbishment, which presents a great opportunity to redevelop the property and combine high-end residential with commercial and office uses. The requested LUC provides an opportunity for the City to see exactly what is planned and what will be built on the property. The proposed development will include twelve high-end condominiums and 4-5 commercial spaces for retail and restaurant uses,” the applicant said.
“This proposed development fits with the village concept of Peachtree City as it provides a blend of commercial and residential uses in an area tucked between general commercial uses and high-density residential uses. The higher density residential development is located in the center of Aberdeen Village, exactly as described in the village concept.
“The requested rezoning is suitable in view of the use and development of adjacent and nearby property. It is bordered by property to the east zoned GR-6, is across Northlake Drive from property zoned R-15, LUC-3, GC and Open Space, and across Hwy. 54 from property zoned Open Space. The proposed redevelopment of the building closest to Hwy 54 will not be any closer to Dover Square than the current building. The proposed addition of residential use to the subject property is suitable with the residential use of Dover Square,” the applicant said.
“As stated previously, the shopping center is in need of refurbishment. This presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to redevelop the property into something new and exciting. The addition of twelve high-end condominiums to this area of Peachtree City provides a new housing option for those residents who want to enjoy a walkable lifestyle in our town,” the [CORRECTION] staff report applicant’s report concluded.
Though the city staff [CORRECTION] all but pasted heart emojis in the report approved the plan and the planning commissioners were more for it than against it, to become a reality, the plan must be approved and the property rezoned by the City Council at a future meeting.
Until then — Pizza, anybody?
[EDITOR’S NOTE: The corrections noted above reflect the fact that the comments cited in the document presented to the planning commission came from two sources: the city planning staff and a supplemental report from the rezoning applicant that was merged into the document. The separate authorship was unclear in the full report.]
Does anyone know how many Building Permits were issued in Peachtree City for new single-family residential construction, in the past 12 months? I do.
All together there have been 403 permits issued from May 2021 through April 2022.
Why do so many voices try to claim Peachtree City is almost completely “built out” and use that as a justification to add “mixed use” in redevelopment plans?
If you think we have a traffic problem now, just wait until the 403 houses are completed.
And you want them to keep approving more? I say, “No! No mixed use” and a moratorium on all new residential construction until they solve the traffic issues.
Just curious, of the 403 building permits that you cite that were issued within your quoted time frame, how many were actual “new single-family residential construction” and not just permits for other projects throughout the city, such as decks, fences, etc.? I figured I’d ask since you seem to have a grasp of all the numbers.
The answer to your question is, “All of the permits I reference are for new construction of single family residential or multi-family residential.” I carefully counted only those and not additions, decks, fences, pools, or commercial permits. If you’d like to check for yourself, here is a link:
https://www.peachtree-city.org/289/Permits
Each month is a separate document on the site. You can add them up yourself. In 14 months there have been over 460. And people wonder why traffic continues to worsen.
PLEASE SHOW UP ON JUNE 16TH TO OPPOSE THIS ZONING CHANGE.
Thanks Bridge. I’m familiar with the monthly document and how to pull them but again asked the question since you researched it recently back in Apr-May.
There is NO WAY that I would EVER PAY $500,000.00 for a condo of any sort in this the latest misstep by PTC ‘non-planners’ into the MINI-URBAN JUNGLE’ concept for living. This does not fit with my humble interpretation of what Peachtree City is all about. Stop trying to be ALL THINGS TO EVERYONE! We are NOT – nor do we wish to be.
What should the Royals be able to put there? Not telling what the current zoning might allow that would be much worse than restaurants and nice condos..I get it, you aren’t in the market..
Glad to see they’re putting up something nice. I’m sorry, and don’t mean this to offend anybody – but that building has become a dilapidated eyesore over the years. Decades ago it was a vibrant gathering place for folks but its mostly just been falling apart since then. Like actually falling apart.
I don’t see this as esthetically pleasing, unless the “look” was meant to be an old factory converted to residential/retail. I would prefer a more modern design, but that’s just me.
People who oppose this need to show up at City Council meetings and speak up. I’m against “mixed use” development. Why do other cities want to be like Peachtree City, yet Peachtree City is trying to become more like those other cities? I do not understand the desire to urbanize a perfectly wonderful place. Housing should be in residential areas and commercial properties in areas zone General Commercial. Commercial property owners know they can generate huge profits selling big ticket condos. But on top of the high condo price, residents will need to pay a “condo fee” and have a condo association with bi-laws and covenants. Typically, condo owners own “from the paint in” and the condo association owns the rest. A plumbing leak from a fixture in your condo is yours to fix. A plumbing leak inside the wall is the responsibility of the condo association. But when the water finds a way into a restaurant downstairs, it gets ugly. Someone has to be responsible for the building maintenance. On top of paying “north of $500,000” for a condo, you’ll also have to pay the monthly condo fee. It’s just wrong to try to sell this idea as form of senior housing. Show up at the City Council Public Hearing and oppose this or we’ll end up with mixed use everywhere.
Condos are as suburban as single family homes. More well planned and constructed mixed use places like this will help to revitalize the aspects of PTCs that are aging and need to be redeveloped. Take a picture of it if you want to stay stuck in the way it has always been. Others have created a solution to the problems you present long ago, else this type of construction wouldn’t exist.
Great update for the area, however the exterior building design does leave a lot to be desired. Google “Lakeside DFW Flower Mound, Texas” to see attractive retail/condo space designs you might consider.
This is an aesthetic improvement?? It is bad enough that it increases our density and traffic problems but this is anything but pleasant to look at.