In a move that some city officials considered a high point after more than a decade of struggle, the City Council of Peachtree City last week approved a rezoning for the Lexington Commons development now underway at the corner of Ga. Highway 54 and Walt Banks Road.

“This is potentially the culmination of about 15 years of work,” said city development director Jim Williams, who has been involved in the process from the beginning.

The 73-acre tract in question has been the subject of much disagreement and even litigation over the years, as the city and various landowners and developers squabbled over what each considered the best use of the land.

What was originally four separate parcels of land is now controlled by Bob Adams, who is working on a master-planned mixed-use development that will include commercial, office, single-family detached residential and even multifamily residential development.

The city hired a professional planning firm several months ago to come up with a master plan for the entire area, and Adams has tweaked it somewhat while retaining the general concept, which is that of a neighborhood village center rather than a retail center.

Traffic improvements were discussed as part of the approval process, and it was obvious that a traffic light would be needed at the intersection of Walt Banks Road and Peachtree Parkway, where traffic is already heavy at times, Williams said.

But he proposed a unique feature that he felt would help the traffic situation in the area. He said that building a roundabout at that intersection would be more cost-efficient and safe than a traffic light.

The cost of the roundabout should be covered by impact fees from 60 loft apartments that make up a portion of the development plan, Williams said. These residences will be on upper floors of various office buildings at the site.

The property was rezoned to LUC-15, a limited use commercial classification, with a number of restrictions. There was no one present in opposition to the request.

Adams pointed out that if the development were not done as outlined in the plan, the land would revert to its original zoning.

The largest single commercial site on the property could be a proposed multiplex cinema. Some audience members at the City Council meeting asked how many screens could possibly be located there, and it was noted that the square footage restrictions would prohibit a complex similar to what is now in Fayetteville, Newnan or Morrow. No single commercial site at Lexington Commons can be more than 50,000 square feet.

The developers also pointed out that this theater would only draw from Peachtree City, since the other theaters are already in existence for the surrounding areas, so no more than six or eight screens would make economic sense.

As the City Council began discussing the proposal, Robert Brooks said that one of the key issues here is the fact that it is not a regional center, like what had been proposed previously for the site.

Annie McMenamin added that she thought it good to have a local builder like Adams who has a long-term relationship with the city.

Before the vote, city attorney Rick Lindsey advised the council to first lift the moratorium on multifamily development as it pertains only to this site. That was done, and the rezoning was approved unanimously.

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