The Town of Tyrone's "vision" for a new municipal complex anchored near downtown met with much resistance during last week's Town Council meeting.

Town Manager Barry Amos told a large crowd of residents that the town has been exploring for years the possibility of reinvigorating the town's center.

"Two and a half years ago, the Planning Commission approved an architectural overlay for downtown," he said.

The vision that Amos offered for downtown emphasizes a mixed-use development with government offices, parks, shops and residences to create an energy in the area. The plan is really nothing new, Amos added.

"Councilwoman [Lyn] Redwood and I looked back at maps of Tyrone in 1964, and it was a very mixed use development for the time," he said.

The development would be located in Shamrock Park and feature the town's new library, town hall and police station. Other features of the development include on-street parking and possible senior housing for the community's empty nesters.

"We want this to be extremely pedestrian friendly," he said.

There has been much speculation about an amphitheater being part of the plan. Amos said the amphitheater would not be one of the big ones like the Villages or The Fred in Peachtree City, but a small area with seating for 30 or 40 to stage community events.

Amos emphasized that the vision offered Thursday night was only a preliminary plan and was subject to change.

But many of the residents were not sold on the vision for the future of the town.

Judy Jefferson, who represented the Tyrone Neighborhood Alliance, said she didn't know of anybody who was against the library. Instead, she wondered why more people weren't consulted about the siting of the building.

"It's hard for me to believe there was no follow-through for where a library should go," she said.

She said the rendering for the library site at Shamrock Park was finished June 1 and wondered why it took almost three months for the town's leaders to share it with the public.

"You didn't expect the opposition to be so strong. When did you intend to include your stake-holders?" she asked.

Gordon Shenkle also objected to placing the library in the park.

""You need to be trying to find somewhere else for a library. Put action behind your words and keep a park a park," he said.

Former mayoral candidate Grace Caldwell also took exception with a proposal to change the name of Senoia Road to Main Street.

"How would renaming it cause business to come downtown?" she asked.

Councilman Mike Smola defended the city's vision and locating the library in Shamrock Park.

"We have three times per capita the number of fields that we need. This would address the next 10 years of growth," he said.

But all the residents were not opposed to the plan. Long-time resident Joel Ogletree praised the efforts of the plan.

"(Plan designer) Jerry Peterson is the best in the business. The park has outgrown its usefulness for ball-fields," he said.

Tyrone leaders mailed out a survey to residents about the proposed plan that is due