By JOHN THOMPSON
jthompson@thecitizennews.com

Thursday could be judgment day for developer John Callaway's latest proposal to develop a shopping center in Tyrone.

Unless the Tyrone Town Council overturns the town's Planning Commission, Tyrone shoppers will still have to drive to Peachtree City if they want to shop at a major grocery chain.

Late last month, the Planning Commission voted against developer John Callaway's proposed shopping center at the intersection of Ga. Highway 74 and Tyrone Road.

The 118,000-sq. ft. center on 53 acres would be anchored by a 51,000-sq. ft. Publix grocery store and possibly would serve as the new “town center” for the western Fayette town.

But the town's planners said the traffic the center would spawn and the feasibility of the center were justifiable concerns for turning down the proposal.

Callaway told the planners the shopping center would be the “jewel of the county” and would actually help control sprawl by providing a neighborhood shopping center that would keep Tyrone shoppers from traveling the roads to get their basic needs.

“It will encourage people to stop and spend their money in Tyrone,” he said.

Callaway added that the center would attract quality businesses and the location was not near any residents, so it was a logical site.

If the development is approved, Callaway pledged to add a third lane to Tyrone Road to help ease the traffic flow and to place a signal at the four-way stop on Senoia Road.

He also pledged to donate a six-acre parcel of the property to the town for possible use as a new town hall site.

While the Planning Commission generally had praise for the look of the development, members still could not get past the impact it would have on the city.

Planning commissioner Lyn Redwood also was concerned with the out-parcels on the property, which Callaway envisioned as gas stations and fast food restaurants.

“That's my definition of sprawl,” she said.

Several of the commissioners also disagreed with Callaway's request for the large grocery store. The town's ordinances set the maximum size for a commercial building at 30,000 square feet.

“I just have a problem with someone coming in here and asking for four variances. They need to go with our ordinances,” said commissioner Mary Ann Koerber.

The Town Council will have a public hearing on changing the land use map from residential to commercial for Callaway's tract, along with rezoning the property from agricultural-residential to limited use commercial.

In other business, the Council will:

Discuss a proposed golf cart ordinance. The town is embarking on a plan to build multi-use paths around the town and town manager Barry Amos wants an ordinance in place so residents know where they can drive the carts.

Consider a standard operating procedure for the town's police department.

The meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall.