Tyrone shoppers looking for a major grocery store will still be

heading to Peachtree City after last week's votes by the Town

Council.

The council rejected two proposals by developer John Callaway to

build shopping centers at Ga. Highway 74 and Tyrone Road.

The first measure the town rejected was for a "village"

style shopping center on a 53-acre tract. The center would be anchored

stores, including five out parcels.

Callaway's attorney, George Rosenzweig, said the property is

ideal for limited-use commercial and is identified on the town's

land use map as town center. If the town chose not to approve the

shopping center, the attorney said it's "a planning prescription

for sprawl."

But the town's residents disagreed. Ginger Blackstone said

she would favor an office building on the site, while William Curry

said traffic and crime would be a major problem if the center was

approved.

"Go to Fayetteville and look at the Pavilion. Their crime rate

is up," she said.

The town's staff asked the council to deny Callaway's

request.

"The scale of the project is too big," said Town Manager

Barry Amos.

Councilman Paul LeTourneau repeated his assessment that a Publix

would be too big for the small town and said he doesn't want

to be responsible for a vacant store.

The council decided to designate the property for office and industrial

uses on the town's land use map.

Callaway's second proposal was for a shopping center on 22

acres directly across from his first request.

Rosenzweig said many of his same statements applied to this parcel.

He asked the council to consider the property owners and their rights

when making a decision.

Jaquelyn Davis, whose family purchased the property in 1954, said

the property was originally earmarked commercial, but got changed

to residential in the early '90s.

"There was never a legitimate reason to change it. The property's

been taken hostage," she said.

Davis' sister, Brenda Matthews, said the property was a simple

farm that was spilt when Hwy.74 was widened.

"We were never notified when the property was changed,"

she said.

Although the council sympathized with the sisters, they still said

there were problems with placing commercial interests at the intersection

and zoned and mapped the property as office-institutional.

Callaway left the meeting quietly after the dual rejection. The

first parcel is still mired in a lawsuit between Callaway and the

town and there was no indication whether he would pursue litigation

on the second tract.