Tyrone residents will get their

first view of a proposed Publix grocery store this Thursday. The town's

Planning Commission will discuss the grocery company's site plan for a

54,000-sq. ft. store on Ga. Highway 74 near the Hanson Rock Quarry.

The site is part of John Wieland's

Planned Unit Development that received the backing of a court in the late

'90s in a zoning battle with the town.

Town Manager Barry Amos said

the 320-acre tract will eventually have 292 homes and 33 acres of commercial

development. The Publix development will eat up 11 of the commercial acres

and also feature 20,000 square feet of other retail development.

Amos explained the site was

zoned for a PUD in the '80s and several site plans were submitted. But

in the late '90s, John Wieland submitted a site plan that was turned down

Wieland took the matter to

court and won. But the original site plan by Wieland called for a wastewater

treatment plant owned and operated by the homeowners in his proposed subdivision.

The town has been looking for

another wastewater alternative and recently signed a deal with Fairburn

to provide the town with some of its excess wastewater capacity. Amos

said construction on the sewer line connecting Fairburn with Tyrone could

begin within 60 days, so Publix could start construction later on in the

year if its site plan is approved.

The Publix store will be the

largest commercial store in Tyrone and the Town Council ensured that Thursday

night by passing an ordinance prohibiting any store bigger than 30,000

square feet. The town had previously passed an ordinance outlawing grocery

stores bigger than 30,000 square feet, but the new ordinance covers all

retail and commercial establishments.

Amos said the Publix at the

PUD will be bigger, because initial plans for the project were started

before the town passed the size limitations ordinances.