Friday, May 15, 2004

New plan: townhomes to replace lofts, some retail at Lexington Circle By JOHN MUNFORD jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com A proposed change for the Lexington Circle mixed-use development in east Peachtree City would add 42 fee-simple townhome units but eliminate 36,000 sq. ft. of retail space and 11,000 sq. ft. of second-floor loft apartments. But it’s not that simple an issue, because such a change to the limited-use commercial zoning for the property could throw off the master plan for the entire site, which involves a separate property owner. Coordination between the two property owners is seen as key since they both have to build their share of a road to connect both tracts. The plan that was previously approved for the site, at the intersection of Ga. Highway 54 east and Walt Banks Road, calls for “no more than 80 units” of multi-family loft apartments. The new plan would eliminate those entirely if approved. Several City Council members expressed concern last week that changing the plan for the eastern portion of Lexington Circle might cause changes to be sought for the western portion of the project. The developer’s plan calls for the townhomes to be located along the edge of the property bordering the Lexington Park subdivision. Elimination of the 36,000 sq. ft. of retail space would shrink the overall commercial area allowed on the parcel to two retail stores: one with a maximum size of 50,000 sq. ft and another of up to 40,000 sq. ft. Already, several restaurants have located at Lexington Circle, including Zaxby’s, Buckhead Brewery and Brewster’s Ice Cream, joining drug store chain CVS. Any changes to the Lexington Circle plan also must be approved by a special architectural review board created for the property and also by the planning commission. City Planner David Rast told the council last week that it might be a good idea to look at the entire plan for Lexington Circle and see how the proposal would fit in. The council tabled the issue so more legwork on the issue could take place.

Back to News Home Page