Fayette

County's planning staff is recommending denial of

Pathway Communities' proposed 364.7-acre

subdivision at the northern border of Peachtree

City.

Members

of the county Planning and Zoning Commission will

consider the proposal Thursday at 7 p.m. at the

County Administrative Complex. Their

recommendation will go to the County Commission

April 27.

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 wetlands

and flood plain, so the homes would be on lots of

an acre or slightly more.

Peachtree

City, which is studying the concept of annexing

1,100 acres that includes the Pathway parcel, is

recommending that the county delay the rezoning

request, to give the city time to finish its

discussions of the annexation option. Failing

that, the city urges 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, even though it is in 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.

But

several county departments have problems with the

rezoning request, said county zoning director

Kathy Zeitler. "There are a lot of

issues," she said.

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.

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

on the agenda Thursday will be a preliminary plat

for Pine Ridge subdivision, also being developed

110.28-acre tract, which is zoned A-R.

Staff

is recommending approval, but the Fire Department

is suggesting that the commission table the plat

while access to county water is worked out.

<!--

-----------