Wednesday, November 27, 2002

The South Pavilion, Fayette-dale They are coming, if you don't speak out against it. Be at the City Hall Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. Let the Fayetteville City Council know how you feel.

The council will be voting on the rezoning of land along Ga. Highway 92 Extension, Jimmy Mayfield Boulevard and Hwy. 92 South. They have already rezoned property at the corner of Hwy. 92 Extension and Hwy. 92 South to commercial. And property adjacent to the north side of Kingswood subdivision has been zoned to townhouse/condominiums.

Most of us in the surrounding neighborhoods in the city and county must have been sleeping when that happened. But we finally woke up when word came that the council was about to approve a new portion of Hwy. 92 Extension east across Jimmy Mayfield/Hwy. 92 South going to South Jeff Davis, with all four corners of that intersection rezoned commercial.

And they are looking at additional commercial and townhouse/condominium zoning north of Hwy. 92 Extension between Ga. Highway 85 and Bradley Drive. Do you live in these areas of Fayetteville or Fayette County like we do?

Does traffic on Hwy. 92 South cause you long delays in pulling out of and into your subdivision now? Seen any accidents in the area? Heard of any plans for traffic signals to stop traffic so you can get in and out safely? It will get worse if you don't speak out against it!

Do you live in this area because Fayette County schools are so well-known for excellence in education and not overcrowding? Do the schools your children attend have an abundance of classrooms and moderate student/teacher ratios? Or are their classrooms overcrowded? It will get worse if you don't speak out against it!

Do you live in the southside of Fayetteville or in adjacent subdivisions of south Fayette County because it's out of the way of commercial and business development? Do you live there because it's not near townhouses or condominiums or apartment complexes? Do you live there because it's away from the news of crimes of robbery, muggings and rape? All these things that you don't want are on the way toward your neighborhood if you don't speak out against it!

Oh, forgot to mention the concerns for increased rain water runoff and erosion over cleared land and poor water quality in the area that can result from the new developments. EPA is concerned with that. Are you?

Did you buy your home expecting its value to appreciate? Or did you expect its value to be dragged down by rezoning for commercial development and hundreds of townhouse/condominiums and two or more houses per acre on property that is adjacent to your neighborhood? All that is on the way right now, along with more traffic congestion, more school overcrowding, more commercial development, more population density, and more crime. It is all coming and your property value is going down because of it, if you don't speak out against it!

The Fayetteville City Council is going to make all these things possible if you don't speak out and let them know your opinion, as a Fayette County taxpayer.

And if you are a citizen in the city of Fayetteville, your voice will be even louder as a Fayetteville city taxpayer. The Fayetteville City Council works for you, or at least they should!

The council is voting on rezoning issues that will transform Fayetteville's Southside into what is likely to become the next overpopulated commercial mecca of south metro Atlanta. If you don't know what it will be like, take a look at the areas surrounding the North Pavilion in Fayetteville or throughout Riverdale. Better yet, ask someone that lives, or used to live, in either of those places or dozens of other communities north of Fayette County.

Just look at the communities in metro Atlanta that used to be quiet neighborhoods until strong commercial influences coupled with poor to no planning by the zoning agencies led to constant traffic congestion, overpopulation, inadequate school space, and decreased property value.

Growth is inevitable. Planned and controlled growth can be good for all living in the area, if the best interest of all involved is dealt with and fair compromises are made. But the rezoning plans that the Fayetteville City Council is about to act on accommodates only the current undeveloped land owners, and most of them don't even live in Fayette County. They claim to be listening to the concerns of neighboring citizens. But there seems to be little or no interest in the needs and desires expressed by homeowners and taxpayers that do live in the city and county around the Southside area being considered for rezoning right now.

If you think your opinion doesn't matter, ask Roy Barnes, our ex-governor, what happens when a governing party ignores what the majority of its taxpayers want.

Robert and Patricia Carroll

Fayette County