Wednesday, April 14, 2004

PTC Planning Commission in approving mood on Monday By MICHAEL BOYLAN mboylan@TheCitizenNews.com When things like amendments to the limited use commercial zoning ordinance, rezonings and site plan approvals come before the Peachtree City Planning Commission, one typically thinks of long debates and the high possibility of a denial. That wasn’t the case at Monday night’s meeting as all three issues were approved by the planning commission. Peter Corbett of MetroGroup Development, the group responsible for developing the area around Lexington Circle, the location of Bruster’s Ice Cream and Buckhead Brewery, asked for a modification in the limited use commercial zoning ordinance. The change amounted to taking out the phrase “multi-family residences in second-floor apartments” and replacing it with fee simple townhomes. According to Corbett, the market was not there for the second-story loft apartments to work. The change would replace the unbuilt 80 apartment units allowed on the property with 42 townhomes ranging in price from $250,000 to $300,000. The commission approved this request but not before commission member Marty Mullin spoke out about the developers going away from the “Main Street feel” of the original plan for the Lexington Circle mixed-use development. “This is not how the big picture was and every time we turn around it looks different,” said Mullin. “As much as I enjoy Buckhead Brewery and Bruster’s, they are just buildings in the middle of a parking lot. It is not pedestrian-friendly, which is what was originally intended. That whole area is a sea of asphalt.” Mullin urged the developers to hold on to the bigger picture and stated that the potential was still there. The developers will come back in the future with a proposed site plan and Mullin and other members of the commission hoped that future plans refocus on the “Main Street” idea. The rezoning that came before the planning commission was for a 1.97 acre tract of land on Peachtree Parkway North between the TDK guesthouse and the Flat Creek Golf Course. Nicholas Fouts has a contingent contract on the property, which is zoned Villa Residential, and was asking that the area be rezoned to R-22, so that he could build a home for him and his wife and a home for his in-laws. The area initially was to be used by companies to house employees in a number of small dwellings but, according to city planner David Rast, there has been no interest in that kind of residence. Adjacent properties are zoned R-43, and Fouts will be allowed to develop the land there, but it will have to conform to R-43 standards. It could not be rezoned to R-43 because there is not enough land for it to qualify for that category. The planning commission approved this request. As for the site plan, the developers are planning on putting a 6,400 square-foot restaurant, Carraba’s, and a 6,200 square-foot retail space in the space where the Westpark Walk movie theater was located. The theater was 14,000 square feet, with an additional 3,000 square feet of space upstairs, so this development is smaller. There will be no renovations to the parking area, no outside seating and no additional landscaping necessary. Jerry Peterson, representing Stuart Holdings, LLC, stated that construction would begin later this year and the development would be done by late 2004 or early 2005. There was no mention of what retailer may be moving into the space. The planning commission approved the request. The Peachtree City Planning Commission is scheduled to meet again April 26 at 7 p.m. at City Hall in Peachtree City.