Tyrone

shoppers are going to have to wait a little

longer for a supermarket in their town.

That

was the verdict delivered last Thursday as the

Town Council unanimously turned down developer

John Callaway's proposal for a Publix-anchored

shopping center at the intersection of Ga.

Highway 74 and Tyrone Road.

Callaway

wanted to develop 16 acres on a 60-acre tract as

a 118,000-sq. ft. shopping center with a village

feel.

"Nothing

in Fayette County holds a candle to this

development," he said.

He

told the council the shopping center would be

similar to a development on St. Simons Island and

claimed the proposal was the "best ever

submitted to you."

The

crowd that turned out appeared evenly split on

the proposal.

Beth

Johnson, who has lived in Tyrone for 16 years,

summed up the pro-Callaway crowd.

"Everybody

wants the convenience of shopping. It would be a

major asset for job opportunities," she

said.

But

the anti-shopping center group said shopping

options surround the town and Tyrone needs to

preserve what it has.

"Once

the trees are gone, it's all over," said

Molly Turner.

The

council agreed with Turner.

Councilman

Ronnie Cannon said the development would create

traffic problems on Hwy. 74 and the level of

services provided to Tyrone residents would be

decreased.

"We

need to stand by our plan. Somebody needs to

stick to the standards that have already been

set," he said.

Councilman

Paul Letourneau said he didn't see how a

population of 3,800 could support a 52,000-sq.

ft. grocery store and didn't want a vacant

building to fill if Publix should decide it

couldn't make a go of it in the town.

The

overriding concern of all the council members was

stated by Mayor Sheryl Lee.

"I

want to preserve the quality of life here,"

she said.

The

council unanimously denied Callaway's petition to

amend the land use map from residential

conservation to limited use conditional.

But

the council may not have heard the final word

from the developer. Town manager Barry Amos said

Callaway had filed a constitutional challenge to

the residential zoning saying the current zoning

is not the correct one for the property.

Amos

said a constitutional challenge must be presented

before any lawsuit can be filed.

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