What started

out with a grant to plan development of the cart path system in the rapidly-growing

West Village area of Peachtree City may turn into much more.

The grant from

the Atlanta Regional Commission under its Livable Centers Initiative program

may also help plan architectural controls for parcels along Ga. Highway

54, a landscaping plan for the area and other ways to make the area cohesive,

said City Planner David Rast.

That could

include the development of "gateway features" near the bridges

over the railroad tracks and near the Coweta County line. There's also

the possibility of using a zoning overlay district to control the architecture

of the highway corridor, Rast added.

The city will

use a consultant to help guide a citizens task force to come up with the

plan for the West Village area. Ideally, the plan will include the areas

south of Hwy. 54 like the Planterra Ridge subdivision and the businesses

on Huddleston Road, Rast said.

The project

will also address the Marketplace and The Avenue retail centers which

are nearby and also will be connected to the cart path system.

Also, the task

force will consider planning for a commuter rail station in the area,

which may or may not actually become a reality in the future, he added

"We want

to take what's there and blend it all together," Rast said.

The hope is

that the city will get funds to implement the task force's plans from

the ARC in coming years, he said.

The LCI program

is designed to help plan new developments to encourage people to use alternate

methods of transportation to get to work. Particularly, the ARC hopes

LCI projects will discourage the use of cars and encourage walking, biking

and as in Peachtree City using golf carts to get people where they need

to go.

There's already

a good mix of residential property in the area, with one of Peachtree

City's oldest subdivisions in Wynnmeade to apartments and other living

spaces, Rast said.

The original

plans were to use the LCI grant to design the cart path system, but as

city staff began preparing to solicit a consultant, the idea grew.

"It's

a lot more exciting than what we were originally thinking about doing,"

Rast said, admitting that it will involve a lot of work.

The process

will begin with a brainstorming session after the City Council selects

a consultant for the project, Rast said. City staff is recommending using

The Brookwood Group of Atlanta.

The West Village

area is the largest remaining undeveloped portion of Peachtree City, although

it is beginning to grow rather quickly with residential projects. In the

near future, a Wal-Mart Superstore and Home Depot store will be located

there also, just off Hwy. 54.

"All this

vacant land will have to develop," Rast said.