Peachtree City

activist Steve Brown wants local governments to move faster toward implementing

his proposed "Education First in Fayette" policies.

"The...

proposal is lingering in the County Commission," Brown said in an

e-mail to The Citizen this week.

Brown has been

pushing for adoption of a guideline that makes impact on education the

number one priority in making planning and zoning decisions.

"All I'm

asking is that they adhere to the land use plan," Brown said in an

earlier interview. The current sitting commissioners have "done a

dynamite job" of following the county's comprehensive plan in making

zoning decisions, Brown added, but said he fears future commissioners

might stray from that path unless there's a written policy to keep them

on it.

"We're

one elected official away from changing that balance," he said, adding

that he believes previous boards have been guilty of granting zoning changes

that added significantly to the expected density of development.

Some local

cities also have been too liberal for Brown's taste when it comes to land

use decisions, he said. "We need to make a multi-jurisdictional commitment

to saying this is where we're going," he said.

Board of Education

planners use the land use plan to estimate the future need for classroom

space, Brown said. "The development model we follow has a lot to

do with our ability to properly educate our children, draw and retain

quality families and maintain our quality of life," he said by e-mail

this week. "The first two signs that your model is failing is (1)

traffic problems and (2) school overcrowding."

Brown said

his proposal is not "anti-growth. Instead, it calls for controlled,

planned growth as mandated by the comprehensive land use plans."

A county spokesman

said Brown's proposal is being reviewed by staff, which will make a recommendation

to county commissioners.