By DAVE HAMRICK
dhamrick@TheCitizenNews.com

Starr's Mill LLC failed to convince the Fayette County Planning Commission that its plan for a shopping center, offices, a church and soccer fields across from Starr's Mill High School is a good one.

The Planning Commission has unanimously voted to recommend denial of the company's request for community commercial zoning for 80 acres on Ga. Highway 74 just south of Peachtree City. The land is on the south side of Hwy. 74, directly across from its intersection with Redwine Road.

Starr's Mill LLC, a Macon company, wants to build a 55,000-sq. ft. grocery store, plus about 117,000 square feet of other shops and restaurants on about 26 acres of the property. The firm's plan is to sell 15.2 acres for a church, build about 51,000 square feet of offices on 2.8 acres and use 25 acres for soccer fields. The remainder would be used for parking, buffers and a drain field for a septic system that would serve the project.

Carl Westmoreland, representing the company, told the Planning Commission last week that the firm wants to change its plan, providing for commercial zoning on only the 26 acres designated for stores. The front part of the property would be zoned O-I (office-institutional), and the soccer fields and church would remain in the current zoning category, A-R (agricultural-residential).

He said although the county land use plan calls for low-density residential develpoment for the property, the area has changed in recent years and there's a need for more shopping space. Developing the land as a residential subdivision, he argued, would increase overcrowding in the school system.

“I'm not sure whether it's reasonable to expect this property to develop in lots of two to five acres,” he said.

As currently zoned, the property could hold fewer than 15 homes. If it were rezoned for a subdivision of two-acre lots, it could hold about 35 homes.

Some of the residents who addressed the commission to argue against the rezoning agreed with Westmoreland that adding more homes to the area would be destructive, but said they don't want a shopping center either.

“That area right there cannot stand anymore traffic,” said Omega Lamont, a resident of nearby Jefferson Woods.

“I just don't understand how all of this is going to fit when we're already pretty overcrowded,” said John Baker, who lives in Brechin Park immediately south of the proposed shopping center.

A new Publix is planned nearby, and Baker said he fears having another shopping center will guarantee that some stores will fail. “I fear we're going to have an empty store in our area because of the battle between Kroger and Publix,” he said.

Katherine Sumpter, a student at Starr's Mill High School, said she worries about school overcrowding if the plan should change to commercial, but added, “Peachtree City is losing much of its beauty to commercial growth.”

And resident Pamela Kemp cited statistics showing that crime follows commercial develoment, and also questioned the idea of putting such a large commercial project on a septic system.

“We have adequate shopping for the population,” she said. “There is no reason to rezone this property.”

In rebuttal, Westmoreland said his project is the best use of the property. “It would have no impact on the schools, would provide a lot of tax revenue and it's a piece of property that's got no other reasonable, viable use,” he said.

Planning commissioners said the proposal is not in keeping with the county land use plan, which calls for low-density residential development in the area.

At the request of the County Commission, the Planning Commission recently conducted a thorough study of the land use plan for the Starr's Mill area, commission member Fred Bowen reminded his colleagues.

“There was absolutely no doubt in our minds that that is a residential area,” he said. “It's not the place for any commercial activity.”

“The land use plan is good, it's sound and it should be upheld,” agreed commissioner Bill Beckwith.

County commissioners will consider the company's request at their Sept. 28 meeting, 7 p.m. at the County Administrative Complex.