Commercial rezoning for restaurant dies unapproved by PTC planning commission

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

Although it rebuffed a rezoning to change a framing shop into a restaurant, the Peachtree City Planning Commission approved a plan to build a combination Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pizza Hut Express at its meeting Monday night.

Pat Wright was asking for a limited commercial rezoning for the property, which currently has a limited use commercial zoning at its location on Ga. Highway 74 North in the Whitlock Place subdivision, the rest of which is zoned for office-institutional. She plans to sell the property to a person who will open a locally-owned restaurant.

City staff opposed the rezoning, saying it would create a spot-zoning situation and open up adjacent properties for commercial development.

City Planner David Rast said Wright's property isn't deemed commercial in nature on either the current or future land use plan.

Director of Developmental Services Jim Williams said the most appropriate way to accomodate Wright's plans would be the creation of another limited use commercial zoning plan. But the current plans aren't specific enough to do that, he added.

Wright argued that property within 500 feet of hers is zoned commercially.

A motion to approve the rezoning failed 3-2, and the commission let that stand as its comment on the request. The City Council will make the final decision on the rezoning.

The KFC/Pizza Hut restaurant building approved by the commission will be located at the Kedron Village retail center adjacent to Goodyear and Wachovia Bank.

David Bohannon, a company representative, said the Pizza Hut Express area could actually be replaced by a Taco Bell depending on a market analysis. Since the building will be on property controlled by Pathway Communities, it will have to adhere to architectural guidelines and will not be allowed to have its traditional red roof exterior, Bohannon said.

The commission also approved a landscape plan for the building expansion at Cooper Lighting. City Planner David Rast said although the contractor failed to bring the landscape plan to the city for review, Cooper Lighting has one of the nicer-landscaped sites among all of Peachtree City's industrial locations.

City staff directed one significant change from that original landscape plan, moving more trees along Hwy. 74 to help screen the parking area, Rast noted.

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