Thursday

could be judgment day for developer John

Callaway's latest proposal to develop a shopping

center in Tyrone.

Unless

the Tyrone Town Council overturns the town's

Planning Commission, Tyrone shoppers will still

have to drive to Peachtree City if they want to

shop at a major grocery chain.

Late

last month, the Planning Commission voted against

developer John Callaway's proposed shopping

center at the intersection of Ga. Highway 74 and

Tyrone Road.

The

118,000-sq. ft. center on 53 acres would be

anchored by a 51,000-sq. ft. Publix grocery store

and possibly would serve as the new "town

center" for the western Fayette town.

But

the town's planners said the traffic the center

would spawn and the feasibility of the center

were justifiable concerns for turning down the

proposal.

Callaway

told the planners the shopping center would be

the "jewel of the county" and would

actually help control sprawl by providing a

neighborhood shopping center that would keep

Tyrone shoppers from traveling the roads to get

their basic needs.

"It

will encourage people to stop and spend their

money in Tyrone," he said.

Callaway

added that the center would attract quality

businesses and the location was not near any

residents, so it was a logical site.

If

the development is approved, Callaway pledged to

add a third lane to Tyrone Road to help ease the

traffic flow and to place a signal at the

four-way stop on Senoia Road.

He

also pledged to donate a six-acre parcel of the

property to the town for possible use as a new

town hall site.

While

the Planning Commission generally had praise for

the look of the development, members still could

not get past the impact it would have on the

city.

Planning

commissioner Lyn Redwood also was concerned with

the out-parcels on the property, which Callaway

envisioned as gas stations and fast food

restaurants.

"That's

my definition of sprawl," she said.

Several

of the commissioners also disagreed with

Callaway's request for the large grocery store.

The town's ordinances set the maximum size for a

commercial building at 30,000 square feet.

"I

just have a problem with someone coming in here

and asking for four variances. They need to go

with our ordinances," said commissioner Mary

Ann Koerber.

The

Town Council will have a public hearing on

changing the land use map from residential to

commercial for Callaway's tract, along with

rezoning the property from

agricultural-residential to limited use

commercial.

In

other business, the Council will:

Discuss a proposed

golf cart ordinance. The town is embarking on a

plan to build multi-use paths around the town and

town manager Barry Amos wants an ordinance in

place so residents know where they can drive the

carts.

Consider a standard

operating procedure for the town's police

department.

The

meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall.

<!--

-----------