Friday, March 16, 2001
Friday, March 16, 2001 |
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Best locations for Peachtree City transit station pondered Consultant suggests starting with West Village bus station, rail possible later
By JOHN
MUNFORD For now, forget the idea of a commuter rail station in Peachtree City. Instead, think of a commuter bus station at a site that could later be used for a commuter rail station. That's the suggestion of a consultant working with an advisory board which will consider possible locations for such a structure in the Ga. Highway 54 West corridor as the West Village of Peachtree City takes shape. The board, made up of landowners and developers in the area along with city residents, held its first meeting Monday, and the commuter bus/rail station was the main focus of the discussion. The group can "visualize" the bus service as a more immediate need, said Laura Heery of the Brookwood Group, who helped conduct the meeting. Heery presented several proposed plans for the rail station that would tie commercial units near the station, which could be the focal point of the West Village. The Hwy. 54 West advisory board will devise a five-year plan for that area with the goal of making it a place for people to live and work, encouraging them to abandon their cars to a large extent. One way to do so, Heery said, is to consider mixing uses by allowing residential lofts to be built over retail and office space so those business owners can live upstairs if they choose. "The trend is moving from malls to main street retail," Heery said, pointing to The Avenue at Peachtree City shopping center which will open later this month as a prime example. The plan must be submitted to the Atlanta Regional Commission by June 30, and hopes are that the ARC will provide grant funds to implement parts of the plan. The ARC is funding the consultant's work on the project after the city was approved for this study grant. If the bus/rail depot becomes a reality, Heery suggested it have plenty of parking for golf carts, so city residents don't have to drive their cars a few miles just to park. Later on, a parking lot for automobiles could be expanded to a parking deck if necessary, she added. The location of the station was one of the advisory board's main discussions. Heery presented two ideas: a location where the Line Creek Baptist Church is currently located or further north along the rail line near the AT&T Broadband office. The Line Creek Baptist location idea assumes that the property will be available, and Doug McMurrain of RAM Development confirmed that he is in discussions with the church to possibly acquire the property. But McMurrain said he fully supported the idea of locating the station there. "We're willing to participate in it, although it would slow us down," McMurrain said. Heery said that site would also be good because of its proximity to The Avenue. Eileen Shaw, a resident of Planterra Ridge subdivision, said the Line Creek Baptist site would create more traffic on Hwy. 54 and she didn't think that was a good idea. She also said the rail/bus depot would bring with it a higher density requirement from the ARC. Heery said the ARC wants to work with people in the local community with these projects and density "won't be forced on you." The location near the cable company site could pose access problems, however, because of the at-grade railroad crossing. Longer turn lanes would be needed to accompany the potential traffic, it was also mentioned. Heery also said that site is further away from the activity area surrounding The Avenue and future Wal-Mart/Home Depot area. Jerry Peterson of Pathway Communities also suggested that a possible site for the bus/rail depot could be on vacant land in the industrial park. Heery said a good argument could be made for that location if the area shows "a good bit of development." City Planner David Rast wants the group to increase its scope to consider items such as landscaping and architectural controls that could tie the entire Village together. He admitted, however, that talk of "mixed use development" and a bus/rail station would likely brew some controversy among local residents. "Not everyone is going to agree that we are ready for this type of development, but we have to look at reality and decide what kind of community we are going to become," Rast said. "We have set the standard for growth and development in the Atlanta region for years and the Livable Centers Initiative program is a great opportunity to showcase Peachtree City and our commitment to providing alternate transportation for the residents of our community."
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