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Still time to keep
PTC from losing its way
By now, I’m sure you’ve
received volumes of mail describing the various legalities of the proposed
new development for the Kedron Village Retail Center. I’m not going
to bore you with legalese. I’d like you to consider the larger picture
of building a retail center in the middle of a residential community and
how this might play out over time.
Let’s think back a few years. Peachtree City used to be a nice little
oasis that families could move to and get away from “big city problems”
like, crime, traffic, pollution and the like. Here we had quiet little
neighborhoods where children could ride their bikes all through our community
and parents didn’t have to worry about them being in any danger.
In fact, we consciously made some trade-offs when deciding to move here.
We didn’t have the best shopping close to us; we didn’t have
the best restaurants close to us; we didn’t have the best cultural
opportunities close to us. However, it was a trade-off that we were more
than willing to make because we did have a great community in which to
raise a family.
Family. That’s what this city is all about. Little league, church
socials, all types of activities that involve the family. It’s who
we are (even if other communities in Atlanta make fun of us) and we’re
proud of the way we live. I, for one, don’t want to see us change
this in any way and I hope that you don’t either. This brings me
to my concern: the planned development of the Kedron Village Retail Center,
Phases 2 and 3.
As I understand it, this land is going to be developed in such a way as
to bring in several new “big boxes” (even though we have a no-big-box
law) with a main entrance that will be located right in the middle of
an existing neighborhood!
I can only imagine what this area will look like in a few years: Litter,
noise, traffic, crime. These are the reasons we moved away from Atlanta.
I’m certainly not against development of our city, but it used to
be planned. Now it seems as if we’re no different than any other
city: A gas station on every corner and a mall to hang out in. This is
not the kind of environment that builds strong families. And an entrance
to this shopping complex right in the middle of an existing neighborhood!
I still can’t get over it. Isn’t anyone at City Hall thinking
about the dangers this presents to the children that live in this neighborhood,
or are the increased tax revenues more important these days than our kids?
At this point, I’ve been told that the development of this new big
box shopping complex is a fait accompli. This is unfortunate, but hopefully
there’s still time to influence the development of the proposed entrance
and exit points.
M. Joseph Bowman
Peachtree City, Ga.
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