Fayette County's

population will continue to grow in the future and the county's economic

development authority wants to make sure Fayette's job opportunities grow,

too.

With a projected

five to eight years of space left in Peachtree City's industrial park,

the authority sees a need for more Class A office space, and it commissioned

a study of nine sites in the county that could fill that need.

The goal is

to get the landowners, developers and government officials and other stakeholders

talking about the possibility, said Chris Clark, CEO of the Fayette County

Development Authority. In addition to the economic benefits of attracting

companies to office space, the goal is to create more jobs for Fayette

residents so they don't have to commute to jobs in Atlanta or elsewhere,

Clark added.

"This

is just to start the conversation," Clark said.

Each of the

nine original sites studied by a consulting firm are on four-lane roads

so there will be no problem with that infrastructure, Clark said. Although

some of the properties available are in Tyrone, including one with good

rail access that is becoming more rare in Atlanta, the main focus is on

property on Ga. Highway 54 West just outside of the Fayetteville city

limits that could become a research and development low tech business

park.

That 65-acre

site would ideally be mixed-use with some commercial and residential components

as well, which might blend with the school board's plans to locate another

high school there also, Clark said.

"It's

a unique opportunity to provide employment and a community center,"

Clark said. The plan could contain some greenspace and, perhaps, a university

center, Clark suggested.

Allowing some

commercial units on the property helps make the project more palatable

to the landowner but the mixed use concept can help the area avoid becoming

over commercialized, Clark said.

The idea is

to avoid strip commercial development or a long row of car dealerships,

Clark said.

"That's

something nobody around here really wants," Clark said.

The largest

site studied is the 750-acre Rivers Farm, which stretches from Sandy Creek

Road to Hwy. 54, wrapping around Fayette Community Hospital. The consultants

recommend that site could provide a mixed-use solution with residential,

limited commercial, public space, office and heavy green space. The project

should also be master planned and public involvement may be necessary

due to the importance and size of the property, the consultants recommended.

One of the

significant challenges, however, is that all the sites studied are in

the county and Tyrone, where no sewer services is available. Clark contends

the need for sewer access is important, otherwise the office park concept

won't get off the ground.

"It's

not marketable if it doesn't have the proper infrastructure," Clark

said. "If you limit it to a septic tank the most you'll get is a

one-story brick building."

Clark added

that he's not talking about skyscrapers or large obtrusive buildings,

either.

The sewer matter

will be for the elected officials to handle, Clark said. In the past,

the county and Tyrone have resisted efforts to have sewer systems extended

into their jurisdictions, but recently county commission chairman Greg

Dunn has said he wouldn't oppose extending sewer access into the county

to serve the expansion for Fayette Community Hospital, which will likely

be annexed into Fayetteville anyway.

Clark envisions

"quality" office complexes at the various sites with landscaping

and setbacks to create a nice appearance.

"That

helps market the property," Clark added.

Tyrone might

be an ideal location for high-end distribution firms since such companies

have lower numbers of employees but with relatively high wages, Clark

said.

"All of

these things need to be planned at the same time," Clark said. "We

want to create a sense of place."