Wednesday, November 22, 2000

By DAVE HAMRICK
dhamrick@TheCitizenNews.com

Peachtree City activist Steve Brown wants local governments to move faster toward implementing his proposed "Education First in Fayette" policies.

"The... proposal is lingering in the County Commission," Brown said in an e-mail to The Citizen this week.

Brown has been pushing for adoption of a guideline that makes impact on education the number one priority in making planning and zoning decisions.

"All I'm asking is that they adhere to the land use plan," Brown said in an earlier interview. The current sitting commissioners have "done a dynamite job" of following the county's comprehensive plan in making zoning decisions, Brown added, but said he fears future commissioners might stray from that path unless there's a written policy to keep them on it.

"We're one elected official away from changing that balance," he said, adding that he believes previous boards have been guilty of granting zoning changes that added significantly to the expected density of development.

Some local cities also have been too liberal for Brown's taste when it comes to land use decisions, he said. "We need to make a multi-jurisdictional commitment to saying this is where we're going," he said.

Board of Education planners use the land use plan to estimate the future need for classroom space, Brown said. "The development model we follow has a lot to do with our ability to properly educate our children, draw and retain quality families and maintain our quality of life," he said by e-mail this week. "The first two signs that your model is failing is (1) traffic problems and (2) school overcrowding."

Brown said his proposal is not "anti-growth. Instead, it calls for controlled, planned growth as mandated by the comprehensive land use plans."

A county spokesman said Brown's proposal is being reviewed by staff, which will make a recommendation to county commissioners.

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