Members of the West Village Task Force hit the ground running Tuesday afternoon in their second official meeting, with a wealth of supporting materials to aid in their discussion of annexation and development possibilities for the area.

Mayor Bob Lenox informed the group at the outset that a visit to the site by as many committee members as possible could be advantageous, and he had already contacted the property owners in anticipation of such an opportunity. Two dates in the coming week, April 11 and 15, were set aside as days to visit the property, giving everyone ample opportunity to take a look at what has become the subject of so much discussion.

In response to requests at the previous meeting for informational materials, task force members Tuesday found themselves surrounded by about a dozen maps and diagrams, including a land-use map of Coweta County and a zoning map of Tyrone, watershed maps from the Atlanta Regional Commission, aerial photographs provided by Georgia Power, and a pair of conceptual plans — one assuming annexation becomes a reality, and another providing for a lack of annexation.

Lenox said that questions had been raised about his own presentation at the recent City Council meeting which initiated this entire process. He informed the task force that he put that together completely on his own, with no input from city staff except for the actual conversion of his work into a PowerPoint presentation.

On Lenox's urging, city planner David Rast gave a brief presentation of the two concepts before the task force, referred to as plan A (annexation) and plan B (no annexation).

Rast pointed out that under a non-annexation plan, the parcels already in the city and especially along McDuff Parkway would likely be more densely developed, with an estimate of four units per acre not unreasonable, considering the existing densities of Wynnmeade and Cedarcroft. Using a clustering concept would help provide a better buffer along the railroad and power line, he added.

Estimates of total residential units under both plans were compared, using net acreage figures based upon elimination of flood plain areas and subtracting 40 percent of the usable land for roads, buffers and infrastructure. Under plan B, Rast calculated that a total of 913 units could develop in the area (including 105 undeveloped lots in Wynnmeade), with a density of four units per acre in the southern section, one unit per acre in the central Pathway Communities section, and a half unit per acre in the northern section.

Rast also indicated the current strip of industrially zoned land along the railroad within the city, saying that without annexation it was not configured well for residential and would probably remain as industrial, office or institutional uses.

An analysis of the developers' plans proposed to the City Council in January showed a total of 1,450 single-family residential units and 100 assisted living units. Lenox noted that the committee was actually comparing the 1,450 figure with the plan B option of 808 units, after subtracting the undeveloped Wynnmeade land, which was not included in the developers' plan.

While that leaves a difference of nearly 650 units, Lenox added that without annexing, the remaining 62 acres of industrial land could house between 300,000 and 600,000 square feet of office/industrial development, which should also be factored into the traffic and tax revenue analysis. He estimated that the industrial properties would develop in a similar manner to the existing development on Huddleston Road.

Task force member Chuck Lehman asked about the possibility of MARTA coming to Peachtree City, and Lenox responded that, based on his work with the Atlanta Regional Commission, he did not see it happening. However, he said five light commuter rail lines are being planned, and that Peachtree City is designated as the second of those five lines.

Under that proposed line, using the existing CSX line and extending to Senoia, Lenox said he envisions stops in the northern and southern ends of Peachtree City (the northern stop would be in the West Village area), Tyrone, perhaps Fairburn, and then Hartsfield International Airport and downtown. He said this system is in ARC's 20-year plan, but no funding has been designated yet.

Lenox presented the task force a revised list of work elements, incorporating comments from the previous meeting. The list included:

Traffic impact (access points, internal and external traffic flow, and short and long-term impact on highways 54 and 74);

Environmental impact (wetlands and floodplains, Line Creek, on-site streams, mitigation rules, and land donation and management);

City services (fire, EMS, police, recreation, library, public works and administrative);

City financial analysis (capital costs, operating costs, impact fee revenue, general revenue and infrastructure costs);

School system assessment (required sites and facilities, student loading analysis, capital and operating financial analysis);

Planning issues (land use allocations, traditional zoning vs. “smart growth,” environmental and watershed protection, future planning for outparcels, service requirements, and process control and management); and

Process control and management (coordination with ARC, Fayette County Commission, Fayette County Water, Fayette County Board of Education, Tyrone Town Council, Coweta County Commission, PTC Water & Sewerage Authority and utilities).

John Williams said he felt that working with the full group on all of these issues might prove cumbersome, and he suggested forming subcommittees to research the specific elements of the work program. Jim Steinbach agreed with that suggestion.

“That's the only way to get our arms around this,” said Steinbach. “Otherwise, it's just too big a process.”

Lenox said he did not want to bias the process for or against annexation, and he felt that a detailed analysis would reveal positive elements to both plans. “If we decide not to annex, we'll still learn a lot about what the city, the Board of Education and the county will face in the coming years by doing this comparative analysis,” he said.

When Lehman asked what the difference in population would be between the two plans, Lenox replied that it is about 2,000 people, based on the figure of 3.05 people per household used by the city.

Robert Brown pointed out that the developers' proposal indicated only one school site, which would accommodate less than half the students generated by the development, and that the school system does not have funds to build a school on the site.

Lehman said his interpretation of the work program elements is that population will govern most of the impact. Lenox said there is a direct correlation between population and some elements, such as the number of police officers needed, but that a fire station will be needed regardless of whether the property is annexed, and it will require a certain number of firefighters whether there are 800 homes or 1,450 homes.

Lenox also felt that the city might have to provide fire and EMS services to the 364-acre Pathway property, which is next to the current city limits, regardless of annexation.

Steinbach pointed out that the residents of the area also would use recreation and library services in Peachtree City rather than driving to Fayetteville, and they would add traffic on Peachtree City's road system whether annexed or not.

Williams said he feels it is important to consider developing the area under the village concept. If the residents have services within their village, they will make fewer trips onto the major arteries, he said.

Dennis Chase pointed out that the subcommittee approach would work well for some of the elements, but felt that issues such as the schools and the environment would have wider areas of impact, and would require looking beyond the West Village boundaries.

Asked if zoning restrictions could limit the number of people per unit or affect the number of students a development might generate, Lenox said that zoning could have some effect, but added that the design of the homes and lots will have more bearing. Some of the communities in town that are designed for and appeal to empty nesters and retirees have less impact on schools and roads, he said, even though there is no age restriction on the neighborhoods.

Lehman asked what Peachtree City's transient rate is — how often people move in and out. Lenox thought that was an important factor and suggested calling local Realtor Jim Fulton, feeling that the Board of Realtors would have some statistics on resale homes that could shed light on that figure.

Lenox asked to serve on the school subcommittee, noting that he had been working to organize a countywide group of builders and financial people to assist the Board of Education with its building program. He felt he would be working on the same issues for that group.

Members then began volunteering for various subcommittees, and absent members were tentatively assigned pending their acceptance, as follows:

Traffic impact - John Williams as chairman, Liz Bunker, Willis Granger (tentative).

Environmental impact - Dennis Chase as chairman, Phyllis Aguayo (tentative), Todd Strickland, Jim Steinbach.

City services and city financial analysis - Chuck Lehman as chairman, Jim Steinbach, Jim Barber, Jim Basinger.

School system assessment - Bob Lenox as chairman, Debbie Condon (tentative), Dennis Chase.

Planning issues - Todd Strickland as chairman, George Kadel (tentative), Jerry Peterson.

Process control and management - Cele Eifert as chairman (tentative), John Williams.

Lenox asked that the subcommittees meet and be prepared to give reports at the next task force meeting, set for April 25, on their organization, requests from staff and other relevant points. He said the chairman should work toward ultimately providing the task force with an overview comparison of the impact of plan A (1,450 residences, 100 assisted living units and about 25 acres of commercial development) to plan B (800 residential units and approximately 62 acres of industrial/office development).

The task force has scheduled two site visits. The first is Tuesday, April 11, at 9 a.m. with Lenox serving as tour guide. The second would be Saturday, April 15, at 9 a.m., led by Jerry Peterson. Participants would meet at City Hall. Lenox said liability waivers will be required, and he is organizing those.

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