Fayetteville got the green

light last week to annex 53 acres into the city, but the County Commission

is predicting dire consequences for the development.

The land is at the intersection

of Ga. Hwys 85 and 92, and is part of the city's proposed Southside Master

Plan.

The newly annexed land is called

Summit Point, and features 28 acres of office and retail and nearly 25

acres for 72 homes.

Currently, the property is

zoned AR in the county, which calls for five-acre lot sizes.

"I do have concerns about

this project. We don't have any resolution for the traffic problem,"

said Commissioner Peter Pfeifer.

The other commissioners agreed

with Pfeiffer, but realized there was nothing they could do. The property

is an "island" it's surrounded by city property and has to be

allowed to be annexed.

Recent law changes will keep

cities from annexing property to create islands, but this parcel falls

in under a grandfathering clause.

Commissioner Linda Wells said

the development is going to add another 68 students to the Fayette County

School System, and said the impact on traffic would be "tremendous."

While the annexed land will

have an impact on traffic, Commission Chairman Greg Dunn reminded the

audience and his fellow commissioners that this is only part of Fayetteville's

overall plan for the area.

"There's almost 300 acres

there. This is just a small part of a much larger operation. It will probably

require another school to be built, and this has not been coordinated

with us," he said.

Dunn added the city has sent

the Southside Master Plan to the Atlanta Regional Commission for review,

but has not included the county in the loop.

He asked the staff to get a

copy of the plan, and added he would support the plan if it was in the

middle of Atlanta, because it's clustering retail, office and housing

together.

The County Commission voted

4-1 to approve the annexation and send all its concerns to the city. Commissioner

Wells voted against it, because she did not want to give any indication

she supported it.

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