PTC fine-tunes its annexing process

With a new procedure for handling annexation requests in the works, Peachtree City may lift its moratorium on such proposals in the near future.

That means the annexation request from John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods for a 364-acre tract north of McDuff Parkway will have to wait another two months. That’s the estimated length of time for the city to get the new annexation procedures officially on the books, and the city council officially tabled the Wieland request so that could take place.

The next step is for review by the city’s planning commission, said City Planner David Rast.

The city council voted unanimously last week for city staff to begin creating the necessary amendment to the zoning ordinance. The planning commission will review the changes at its meeting Monday, June 28, officials said.

The annexation was actually proposed to John Wieland officials by Mayor Steve Brown, who wants to extend McDuff Parkway north to Ga. Highway 74 to relieve traffic congestion at the intersection of Hwy. 74 and Ga. Highway 54.

City Planner David Rast said the proposed procedures for handling annexation requests would not overburden city staff. The procedures would be split into two parts, with the first step aimed at identifying whether or not the proposed annexation and development is compatible with the city’s comprehensive land use plan, Rast said.

“I don’t think it will be overly time-consuming,” Rast said.

The first step puts the lion’s share of the workload on the developer before the city council determines whether or not the proposal should continue through the annexation review process, Rast said. That vote would in no way commit the city to approving the annexation, Rast added.

If the council approves further review of a given annexation application, that’s when city staff gets involved to “develop a detailed analysis of the proposed annexation, a schematic master plan of the proposed development, and a more informed recommendation that will ultimately be considered by other governmental agencies, the planning commission and city council,” according to city documents.

Councilman Steve Rapson said he wanted to make sure the initial annexation application form included density information for the project because he felt that information was important for the council to evaluate whether or not to proceed with the process for each application.