proposed village style shopping center offers

Tyrone officials an "interesting"

option for building a new municipal complex,

according to town manager Barry Amos.

During

Monday night's workshop meeting of the Tyrone

Planning Commission, developer John Callaway

outlined a proposed 60-acre development near the

current Town Hall that would feature more than

100,000 square feet of retail development, with

room for a new municipal complex on the back side

of the development.

For

the last two years, Tyrone's leaders have been

discussing the possibility of building a new town

hall. When council passed an impact fee ordinance

last year, the town identified a new town hall

that would be funded by the impact fees. Impact

fees are taxes charged to developers to help pay

the cost of new government services made

necessary by their developments.

Callaway

offered to deed the back part of his property to

the town if it wanted to build a municipal

complex on the site, assuming the Planning

Commission and Town Council approve rezoning for

his planned development.

Callaway's

site is just off Ga. Highway 74, near the

intersection of Senoia Road and Palmetto-Tyrone

Road. He believes the site is ideal to create a

village-type development that would set new

standards for development in the area.

Included

in the development would be a 51,000-sq. ft.

grocery store, along with smaller shops such as

ice cream stores and cafes that would be built

along a heavily landscaped street to give the

impression of a typical village or small town.

There

would be five outparcels on the Hwy. 74 side of

the development that could possibly be used for

fast food restaurants or other small businesses,

but Callaway was adamant that he would listen to

the type of tenants the town wanted.

"If

you don't want fast food, we won't put one

there," he said.

He

emphasized that he wanted to raise the

architectural standards for this development and

make it a pedestrian-friendly development.

"I

don't want big box development there," he

said.

If

the town decided to build its municipal complex

on the property, he believes the entire center

would be a "destination" for the city's

residents and not merely some place to shop.

Since

Monday night's meeting was just a workshop, the

town's planners did not get down to specifics on

Callaway's proposal. Most of the commissioners

expressed an interest in his proposal, but said

many questions will have to be answered before

anything is decided.

The

overriding concern from the commissioners seemed

to be the amount of traffic such a development

would bring to the town.

But

Callaway said the center would be mostly used

just by Tyrone residents and believed the

development would actually cut down on traffic.

"I

have a hard time believing that," said

commissioner Dan Flaherty.

Tuesday

morning, Amos said that Callaway indicated he

would apply for rezoning on the property. The

property is currently zoned

agricultural-residential, and the project also

would need a variance, since the town's zoning

does not allow any commercial development over

30,000 square feet.

If

Callaway submits a zoning proposal, it would be

discussed at the Feb. 24 planning commission

meeting.

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