Wednesday, May 21, 2003
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Wednesday, May 21, 2003 |
County, Tyrone sites prime for office space development, consultants sayBy JOHN
MUNFORD
Fayette County's population will continue to grow in the future and the county's economic development authority wants to make sure Fayette's job opportunities grow, too. With a projected five to eight years of space left in Peachtree City's industrial park, the authority sees a need for more Class A office space, and it commissioned a study of nine sites in the county that could fill that need. The goal is to get the landowners, developers and government officials and other stakeholders talking about the possibility, said Chris Clark, CEO of the Fayette County Development Authority. In addition to the economic benefits of attracting companies to office space, the goal is to create more jobs for Fayette residents so they don't have to commute to jobs in Atlanta or elsewhere, Clark added. "This is just to start the conversation," Clark said. Each of the nine original sites studied by a consulting firm are on four-lane roads so there will be no problem with that infrastructure, Clark said. Although some of the properties available are in Tyrone, including one with good rail access that is becoming more rare in Atlanta, the main focus is on property on Ga. Highway 54 West just outside of the Fayetteville city limits that could become a research and development low tech business park. That 65-acre site would ideally be mixed-use with some commercial and residential components as well, which might blend with the school board's plans to locate another high school there also, Clark said. "It's a unique opportunity to provide employment and a community center," Clark said. The plan could contain some greenspace and, perhaps, a university center, Clark suggested. Allowing some commercial units on the property helps make the project more palatable to the landowner but the mixed use concept can help the area avoid becoming over commercialized, Clark said. The idea is to avoid strip commercial development or a long row of car dealerships, Clark said. "That's something nobody around here really wants," Clark said. The largest site studied is the 750-acre Rivers Farm, which stretches from Sandy Creek Road to Hwy. 54, wrapping around Fayette Community Hospital. The consultants recommend that site could provide a mixed-use solution with residential, limited commercial, public space, office and heavy green space. The project should also be master planned and public involvement may be necessary due to the importance and size of the property, the consultants recommended. One of the significant challenges, however, is that all the sites studied are in the county and Tyrone, where no sewer services is available. Clark contends the need for sewer access is important, otherwise the office park concept won't get off the ground. "It's not marketable if it doesn't have the proper infrastructure," Clark said. "If you limit it to a septic tank the most you'll get is a one-story brick building." Clark added that he's not talking about skyscrapers or large obtrusive buildings, either. The sewer matter will be for the elected officials to handle, Clark said. In the past, the county and Tyrone have resisted efforts to have sewer systems extended into their jurisdictions, but recently county commission chairman Greg Dunn has said he wouldn't oppose extending sewer access into the county to serve the expansion for Fayette Community Hospital, which will likely be annexed into Fayetteville anyway. Clark envisions "quality" office complexes at the various sites with landscaping and setbacks to create a nice appearance. "That helps market the property," Clark added. Tyrone might be an ideal location for high-end distribution firms since such companies have lower numbers of employees but with relatively high wages, Clark said. "All of these things need to be planned at the same time," Clark said. "We want to create a sense of place."
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