Restaurant gets 30 more days

By J. FRANK LYNCH
jflynch@theCitizenNews.com

The Buckhead Brewery has won another 30-day reprieve.

The hugely popular Peachtree City eatery, open since late April at Lexington Circle off Ga. Highway 54 East, was threatened with closure by city officials this week because its 30-day Certificate of Occupancy expired.

The temporary permit allowed the restaurant to go ahead with its grand opening April 28, the same night a representative from Buckhead Brewery appeared before the Peachtree City Planning Commission to answer concerns about the eatery's landscaping. The representative assured them that the landscaping would be improved by June.

But then it started to rain, and a contractor working on the site this week simply could not meet the deadline, said Troy Besseche, city engineer.

So another 30-day permit has been issued, and this time the restaurant would be wise to show some progress, Besseche said.

The main grievance is the lack of a natural, raised barrier between the restaurant and the homes directly behind it in the residential component of Lexington Circle. The restaurant has been asked to build an earthen berm planted with appropriate trees and shrubs to help shield the view.

Last weekend, it was clear that not much besides a plastic fence separates the back parking lot of the Buckhead Brewery and the back yards of about a half dozen homeowners. Some were seen doing yard work while hungry restaurant patrons jockeyed for limited parking spots.

It isn't all that unusual for the city to issue a temporary Certificate of Occupancy, Besseche said, but extending it another month is rare.

"We do it from time to time," Besseche said. "The rain had a significant affect on (the restaurant) handling some of the side issues during the first temporary CO."

The latest permit gives Buckhead Brewery until the end of June to find a solution. Patrons will notice no change in the hours or menu while the landscaping work is ongoing.