The Peachtree City Planning

Commission had a long back-and-forth with Buckhead Brewery concerning

a number of issues after the restaurant opened, including berming, having

the wrong sorts of trees and having a final landscape plan for the commission

to approve. These issues were resolved and there was never really a time

when it was expected that the restaurant would have to close its doors.

However, there were two big

issues in 2003, and both concerned development near Georgian Park, which

is located near Ga. Highway 74 North and the Kedron Village Shopping Center.

The first proposed development

was a 24-hour car wash. Citizens came out in droves to oppose it. They

cited concerns over traffic, crime, light, noise, and water runoff. The

planning commission agreed with the citizens and denied the proposal.

The developers went before City Council, which took no action, and then

the matter went to court. The developers settled out of court and will

get to build their car wash. It will be open 24 hours, but lights will

be on timers so that during the late hours of the evening and early hours

of the morning it will not be intrusive.

The second proposed development

is the one that would bring big-box retailer Target and four other stores

to the Phase II development of the Kedron Village center. The initial

numbers of the development stated that it would be 264,000 square feet

and would have 1,100 parking spaces as well as golf cart parking spaces

closer to the building.

Residents of Georgian Park

once again stated concerns about increased traffic and crime, and the

planning commission cited concerns about the vast number of parking spaces,

which would create too much impervious surface and add to runoff problems.

The developers and the residents debated the issues back and forth, with

residents claiming that the plans violated the town's big box ordinance

and that the development should not be grandfathered because of significant

changes made to the development over the years.

The planning commission denied

the development, and it was to go before the city council for appeal.

Faison, the group developing it, pulled it off the agenda and filed a

lawsuit against the city in November. One should expect to see this issue

in the news again for much of 2004, as the developer tries to develop

the land it owns, and residents in the area try to get the development

to conform to standards that other developments in the city must conform

to.

The planning commission meets

at 7 p.m. the second and fourth Mondays of every month at Peachtree City

City Hall. The next scheduled meeting is Jan. 12.