While Home

Depot's site plans for a 137,184-sq. ft. store failed to

pass muster by the Peachtree City Planning Commission

Monday night, the debate over building a "big

box" retail outlet in the city is just beginning.

The

commission voted 4-1 Monday night to deny approval of

project's site plans which cover 21.66 acres of the total

parcel of 42.3 acres acres off Ga. Highway 54, despite

city staff recommendations to the contrary. It was

originally presented to the Planning Commission Oct. 11

and tabled.

In an

overview of the project to the commission, city planner

David Rast said, "The revised site plan responds to

citys staff's suggestions and meets or exceeds all of the

requirements and guidelines found within the city's land

development ordinance."

The

designated property is zoned general commercial (GC), a

category that would allow a Home Depot store. It is on

the property owned by the Huddleston family, just west of

the railroad bridge on Hwy. 54.

Key to

making the retail center a reality is inclusion of a

number of road improvements which must be built, or paid

for by the developer. These upgrades are necessary to

bring the project into compliance with the city's newly

adopted traffic impact ordinance. An added condition

states that the developer also must provide documentation

from the Georgia Department of Transportation approving

the highway modifications.

These

improvements include retiming the traffic signal at the

intersection of Ga. highways 54 and 74, prohibiting left

turns onto Huddleston Road from the west bound lanes on

Hwy. 54., and adding a signal at the entrance of the

store across from Planterra Ridge.

The

increased traffic load on the city's already crowded main

arteries is the factor that concerned most citizens

attending Monday night's meeting. Also, business owners

along Huddleston Road were riled by the "no turn off

Hwy. 54" proposal.

Jim

Schultz, who owns Peachtree City Kennels on Fulton Court

directly off Huddleston Road, claimed the city was doing

"everything to accommodate Home Depot" and

sacrificing established businesses along Huddleston Road.

John

Proffitt said there are 47 commercial businesses and 37

industrial businesses that would be affected if the left

turn lane onto Huddleston from Hwy. 54 were eliminated.

He predicted the change would be a "sure

killer" for Huddleston Road businesses. "You

might as well write those businesses off."

The traffic

plan presented by Ed Ellis and prepared by Dames and

Moore, a firm retained by Peachtree City to provide

criteria for judging new developments, was poorly

received by the audience. In a power point presentation,

Ellis showed how cars, depicted by tiny moving dots,

would flow through the 54/74 intersection smoothly, even

at peak afternoon rush hours.

The site

plans will likely be appealed before city council and the

project developers, Ram Development Group, have also

retained the law firm of Dillard and Galloway to

represent them. Present Monday night was attorney Andrea

Jones. "There is no legal justification not to make

a decision tonight," she told the commission.

"Any denial of the application would be

unconstitutional," she said.