Wednesday, May 15, 2002
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Wednesday, May 15, 2002 |
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Reluctantly, Fayette OKs F'ville annexation request By JOHN THOMPSON
Fayetteville got the green light last week to annex 53 acres into the city, but the County Commission is predicting dire consequences for the development. The land is at the intersection of Ga. Hwys 85 and 92, and is part of the city's proposed Southside Master Plan. The newly annexed land is called Summit Point, and features 28 acres of office and retail and nearly 25 acres for 72 homes. Currently, the property is zoned AR in the county, which calls for five-acre lot sizes. "I do have concerns about this project. We don't have any resolution for the traffic problem," said Commissioner Peter Pfeifer. The other commissioners agreed with Pfeiffer, but realized there was nothing they could do. The property is an "island" it's surrounded by city property and has to be allowed to be annexed. Recent law changes will keep cities from annexing property to create islands, but this parcel falls in under a grandfathering clause. Commissioner Linda Wells said the development is going to add another 68 students to the Fayette County School System, and said the impact on traffic would be "tremendous." While the annexed land will have an impact on traffic, Commission Chairman Greg Dunn reminded the audience and his fellow commissioners that this is only part of Fayetteville's overall plan for the area. "There's almost 300 acres there. This is just a small part of a much larger operation. It will probably require another school to be built, and this has not been coordinated with us," he said. Dunn added the city has sent the Southside Master Plan to the Atlanta Regional Commission for review, but has not included the county in the loop. He asked the staff to get a copy of the plan, and added he would support the plan if it was in the middle of Atlanta, because it's clustering retail, office and housing together. The County Commission voted 4-1 to approve the annexation and send all its concerns to the city. Commissioner Wells voted against it, because she did not want to give any indication she supported it.
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