Fayette

County should impose the same building standards

on Ga. Highway 314 that it has imposed on Ga.

Highway 54, members of Planning Commission have

tentatively decided.

The

group will take a formal vote July 1 on whether

to recommend to the County Commission that it

adopt new rules governing architecture,

landscaping and other aspects of new development

on Hwy. 314, mirroring exactly the standards

adopted two years ago for Hwy. 54.

"Highway

314 is really no different in atmosphere than

what we were trying to do with 54," said

Planning Commission Chairman Bob Harbison as the

group discussed the standards during a work

session last week.

As

on 54, the commission's goal on 314 is to

encourage residential-style architecture wherever

offices are developed along the highway.

With

recent widening and expansion of "big

box" commercial development in Fayette

Pavilion shopping center, applications for office

zoning along the highway are likely to increase,

commissioners said, their point emphasized during

last week's work session by the presence of

several homeowners who want to sell their homes

for offices and move off the busy highway.

In

previous discussions, county planning staff have

suggested that Morning Creek may be the natural

dividing line between offices and the resumption

of all residential development along the road.

If

the Planning Commission recommends the new

standards July 1, the County Commission can take

a vote on the matter July 22 during its regular

zoning meeting. Both meetings will be formal

public hearings.

Planning

Commission members want more time, though, before

making any recommendations about a tree

protection ordinance. "This is one you

really want to be as close to the money on as you

can," said county attorney Bill McNally

during the work session.

County

engineer Kirk Houser has provided commissioners

with volumes of information about potential rules

requiring developers to preserve existing trees,

but commissioners said they need time to study

that information. "I've spent two or three

nights reading this stuff, and there's still so

much more to absorb," said Harbison.

Members

said they want to first develop rules for

commercial, industrial and office zoning

categories, and handle residential rules later.

"Residential

will be a lot more complicated and take a lot

more time," said commission member Al

Gilbert.

In

other business, commissioners last week agreed to

send a proposed set of new standards for the Ga.

Highway 74 corridor to Tyrone officials for

comment before putting the rules on a commission

agenda for a vote.

Tyrone

Town Council had asked the county to consider

adopting standards similar to the town's rules

for the corridor. Only about two-thirds of a mile

along Hwy. 74 remain outside Tyrone's town

limits, and city leaders said they want the

county to use similar standards if property

owners along the highway want developments

approved.

Council

members adopted rules designed to encourage a

"business park" atmosphere along the

road, which is city's most visible entrance way.

"I

think we'd just be better off if Tyrone would go

ahead and annex it," said McNally during

last week's meeting.

Under

the proposed rules, no more than 50 percent of a

parcel could be used for buildings and parking

lots, and the rest would have to be landscaped.

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