For now, forget

the idea of a commuter rail station in Peachtree City. Instead, think

of a commuter bus station at a site that could later be used for a commuter

rail station.

That's the

suggestion of a consultant working with an advisory board which will consider

possible locations for such a structure in the Ga. Highway 54 West corridor

as the West Village of Peachtree City takes shape.

The board,

made up of landowners and developers in the area along with city residents,

held its first meeting Monday, and the commuter bus/rail station was the

main focus of the discussion.

The group can

"visualize" the bus service as a more immediate need, said Laura

Heery of the Brookwood Group, who helped conduct the meeting.

Heery presented

several proposed plans for the rail station that would tie commercial

units near the station, which could be the focal point of the West Village.

The Hwy. 54

West advisory board will devise a five-year plan for that area with the

goal of making it a place for people to live and work, encouraging them

to abandon their cars to a large extent.

One way to

do so, Heery said, is to consider mixing uses by allowing residential

lofts to be built over retail and office space so those business owners

can live upstairs if they choose.

"The trend

is moving from malls to main street retail," Heery said, pointing

to The Avenue at Peachtree City shopping center which will open later

this month as a prime example.

The plan must

be submitted to the Atlanta Regional Commission by June 30, and hopes

are that the ARC will provide grant funds to implement parts of the plan.

The ARC is funding the consultant's work on the project after the city

was approved for this study grant.

If the bus/rail

depot becomes a reality, Heery suggested it have plenty of parking for

golf carts, so city residents don't have to drive their cars a few miles

just to park. Later on, a parking lot for automobiles could be expanded

to a parking deck if necessary, she added.

The location

of the station was one of the advisory board's main discussions. Heery

presented two ideas: a location where the Line Creek Baptist Church is

currently located or further north along the rail line near the AT&T

Broadband office.

The Line Creek

Baptist location idea assumes that the property will be available, and

Doug McMurrain of RAM Development confirmed that he is in discussions

with the church to possibly acquire the property. But McMurrain said he

fully supported the idea of locating the station there.

"We're

willing to participate in it, although it would slow us down," McMurrain

said.

Heery said

that site would also be good because of its proximity to The Avenue.

Eileen Shaw,

a resident of Planterra Ridge subdivision, said the Line Creek Baptist

site would create more traffic on Hwy. 54 and she didn't think that was

a good idea. She also said the rail/bus depot would bring with it a higher

density requirement from the ARC.

Heery said

the ARC wants to work with people in the local community with these projects

and density "won't be forced on you."

The location

near the cable company site could pose access problems, however, because

of the at-grade railroad crossing. Longer turn lanes would be needed to

accompany the potential traffic, it was also mentioned.

Heery also

said that site is further away from the activity area surrounding The

Avenue and future Wal-Mart/Home Depot area.

Jerry Peterson

of Pathway Communities also suggested that a possible site for the bus/rail

depot could be on vacant land in the industrial park.

Heery said

a good argument could be made for that location if the area shows "a

good bit of development."

City Planner

David Rast wants the group to increase its scope to consider items such

as landscaping and architectural controls that could tie the entire Village

together.

He admitted,

however, that talk of "mixed use development" and a bus/rail

station would likely brew some controversy among local residents.

"Not everyone

is going to agree that we are ready for this type of development, but

we have to look at reality and decide what kind of community we are going

to become," Rast said. "We have set the standard for growth

and development in the Atlanta region for years and the Livable Centers

Initiative program is a great opportunity to showcase Peachtree City and

our commitment to providing alternate transportation for the residents

of our community."