After two

hours of discussion concerning perhaps the most ambitious

project ever undertaken by a church in Peachtree City, it

seemed appropriate that Planning Commission Chairman

Julian Campbell used a Biblical term when summing up the

entire issue.

"The

matter of how the city defines a church probably will

have to be resurrected," he said after he and his

associates voted to approve a conceptual site plan for

the Peachtree City United Methodist Church's proposed

63-acre campus on Robinson Road.

Whether the

idea of restrictions on church locations in the city will

be raised from the dead remains to be seen. Under current

ordinances, a church in Peachtree City is considered a

conditional use and can be placed in any zoning category.

This site is in an area zoned Estate Residential.

Many

churches in the area would probably be happy to have a

Sunday morning crowd as large as the UMC contingent that

showed up for Monday night's Planning Commission meeting.

A packed

house of about 200 people heard the site plan request,

with the majority of them being churchgoers, as evident

the church's youth group sat on the floor near the center

of the room, while adults lined the walls of the

commission chambers and stood in the hallway outside.

Those in

opposition to the plan, mainly residents in the immediate

area, were relatively few in number but made the most of

their opportunity to present their case.

There were

three other items on the agenda, one of which was

withdrawn before the meeting. The remaining two were

brief, so Campbell reversed the agenda and heard the

church's request last.

Campbell

also announced that, although it was not officially a

public hearing on the matter, he would treat it as such

and give both sides ample opportunity to speak.

The

church's architect began his presentation by making it

clear that each phase of the development, if approved,

would take three years or so to complete, so a complex

resembling the completed plan would take many years to

come to fruition.

The plan

was presented in five phases, beginning with a two-story

multipurpose building and a small amount of parking with

a single entrance from Robinson Road. The second phase

includes an outdoor chapel, which the architect had

misidentified as an "amphitheater" at the

previous Planning Commission meeting, suggesting events

that would never be there.

Also in

phase two are wings at each end of the original building,

adding about 30,000 square feet to the 50,000 square feet

initially there. A smaller, formal chapel would be built

in the third phase, with a fellowship hall in the

basement.

The

66,000-sq. ft. main sanctuary, with a seating capacity of

1,800, would be constructed in phase four.

Athletic

fields are planned for the rear of the property, and some

concern had been raised about the possibility of outdoor

lighting in that area. Henry Stone, chairman of the

church's building committee, said that lights had not

even been discussed by the church, and such an item would

be brought before the city for approval at the

appropriate time, probably years down the road in one of

the last phases.

The church

pointed out that the site plan requires no changes in any

current city requirements, and city approval would be

sought at each step.

Jim

Williams, the city's director of developmental services,

presented the city staff recommendations concerning the

project, stating that city planner David Rast had felt

awkward dealing with the issue at the last meeting. Rast

is a member of the church.

Williams

said he would not even get into the question of whether

the church should be situated in a residential area,

"because that decision's already been made."

Williams presented a plan a few years ago for restricting

church sites to certain zoning categories such as

commercial, but it was not approved by the city.

His

recommendation for this plan was very positive. He said

that the first phase was especially good, and the entire

development, if handled properly, could be as appealing

to the city as the Aberdeen Woods Conference Center,

which he said was originally planned with some opposition

and is now what he considered as good a development as

can be found in Peachtree City.

Williams

pointed out that if a few major issues - such as

designated open space in the areas not slated for

development, and the possibility of outdoor lighting

- can be addressed at the beginning, the plan could

be one "we can all be proud of and all live

with."

One

citizen, who did not identify himself as being connected

with the church, said he was in favor of the plan because

it takes 63 acres of potential residential property off

the books.

But an

opponent who spoke later in the meeting noted that, with

the property zoned for three-acre lots, the entire tract

would have only about 20 homes on it anyway.

The vice

president of the Robinson Woods homeowners association

said that he was late for the meeting because he could

not get out of his subdivision. He added that the church

development would make an already bad traffic situation

even worse, and residents would be prisoners in their own

subdivision.

Randy Huff,

another nearby resident, said that while the church

undoubtedly performs a great service for the community,

it is trying to do so on a scale that would

"trample" the property rights of neighboring

residents.

Huff told

the Planning Commission that he had been advised by legal

counsel concerning the proposal, and if it were approved,

it would be a violation of residents' constitutional

rights as well as city ordinances.

Barry

Bilder, who said that he and other opponents to the

development have been portrayed as "heretical

Philistines," claimed that he has trouble traveling

to his own church on Sunday because of traffic problems

that already exist.

Noting that

Speer Road residents do not have access to city water and

sewer even though they pay city taxes, Bilder said that

the area's "fragile percolation" system would

certainly be disrupted by a development on this scale. He

added that one family's kitchen sits just 20 feet from

the property line.

Bilder

frequently called upon the church and the Planning

Commission to show "sensitivity and

compassion," and said that there was a "moral

and ethical responsibility" to serve everyone's best

interests.

Commission

member Willis Granger pointed out, for the benefit of

those opposed, that several other uses are legally

permitted at that site, such as a riding stables, a

nursery, a school or a day care center.

The

commission added one stipulation to the 10 previously

listed by city staff at the June 28 meeting, designating

the approximately 25 acres not planned for development as

permanent open space. Church officials did not agree with

that requirement, but they acknowledged that they will

have an opportunity to petition the City Council to

change it.

Commission

member Wes Saunders cast the only dissenting vote, saying

that he simply could not approve the project based on its

size and scale.

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