Starr's

Mill LLC failed to convince the Fayette County

Planning Commission that its plan for a shopping

center, offices, a church and soccer fields

across from Starr's Mill High School is a good

one.

The

Planning Commission has unanimously voted to

recommend denial of the company's request for

community commercial zoning for 80 acres 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 last week 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.

Some

of the residents who addressed the commission to

argue against the rezoning agreed with

Westmoreland that adding more homes to the area

would be destructive, but said they don't want a

shopping center either.

"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.

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

plan should change to commercial, but added,

"Peachtree City is losing much of its beauty

to commercial growth."

And

resident Pamela 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.

"We

have adequate shopping for the population,"

she said. "There is no reason to rezone this

property."

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

at their Sept. 28 meeting, 7 p.m. at the County

Administrative Complex.

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