Opponents say they'll be present

and armed for bear when Starr's Mill LLC takes its shopping center request

to the Fayette County Commission Thursday.

"We've got to make sure

this [shopping center] doesn't happen to our area," said Pamela Kemp,

whose arguments drew enthusiastic applause when the county Planning Commission

considered the request Sept. 6.

Company plans for the 80-acre

site include a shopping center, offices, a church and soccer fields across

from Starr's Mill High School to the County Commission Thursday.

County Planning Commission

and zoning staff are recommending denial of the company's request for

community commercial zoning on Ga. Highway 74 just south of Peachtree

City. The land is on the south side of Hwy. 74, directly across from its

intersection with Redwine Road.

Starr's Mill LLC, a Macon company,

wants to build a 55,000-sq. ft. grocery store, plus about 117,000 square

feet of other shops and restaurants on about 26 acres of the property.

The firm's plan is to sell 15.2 acres for a church, build about 51,000

square feet of offices on 2.8 acres and use 25 acres for soccer fields.

The remainder would be used for parking, buffers and a drain field for

a septic system that would serve the project.

Carl Westmoreland, representing

the company, told the Planning Commission that the firm wants to change

its plan, providing for commercial zoning on only the 26 acres designated

for stores. The front part of the property would be zoned O-I (office-institutional),

and the soccer fields and church would remain in the current zoning category,

A-R (agricultural-residential).

He said although the county

land use plan calls for low-density residential develpoment for the property,

the area has changed in recent years and there's a need for more shopping

space. Developing the land as a residential subdivision, he argued, would

increase overcrowding in the school system.

"I'm not sure whether

it's reasonable to expect this property to develop in lots of two to five

acres," he said.

As currently zoned, the property

could hold fewer than 15 homes. If it were rezoned for a subdivision of

two-acre lots, it could hold about 35 homes.

Kemp cited statistics showing

that crime follows commercial develoment, and also questioned the idea

of putting such a large commercial project on a septic system.

"A ... septic failure

on this property would be an environmental disaster when you consider

its proximity to wetlands and that the whole site slopes agressively toward

Line Creek," she said.

"We have adequate shopping

for the population," she added. "There is no reason to rezone

this property."

"That area right there

cannot stand anymore traffic," said Omega Lamont, a resident of nearby

Jefferson Woods.

"I just don't understand

how all of this is going to fit when we're already pretty overcrowded,"

said John Baker, who lives in Brechin Park immediately south of the proposed

shopping center.

A new Publix is planned nearby,

and Baker said he fears having another shopping center will guarantee

that some stores will fail. "I fear we're going to have an empty

store in our area because of the battle between Kroger and Publix,"

he said.

Katherine Sumpter, a student

at Starr's Mill High School, said she worries about school overcrowding

if the land is developed as a subdivision, but added, "Peachtree

City is losing much of its beauty to commercial growth."

In rebuttal, Westmoreland said

his project is the best use of the property. "It would have no impact

on the schools, would provide a lot of tax revenue and it's a piece of

property that's got no other reasonable, viable use," he said.

Planning commissioners said

the proposal is not in keeping with the county land use plan, which calls

for low-density residential development in the area.

At the request of the County

Commission, the Planning Commission recently conducted a thorough study

of the land use plan for the Starr's Mill area, commission member Fred

Bowen reminded his colleagues.

"There was absolutely

no doubt in our minds that that is a residential area," he said.

"It's not the place for any commercial activity."

"The land use plan is

good, it's sound and it should be upheld," agreed commissioner Bill

Beckwith.

County commissioners will consider

the company's request Thursday at 7 p.m. at the County Administrative

Complex.