Friday, October 27, 2000
Friday, October 27, 2000 |
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Lexington Commons changes presented to Planning Commission
By JOHN
MUNFORD
A plan to increase the number of residential units and shrink the overall commercial space at the proposed Lexington Commons multiuse development was presented to the Peachtree City Planning Commission Monday night. But several commissioners said they were uncomfortable with approving the changes so quickly, and the group decided to continue the public hearing at its next meeting, scheduled for Monday, Nov. 13. There is a rush to get the plans approved because there is a Dec. 15 deadline to purchase the property, explained Bob Adams of Bob Adams Homes. After that date, the property would lose its specially-designed limited use commercial zoning. The property, located at the corner of Ga. Highway 54 and Walt Banks Road, has been the subject of two lawsuits over the past 10 years. Several city officials have indicated they don't want the project to fall through and leave the land's development unresolved. The developers want to increase the number of loft apartments from 160 to 260 and reduce the overall commercial space to 179,000 square feet, which includes a maximum area of 137,000 square feet devoted to retail stores. Jim Williams, the city's director of developmental services, said three main issues remain unresolved between the Lexington Commons developers and city staff: the size of the largest retail stores, traffic improvements to the area and the buffering along Walt Banks Road and Hwy. 54. "The rest of it I think we can work out," Williams said. Adams said he wanted the largest store to remain at a maximum of 50,000 square feet so it could house a grocery store. Williams said staff wants to shrink the sizes of the other stores, but developers indicated that reducing the size to 15,000 square feet could hinder some stores from locating here such as a chain bookstore. Adams argued that the 60-foot undisturbed landscape buffer would keep the stores from being seen from the roadway, which is key to the success of those stores. That's why developers want to grade the land also, to eliminate a natural berm that blocks the development from being seen from the road, Adams added. Williams said he wanted the area to be buffered similar to the Braelinn Village retail center. "We'll make every effort to screen the parking areas as best we can, but the buildings need to be visible," said John Perlman, a commercial developer with Adams and Co. Real Estate. He said $50-60 million will be spent on the development by the time it's done "and it needs to be visible to work." Williams said the changes to the project would generate more traffic on Walt Banks Road, especially if Lexington Commons included a day care center, a grocery store and drug store as planned. For that reason, traffic improvements would be necessary in the area such as a traffic signal or roundabout at the intersection of Walt Banks Road and Peachtree Parkway, Williams said. Also, the city wants turn lanes installed at each intersection along Walt Banks Road, Williams added. A nearby subdivision adjacent to the Lexington Commons land is also planned, with 130 single-family homes. The planning commission questioned how the 68,000 square feet of "live-work" space would be allotted in the Lexington Commons project. Adams said that element was designed so people can choose to work and live in the same building, but he had no concrete numbers on how many people that could accommodate. "It's hard to define that in terms of a unit," Adams said. But Adams agreed to put a limit on the number of bedrooms each residential unit had, with a maximum of two bedrooms per unit to discourage the location of families with several children. Jeff DeHart of Scout Properties said the proposed use of a hotel at Lexington Commons would be appropriate, contrary to the beliefs of city staff. He also said the child care facility (also opposed by city staff) was necessary to generate customers for the retail stores in Lexington Commons.
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