A sermon that I heard at Braelinn

Baptist Church quoted a pastor named Andy Stanley that, for the most part,

sums up my philosophy on the proposed Community Improvement District (CID)

and its nucleus, the Livable Centers Initiative (LCI). The quote from

Stanley's book "Visioneering" goes like this, "Everybody

ends up somewhere in life. A few people end up somewhere on purpose."

Ga. Highway 54 West is a regional

shopping district. This is new to Peachtree City and should not be confused

with our village-type shopping centers found elsewhere in our city.

Let me give you some examples

of regional shopping districts that just ended up somewhere Jimmy Carter

Boulevard, Memorial Drive, Barrett Parkway, Metropolitan Parkway, U.S.

78 (Stone Mountain, Snellville), Cheshire Bridge Road, Buford Highway

and so on.

Our clearly defined LCI plan

that has won regional acclaim is a purposeful strategy set forth to eliminate

the harmful effects of regional contamination. In Peachtree City, we have

a sense of place and a well-defined quality of life and the LCI plan helps

us avoid deterioration of our community like what happened in the aforementioned

areas.

We have two big-box stores

whether we like it or not (it was a 3 to 2 vote; majority rule was acceptable

back then). This is our fork in the road. One way points towards quality

architecture, lots of trees, incredible cart path access and so on. The

other way points to an eyesore that lacks consistency and begins the falling

standard routine that other areas that were in our exact position allowed

to transpire.

Let's take a forward thinking

approach and go somewhere on purpose and let's not accept the "whatever

happens, just happens" philosophy of development.

Steve Brown

Mayor, Peachtree City

[email protected]