Peachtree

City leaders will have another month to discuss

whether they want to annex a proposed Pathway

Communities development before the Fayette County

Planning Commission takes action on the matter.

The

commission last week tabled Pathway's rezoning

request for 364.7 acres on the northern edge of

the city next to Line Creek. Two commissioners

were out of town, and applicants are always

allowed to request tabling when a full board is

not present.

special task force in Peachtree City is studying

the idea of annexing not only the Pathway site,

but a total of 1,100 acres north of the city.

Proponents say the annexation will give the city

greater control over development in the area, and

that having city sewerage available will be

better for the environment.

Opponents

say the availability of sewer service will offer

developers greater density, meaning more and

faster growth for the area, considered a negative

The

company is asking for R-40 zoning, which allows

one-acre lots, and proposes to build 175 homes.

Much of the property is taken up with unbuildable

wetlands and flood plain, so the homes would be

on lots of an acre or slightly more.

Peachtree

City officials had recommended that the county

delay the rezoning request, to give the city time

to finish its discussions of the annexation

option. Failing that, the city has urged the

county to deny the request, citing problems with

the use of septic tanks in the environmentally

sensitive area and other concerns.

Pathway

vice president Jerry Peterson said the company

will move forward with its rezoning request with

the county, as well as its discussion with

Peachtree City about annexation.

"We'll

continue to talk with the city," he said,

"but as long as we have it in the pipeline,

we'll follow it through. We've been talking with

the city about annexation for a long time,"

he added.

The

county Planning Department is recommending denial

of the rezoning request. "There are a lot of

issues," said zoning administrator Kathy

Zeitler.

Among

those issues is the environmental concern of

putting such a high-density subdivision on septic

tanks so near Line Creek, she said. The land is

off Ga. Highway 74, west of the railroad tracks

and behind the MediaOne cable company office.

To

serve the subdivision, a road would have to be

built across the tracks, through land that is

within the Peachtree City limits.

Access

would not be good for emergency services, Zeitler

said, adding that residents of the proposed

subdivision also would have to cross the railroad

tracks daily, not considered a safe situation.

Staff

also is recommending denial of two rezoning

requests for subdivisions on Davis Road between

Lester and Huitt roads, also tabled last week.

Dan

Stinchcomb wants to rezone 54.28 acres from A-R

(agricultural-residential), which requires five

acres or more per home, to R-75, which allows

two-acre lots. His plan is to build 20 homes.

"It's

a lot of density for that area," said

Zeitler. "It's a very rural area."

Secondary roads serve the area, she said, and

traffic would be a problem. Also, the Fire

Department is concerned about service delivery,

because the area is not served by county water or

primary roads.

The

same problems hold true for a 97.7-acre site on

which Stinchcomb is requesting a change from A-R

to R-80, which allows three-acre lots, Zeitler

said. Stinchcomb proposes to build 21 homes on

that parcel.

Also

tabled was a preliminary plat for Pine Ridge

subdivision, also being developed by Stinchcomb.

He plans 19 homes on the 110.28-acre tract, which

is zoned A-R.

Planning

commissioners will take up the rezoning requests

again May 4 at 7 p.m. at the County

Administrative Complex.

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