Wednesday, February 19, 2003

PTC growth brings unwanted traffic, crime

We are writing on behalf of the citizens of Peachtree City who are greatly concerned for the future of our city and way of life.

Unchecked zoning attitudes and profit motivation have allowed for staggering growth to transpire within the past five years. Continued unrestrained growth will only lead to the inevitable degradation of the city we love to call home.

Using areas such as Riverdale and greater Gwinnett County as models, one can logically foresee the future of Peachtree City.

The recent purchase of 28 new patrol cars by the police department is just one example of the high costs to both taxpayers and city personnel that comes with our current pattern of growth.

The trailers present at schools across the city indicate the degree of seriousness this problem presents. The traffic has also gotten dramatically worse, especially with the recent erection of the Wal-Mart/Home Depot center on Ga. Highway 54.

If this misguided growth endures, congestion will be prevalent throughout the rest of the city.

We are not mere Malthusian naysayers; rather we promulgate the unfortunate truth. Furthermore, the introduction of low-cost housing complexes opens the door for those with a higher statistical proclivity for committing crimes and also destroys the aesthetic value of the city.

The two murders in the past decade or so have been perpetrated by minorities who were inhabitants of low-cost housing establishments. Unless we wish to emulate the nightly news, an immediate cessation of all growth and development is due.

Chadwick J. Barr

Michael J. Thompson

studentsPeachtree City