A plan to increase

the number of residential units and shrink the overall commercial space

at the proposed Lexington Commons multiuse development was presented to

the Peachtree City Planning Commission Monday night.

But several

commissioners said they were uncomfortable with approving the changes

so quickly, and the group decided to continue the public hearing at its

next meeting, scheduled for Monday, Nov. 13.

There is a

rush to get the plans approved because there is a Dec. 15 deadline to

purchase the property, explained Bob Adams of Bob Adams Homes. After that

date, the property would lose its specially-designed limited use commercial

zoning.

The property,

located at the corner of Ga. Highway 54 and Walt Banks Road, has been

the subject of two lawsuits over the past 10 years. Several city officials

have indicated they don't want the project to fall through and leave the

land's development unresolved.

The developers

want to increase the number of loft apartments from 160 to 260 and reduce

the overall commercial space to 179,000 square feet, which includes a

maximum area of 137,000 square feet devoted to retail stores.

Jim Williams,

the city's director of developmental services, said three main issues

remain unresolved between the Lexington Commons developers and city staff:

the size of the largest retail stores, traffic improvements to the area

and the buffering along Walt Banks Road and Hwy. 54.

"The rest

of it I think we can work out," Williams said.

Adams said

he wanted the largest store to remain at a maximum of 50,000 square feet

so it could house a grocery store. Williams said staff wants to shrink

the sizes of the other stores, but developers indicated that reducing

the size to 15,000 square feet could hinder some stores from locating

here such as a chain bookstore.

Adams argued

that the 60-foot undisturbed landscape buffer would keep the stores from

being seen from the roadway, which is key to the success of those stores.

That's why developers want to grade the land also, to eliminate a natural

berm that blocks the development from being seen from the road, Adams

added.

Williams said

he wanted the area to be buffered similar to the Braelinn Village retail

center.

"We'll

make every effort to screen the parking areas as best we can, but the

buildings need to be visible," said John Perlman, a commercial developer

with Adams and Co. Real Estate. He said $50-60 million will be spent on

the development by the time it's done "and it needs to be visible

to work."

Williams said

the changes to the project would generate more traffic on Walt Banks Road,

especially if Lexington Commons included a day care center, a grocery

store and drug store as planned. For that reason, traffic improvements

would be necessary in the area such as a traffic signal or roundabout

at the intersection of Walt Banks Road and Peachtree Parkway, Williams

said.

Also, the city

wants turn lanes installed at each intersection along Walt Banks Road,

Williams added.

A nearby subdivision

adjacent to the Lexington Commons land is also planned, with 130 single-family

homes.

The planning

commission questioned how the 68,000 square feet of "live-work"

space would be allotted in the Lexington Commons project. Adams said that

element was designed so people can choose to work and live in the same

building, but he had no concrete numbers on how many people that could

accommodate.

"It's

hard to define that in terms of a unit," Adams said.

But Adams agreed

to put a limit on the number of bedrooms each residential unit had, with

a maximum of two bedrooms per unit to discourage the location of families

with several children.

Jeff DeHart

of Scout Properties said the proposed use of a hotel at Lexington Commons

would be appropriate, contrary to the beliefs of city staff. He also said

the child care facility (also opposed by city staff) was necessary to

generate customers for the retail stores in Lexington Commons.