Friday, June 16, 2000
Task force to help draw plan

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@thecitizennews.com

The four different "plans" for the possible annexation of the West Village area are starting to gum up the work of the task force that Mayor Bob Lenox appointed to study the issue.

Traffic consultants were scheduled to brief the task force Monday about how each plan might affect the flow of vehicles in the area. But the two most recent versions of the annexation plan required more work, causing the consulting firm of Dames and Moore to miss the deadline.

The traffic studies will be presented at a future meeting, but not before the task force holds an all-day planning meeting to develop its "ideal design" for the West Village development.

The development consulting firm of Wood and Partners from Hilton Head, S.C. is scheduled to meet with the task force on Monday, June 26. The task force will provide a list of the amenities they want West Village to have, and the consultants will use that to draw a sketch - the same day - of what the task force wants the area to look like.

But at Monday's meeting, some members of the task force said they didn't think it was appropriate to take that step without selecting one of the four radically different annexation plans.

Lenox said the model did not need to represent the task force's final decision. He said the group should wait and see what the development consultants come up with. The consultants will be provided with information beforehand to help speed up the process and make sure the plan coincides with the task force's wishes, Lenox added.

"This isn't the end of the process," Lenox said.

It was suggested that the information not include a map that shows the property lines and identities of the different landowners who are seeking the annexation. The task force members agreed to develop a list of amenities they like in Peachtree City's neighborhoods so those elements could be included in the sketch.

Some of the task force members expressed concern that they might not be ready to make a recommendation by the end of July because certain topics haven't yet been covered such as environmental and traffic impact that each of the four annexation plans might have.

Lenox said the city used this type of meeting with Wood and Partners during planning stages for the commercial development at Walt Banks Road and Highway 54, which has not yet been completed.

"It came out remarkably close to what we had in mind," Lenox said. He added that Wood and Partners specializes in using public input to design development models.

Lenox also said that council wants to look at the West Village annexation potential as a way to annex, establish zoning guidelines and approve the site plan for the development at the same time.

After the task force helps prepare the sketch, the next hurdle in the process is getting the different property owners to agree to it, Lenox said.

There were several questions, though, as to what happens if the task force members can't agree on certain issues.

"Council will have the final say," Lenox said.


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