When it comes

to defending zoning decisions, Peachtree City's land use map plays a key

role in defending the city's stance on proposed developments particularly

if a denied rezoning petition or development plan heads to court.

Even though

the city's growth is slowing down, updating the land use plan is still

important. City officials want to be prepared for possible redevelopment

of some properties, particularly for large commercial uses.

In the not-too-distant

future, redevelopment and the combining of separate parcels to make larger

tracts may be the only way for big commercial projects to locate to Peachtree

City.

"One of

the things that really strikes you is how very little land there is left

to develop," said Jim Williams, the city's director of developmental

services.

The Peachtree

City Planning Commission is in the process of reviewing retail, commercial

and housing developments in the land use plan for each village. That way,

the city's intended uses for undeveloped tracts of land are crystal clear.

At its meeting

Monday night, the commission reviewed the current land use designations

for the Aberdeen and Braelinn Villages. Once all the villages are covered,

the changes will be compiled into a document and new land use map for

public review so it can be scrutinized at future public hearings before

the changes are adopted.

The majority

of the changes in the Aberdeen and Braelinn villages involved shifting

recreational parks and fields from the current "open space"

designation to the "recreational" designation.

A few subdivisions

already in place were reclassified from single family medium density to

single family cluster to indicate their actual design.

Still other

parcels may be reclassified as office space instead of their current commercial

designation, such as several office buildings in the Westpark Walk area

which aren't currently used for commercial purposes.

The commission

also considered the land use classifications of key parcels at the intersection

of Ga. Highway 74 north and Wisdom Road. The three tracts are commonly

referred to as the Leach property, although they are in possession of

three different owners from the Leach family, said Jim Williams, the city's

director of developmental services.

One of those

parcels is on the corner and should be designated commercial, Williams

said. The parcel next to it, however, should be planned to have office

space; the third parcel, which sits further back off the highway, should

be planned for single family cluster since it borders a residential subdivision,

Fairfield, on two sides, Williams said.