The 3-2 decision

to approve a concept plan for the Wal-Mart Superstore back in November

was "one of the most difficult decisions ever faced by a Peachtree

City Council," according to Mayor Bob Lenox.

Lenox wrote

an open letter to citizens addressing the Wal-Mart issue and explaining

why council couldn't turn down the Superstore based on the wishes of residents

who didn't want the project to be developed. The letter appeared in the

January issue of the city's Update newsletter.

The property,

which is located on Ga. Hwy. 54 across from the Planterra Ridge subdivision,

has been zoned general commercial for years, Lenox said. Also, the land

use plan called for a regional shopping center to be built in that area,

the mayor noted.

Although the

development was originally turned down by the planning commission since

it did not meet the requirements of the traffic impact ordinance, a traffic

improvement plan was later submitted that met the traffic impact ordinance,

Lenox said.

And once the

city got a copy of a letter from the Georgia DOT stating the improvements

were "permissible," there was little choice but to approve the

concept plan for Wal-Mart.

"Council

members Brooks and Fritz and I felt that, despite any personal opinions

we held on the matter, our traffic engineer's findings and the approval

presented from the DOT, under the rule of law, left no choice but to grant

the appeal and, in essence, approve the Wal-Mart," Lenox wrote.

Council members

Annie McMenamin and Dan Tennant opposed the motion to grant the appeal.

McMenamin had asked that the matter be tabled so the city's traffic engineer

could present the plan to council.

Had the council

members not been elected, some or all of them would likely have been in

the audience to protest, Lenox said.

"However,

when we take our oath of office, we accept the responsibility of trying

to fairly balance the rights of all citizens, be they in the majority

or the minority," Lenox continued. "The basic precepts of our

society, including the rule of law, become more important than our personal

opinions. However anyone on council voted on this issue, those decisions

were not made lightly."

Lenox also

pointed out that had Hwy. 54 been widened by to four lanes as planned,

the infrastructure would have been in place to handle the Wal-Mart.

The traffic

improvements that RAM Development has committed to on Hwy. 54 will help

improve access for emergency vehicles, Lenox added.