Home Depot tells the world

that they "exercise good judgment by `doing the

right thing' instead of just `doing things right.' We

strive to understand the impact of our decisions, and we

accept responsibility for our actions" (source

- www.homedepot.com). Neither our citizens nor our

Peachtree City Planning Commission members could view

this as a truthful statement considering the proposed

project would have a dubious impact on the city.

Why is the city's landscape

architect consultant working for Home Depot? He actually

told the planning commission that he was prepared to

speak as both the city's landscape architect and Home

Depot's landscape architect simultaneously! Can you smell

the conflict of interest in the air? Who do you think

will win - the city or Home Depot?

Why is the city's traffic

consultant, Ed Ellis of Dames and Moore, asking that the

Home Depot project be approved based upon highway

mitigation that might violate federal law and the

speculation that the ARC can win federal approval this

coming spring? Mr. Ellis even admitted that the ARC's

plan, if approved, would only be effective for about

three years and then we would be right back to where we

started. When a member of the board of directors of the

Planterra Ridge Community Association asked to see the

Dames and Moore data, why did city officials tell him

that there was no data available?

The citizens and small

business owners at the planning commission meeting were

angry because they feel that our city government is

suffering from deafness and a case of over-developmental

complacency. The city has shown no command on the big box

and traffic issues except for last-minute,

seat-of-your-pants ordinances. The city has been

discussing the problems for close to 15 years without any

attempt to resolve the oncoming avalanche.

Is our city doomed forever?

No, but we are at an extremely important crossroads in

determining the Peachtree City of the future.

What is going to set

Peachtree City apart? Take a historical look around the

country and think about why some small- to medium-size

cities that are such a great draw. Many small towns in

New England and the Southwest were once consider dead

economies and out in the middle of nowhere. Now, they are

the place to be because they created a community niche.

People are drawn to these areas because they are not

overdeveloped, have a lower crime rate, and present a

relaxed environment. Many of these same cities are either

fighting the big boxes or have already defeated them.

Consider some of the

coastal cities and islands along Georgia and South

Carolina. These areas were once thought of as

second-class, dull places to reside. Now they are

considered jewels because of their expanses of green

space, old architecture and relaxed feel.

Hilton Head Island is often

compared to Peachtree City. Hilton Head Island allowed

the big boxes to enter and the density has increased,

with the result being intense traffic problems. In fact,

our traffic impact ordinance was patterned after a

similar ordinance in Hilton Head.

You absolutely have to set

yourself apart in the present. You cannot tell the big

boxes and all the traffic to leave once you allow it to

enter. The cities with the big boxes see increases in

crime, traffic and must continually pay to improve the

overburdened infrastructure.

[Council member] Jim Pace

stated, "I always thought build-out would be a cause

for celebration" (The Citizen Review, Nov. 26,

1999). I contend that most of our citizens probably felt

the same way. We never expected this final feeding frenzy

from developers and their willingness to build oversized,

high-traffic developments.

It is shocking that Pathway

Communities wants to seal off Kedron Village with traffic

from their proposed big box in Kedron. It was also

shocking when Pathway tried to bring in more apartment

buildings in years past. This same high-density,

get-the-money-and-run attitude is also prevailing in the

push for annexation by some large developers.

Will the city council place

zoning restrictions on the big boxes? Time will tell.

Steve Brown

Peachtree City

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