Friday, April 27, 2001
Friday, April 27, 2001 |
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Ethan Allen, Dixie Wing hangar, Gathering Place expansion approved by commission
By JOHN
MUNFORD Plans to locate a Ethan Allen Furniture Showroom at the Marketplace retail center have been approved by the Peachtree City Planning Commission. The commission also gave a "tentative approval" for an aircraft hangar near Falcon Field for the Dixie Wing of the Confederate Air Force. Also approved was an expansion of the Gathering Place. The 18,825 sq. ft. Ethan Allen store will be located adjacent to the Staples building right off Ga. Highway 54. Officials hope to begin construction in late June and open in late February, said Brad Reardon of the Preston Phillips Partnership, Inc. The Planning Commission approved the concept plan for the building but expressed concern about saving a significant stand of trees that would buffer the building from Hwy. 54. So the commission added a condition requiring the company to work with city staff to save those trees if possible. The building will have approximately 60 parking spaces. The tentative approval for the Dixie Wing hangar allows the group to begin grading work in hopes of having the facility ready for the group's annual air show at Falcon Field in September, the week after Labor Day. Had the commission waited to make a decision, it could have cost precious time on the project, a Dixie Wing spokesman said. The tentative approval means that if there are any conflicts with staff over changes that need to be made, the concept plan must go back before the Planning Commission. The facility will be used to restore antique World War II-era aircraft and store the planes also. The Dixie Wing is a volunteer organization and the facility will not be staffed full-time. Including the hangar, office and maintenance facility, the building is slated to be 21,180 square feet. It will be located off Echo Court in the airport's industrial park and parking will be provided for 20 cars. The Gathering Place expansion will add 2,054 square feet of space to the existing 4,800 sq. ft. structure. A storage basement area is also planned. The new building will be added to the rear of the existing structure.
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