Peachtree City is celebrated for its features that reflect its strong sense of community such as its Village Centers and extensive multi-use path network. Yet amid these highlights stands a controversial barrier that has come to symbolize division and dysfunction.
Known as the “Great Wall of Peachtree City,” this barricade built between Tyrone and Peachtree City’s Kedron Hills neighborhood was intended to address safety concerns by blocking vehicle and golf cart traffic. Instead, it has created a rift between our communities and exposed significant failures in leadership across local government.
How the Wall Came to Be
In November 2021, the Kedron Hills HOA successfully petitioned the Peachtree City Council to construct a barrier on Crabapple Lane that blocked all traffic to-and-from Tyrone. Its primary concern was the safety of Loring Lane, a residential street running through the neighborhood. The HOA pointed to anecdotal reports of speeding vehicles from Crabapple Lane and close calls involving children playing near the road. “It’s not uncommon to see drivers speeding or ignoring stop signs,” said one Kedron Hills resident during a city council meeting. However, no formal traffic studies or data were presented to substantiate these claims.
The HOA’s urgency increased with the announcement of proposed housing developments along Dogwood Trail, which would connect to Crabapple Lane. Many residents feared these projects would funnel even more vehicles through their neighborhood, further increasing risks to pedestrians.
To address these concerns, the wall was constructed as a preventative measure. By limiting through traffic, the HOA would preserve the neighborhood’s character and create a safer environment.
Why Opponents Are Against the Wall
While supporters view the wall as a necessity, opponents see it in a very different light. Besides adding 6 to 10 minutes of travel time for cars between Dogwood Trail and Loring Lane, it represents a breakdown in shared values and cooperation.
Tyrone residents have voiced significant frustration, arguing that the wall has created a tangible divide between the two towns by blocking access to Peachtree City. For example, the multi-use path network has long been a shared resource despite being owned & operated by Peachtree City. For many Tyrone residents, the exclusion created by the wall feels particularly unjust given the $235 annual fee they pay for access to the paths, which is significantly higher than the fee paid by Peachtree City residents. “We pay a premium for access to Peachtree City’s paths,” said one frustrated Tyrone resident during the December 19, 2024, Peachtree City council meeting. “This wall sends the message that we’re not welcome here.”
The Huelfer family’s story exemplifies the wall’s real-world consequences. Their daughter Lily, who is on the autism spectrum, relies on the multi-use path network for safe and independent transportation. However, the city’s proposed solution for Lily—a locked gate secured with a heavy chain—has created unnecessary challenges. Each day, Lily must navigate through mud to unlock and relock the gate, a process her father, Evan Huelfer, describes as burdensome and unsafe. As Evan wrote in a letter to Peachtree City Council, “For Lily, everyday life is difficult enough with the challenges that she already faces. Being forced to get out of the golf cart to unlock the gate, pulling through, and getting out again to lock the gate is stressful. With strangers watching and asking her why she is there, would you want your child to contend with this twice each day just to get to their job? What if that child was autistic or had another handicap?”
The wall also impacts Peachtree City’s economy in tangible ways. Businesses in Kedron Village, a popular shopping destination for residents of both towns, have reported a noticeable decline in customer traffic. Without convenient access via the multi-use paths, many Tyrone residents now avoid the area altogether. Business owners, already navigating a challenging economic climate, have expressed growing concerns about lower revenue as customer visits dwindle.
The financial fallout has extended beyond businesses and is also negatively affecting how tax dollars are distributed. In an effort to pressure Peachtree City into removing the barrier, Fayette County has withheld $1.7 million in transportation funding and has threatened to withhold an additional $900,000. These funds, originally intended for critical road and path improvements, have instead become a contentious bargaining chip in an escalating conflict that has further frustrated residents.
Finally, the wall has deepened divisions within Peachtree City itself. Many feel the decision to construct the barrier prioritized the concerns of Kedron Hills over the needs of the greater community. Others point to the strained relationship with Tyrone, lamenting the damage done to what should have been a cooperative partnership between neighboring towns.
How Local Leadership Failed Us
The frustrations and consequences associated with the “Great Wall” were not inevitable. They stem from poor leadership and missed opportunities for collaboration and foresight by Peachtree City, Tyrone, and Fayette County. Each governing body had a chance to prevent this conflict, yet their collective missteps deepened divisions and harmed the community.
The shortcomings began with Peachtree City’s leadership. When the Kedron Hills HOA petitioned for the wall, the city council hastily approved its construction without conducting the necessary due diligence. Relying solely on anecdotal reports of speeding and near-misses on Loring Lane, the council failed to undertake traffic studies or safety assessments to validate these concerns. By prioritizing the demands of a vocal minority, the council overlooked the broader implications for Tyrone residents, other Peachtree City neighborhoods, and the interconnected nature of the two communities. This reactive decision-making process set the stage for the conflict that followed.
Compounding the issue was Peachtree City’s inability to mediate the conflict effectively. When families like the Huelfers reached out to the Kedron Hills HOA for dialogue, they were met with silence. Similarly, my own attempts to contact the HOA’s current president, Scott Beamer, via text, phone calls, and email for this article went unanswered. Peachtree City leaders failed to ensure open communication or advocate for a compromise, allowing Kedron Hills to dominate the narrative. This narrow focus on one neighborhood’s concerns not only undermined the city’s responsibility to serve its broader population but also strained its relationship with Tyrone.
Tyrone’s leadership, meanwhile, missed its opportunity to step up when their residents’ access to Peachtree City was severed. Instead of actively engaging with Peachtree City to find a resolution, Tyrone’s approach leaned heavily on expecting Peachtree City to fix the issue. This lack of proactive engagement likely fueled resentment among Kedron Hills residents, who felt unfairly burdened with addressing a problem that affected both communities. As a result, Tyrone’s passive stance contributed to the stalemate, leaving its residents feeling excluded and frustrated.
Fayette County’s response further exacerbated the situation. By withholding transportation funding, the county introduced financial consequences that penalized anyone relying on Peachtree City’s roads. While the intent may have been to pressure Peachtree City into action, this punitive approach instead escalated tensions and spread the fallout to residents who were otherwise uninvolved. Rather than encouraging collaboration, Fayette County’s strategy deepened the divisions and made resolution more difficult.
What’s Next
The collective inability of these governments to work together has created a situation where there are clear winners and losers when there shouldn’t be. Our leaders have had ample opportunity to gather data, explore alternative solutions, and engage in meaningful collaboration. Instead, they acted in isolation, prioritizing short-term appeasement over long-term solutions. Moving forward, leaders at every level—Peachtree City, Tyrone, and Fayette County—must take meaningful steps to rebuild trust and foster solutions that serve the broader community.
Fortunately, the December 19, 2024, Peachtree City Council meeting marked what could be a turning point. In a unanimous vote over vocal opposition from wall supporters, the council approved reopening Crabapple Lane to traffic on a trial basis. During this period, officials plan to collect data on traffic patterns, safety concerns, and overall usage, which will be used to inform future decisions.
While this trial represents a step forward, it is far from a comprehensive solution. The reopening is an opportunity for local leaders to address the root causes of this conflict and commit to a long-term vision that prioritizes safety, connectivity, and fairness. Among the potential options are constructing alternative paths outside of Kedron Hills, implementing traffic-calming measures on Loring Lane, and/or developing a formal intergovernmental agreement between Peachtree City and Tyrone to collaboratively manage access to Crabapple Lane. These measures will require a willingness to compromise and investment from all parties, but they are critical to ensuring an equitable and sustainable outcome.
As this trial unfolds, it is important we hold our local leaders accountable. This is their opportunity to show that they have learned from past mistakes and can embrace transparent, cooperative decision-making.
But the question remains: Will “The Great Wall of Peachtree City” remain a lasting symbol of failed leadership, or will it mark the beginning of a collaborative future?
I’m genuinely curious just how many people have been negatively effected by this. There are many inconveniences in life but the amount of anger on this subject seems disproportionate to the percentage of residents, both Tyrone and PTC, effected.
As a resident in a cut-through neighborhood, I definitely empathize with Kedron Hills residents. Ultimately, if you want to avail yourself of PTC amenities, perhaps move to PTC.
Since moving seems to be an obvious solution to you in this particular ongoing issue, as someone who is ‘a resident in a cut-through neighborhood’, WHY haven’t YOU moved? One would surmise that living in a cut-through neighborhood honestly is no big deal to you. Interesting since you ‘definitely empathize with the Kedron Hills residents’. Hmmmm.
I have no issue with the way our Peachtree City leadership acted and supported the Homeowners’ Association. I do take issue with Fayette County withholding any authorized funds. To my knowledge, Tyrone has never cooperated with anything having to do with Peachtree City.
I do believe all forms of government, to include municipalities and rural communities should cooperate to make for a better world. However, that doesn’t seem to be in the cards we are dealt, or in the way the majority of our area’s people think. This became too obvious in our previous general election results.
While some may fret about “The Wall,” it’s small stuff and at worse, there is value in our exclusivity.