and By JOHN

THOMPSON

[email protected]

With development

coming from three sides, the intersection of Rockaway Road and Ga. Highway

74 in southwestern Fayette could become one of the busiest areas in the

county.

In Senoia,

Rockaway Road has become the focal point for development. The Twin Lakes

subdivision was one of the first on the road, and currently has 46 homes,

said Senoia City Administrator Murray McAfee.

But 28 more

homes are being planned for the subdivision, he added.

Nearby is Hutchinson's

Cove, which features 48 homes and is built out, he added.

Two more subdivisions

also are planned for the road. Developers for Morningside have started

grading land, and 141 homes will be built on the site over the next few

years, McAfee said.

Near Morningside

is another proposed subdivision. Part of the property has to be annexed

into Senoia from Coweta County. If the entire development is built, 120

homes would be added to the city, McAfee added.

Senoia's city

administrator was surprised at the news that Rockaway Road could be realigned.

"I hope

if they do it, they do it soon. We can't wait six or seven years for a

traffic solution out there," he said.

A proposed

124-home subdivision with two small commercial outparcels would finish

the development of the south end of Ga. Highway 74 in Peachtree City.

The highlight

of the planned Peachtree City subdivision would be the realignment of

Rockaway Road, giving motorists going to and from Senoia access to Hwy.

74 at an existing traffic light across from Holly Grove Road.

Rockaway Road

is a frequent choke point for traffic, especially during peak travel times.

Traffic figures compiled by the Fayette County Sheriff's Department earlier

this year counted 5,452 vehicles traveling southbound on Hwy. 74 just

south of the school complex in a 24-hour period. The northbound 24-hour

count was 5,822 vehicles.

Rockaway Road

was also surveyed by the special traffic devices, showing 2,010 vehicles

going northbound in a 24-hour period and 2,104 going southbound. The survey

location was on Rockaway just inside the county line, said Maj. Wayne

Hannah of the Fayette County Sheriff's Department.

Once Rockaway

Road is realigned, the current Rockaway intersection would be closed off.

To access the Meade softball complex and the Peachtree City recycling

center, motorists would use an access road off the new Rockaway Road.

The developer

of the subdivision, Piedmont Properties, plans to fund the road project

and later seek reimbursement from the Georgia Department of Transportation.

Another part

of the plan includes donating 79 acres of floodplain to the city for use

as a nature trail.

But the entire

plan hinges on a rezoning approval from the Peachtree City Council. The

entire 125-acre tract is currently zoned general industrial, although

the land use plan earmarked it for residential development.

The developer

is seeking a limited use residential zoning for the subdivision, but a

general commercial zoning is needed for the two outparcels off Hwy. 74.

Neither of the two outparcels, totalling just over 6 acres, would be connected

to Hwy. 74; they would be accessed via the new Rockaway Road.

Two-thirds

of the homes will be built by Bob Adams Homes, which has a reputation

for senior-oriented housing. City officials are hoping the subdivision

won't have a major impact on the school system but there are no guarantees.

The area already

has a 250-home subdivision, Wilshire Estates, and its commercial cousin,

Wilshire Pavilion, which is anchored by a Publix grocery store.

Also nearby

is the Fayette County Animal Shelter. And across Line Creek is the Peachtree

City Water and Sewer Authority's Line Creek wastewater treatment plant.

On the Fayette

County side of Hwy. 74, a plan has just been submitted for development

of a major shopping center that went through the rezoning process more

than a year ago.

The county

also recently rezoned a tract to Office-Institutional that could feature

a bank and small offices.