Buried in the Feb. 28 edition of the Atlanta Journal and Constitution were two very small articles regarding Peachtree City. Though the articles were small in size, only one and two paragraphs, the subjects they spoke of will have a huge impact on our city and its residents.

First up was a single paragraph article indicating that the Planning Commission would meet that very evening to discuss the site plan for the new Wal-Mart Supercenter, a.k.a. Big Box 2. With the ink barely dry on our city council's approval of the Home Depot (a.k.a. Big Box 1) the developer decided to move forward with this 130,000 square-foot-plus monster. Who could blame him?

Even though the Planning Commission denied the site plan for the Home Depot and hundreds of residents spoke out against it, our mayor and city council ignored those opinions and decided they knew best. After the developer saw how easy that battle could be won, who could blame him for moving on to Big Box 2? Fire up the bulldozers, boys, we've got lots of land to clear.

In the other article, this one warranting two whole paragraphs, our own Mayor Lenox is quoted stating that “residents are concerned” what might happen if we don't annex the 900 acres now called the “West Village.” Heaven forbid, if we don't rush ahead now and annex this land, it could be developed as part of the unincorporated county, and who knows what they might build? Now I don't know who these “concerned residents” are, but maybe they are just a little unclear on the facts.

The property owners could have developed this land long ago as part of unincorporated Fayette County but they did not. Perhaps the reason is that they realize their land will be far more profitable as part of Peachtree City? Without our city's sewer connections, the land owners would be limited in the density of any development that would take place. After annexation, with connections to our taxpayer-owned sewer system, they could build many more homes per acre. It doesn't take a financial wizard to figure out that they could see much higher profits with the sewer connections in place.

The thousands of new West Village residents would gain the benefit of all of our city's services, and the homes built there would be worth more money. Sadly, the added costs brought on by all this annexed land will not be offset by the additional taxes and impact fees that are collected. Guess who will bear the other costs? Take a look in your mirror to get the answer.

Our schools are already overburdened, and finding the millions of dollars they need to deal with the problems growth has thrust on them appears almost impossible. Our roads are gridlocked during peak periods, and relief is many years away due to pollution issues. Our taxpayer-owned sewer system needs repairs to help it keep sewage out of our drinking water supply. With all these problems to deal with already, why would our elected officials want to add even more problems to the mix by annexing this land?

The only real winners from annexation will be the property owners who will see their land become a part of our city. One must ask the question, if our mayor and council are elected to represent us, why are they pushing so hard for this annexation when we won't benefit from it? Too bad they don't focus their energy on issues that will have a positive impact on our city.

The council session March 2 will be the place to be if you want to be heard. Let them know that your interests and concerns should come first.

Steve Fodor

Peachtree City

Back to Opinion Home Page | Back to the top of the page