Wednesday, Mar. 2, 2005 | ||
Bad Links? | Wieland slashes annexation densityBy JOHN MUNFORD John Wieland Homes has cut the density of its proposed west Peachtree City annexation in half, with 360 homes on 360 acres instead of the previously proposed 750 homes. The company is still committing to extending MacDuff Parkway, and building the necessary at-grade railroad safety crossing and traffic light where the road would line up across Ga. Highway 74 from the southern entrance to Kedron Drive, according to Wieland Vice President Dan Fields. The road extension would be done first by the company, meaning it could be done much quicker and cheaper than if the city took up the project itself, Fields said Tuesday afternoon. Last month, the City Council voted to set aside $280,000 for engineering the road extension, whether or not the annexation is approved. Although the new density is equal to one lot per acre, the land located in the unincorporated county is zoned for lots with a minimum size of 2 acres. Wieland officials want to combine the 360-acre tract in the county with an 88-acre tract thats already in the city limits, which is currently zoned for industrial use and would require a rezoning for residential construction. Another significant cut from the previous Wieland annexation proposal includes the amenities, such as the village green and civic area, which now will be stripped from the proposed project, officials indicated. In an e-mail copied to The Citizen, Mayor Steve Brown lamented the loss of the amenities and the 340 units of senior housing that would have almost no negative impact on our community schools and traffic. Never in our citys history have we seen such overwhelming support for a promising annexation from the adjacent homeowners, churches, businesses, public safety chiefs and the Board of Education, Brown wrote. For this proposal never to make it to the planning staff is disheartening. The City Council is due to consider whether or not the annexation should be pursued by city staff. If so, the proposal could be fleshed out with staff input before a final vote from the council to officially approve or deny the annexation request. If council rebuffs the effort, the project could go back to the drawing board for Wieland staff, who could ultimately decide to drop the matter entirely. In his letter to the City Council, Fields said the benefits include the extension of MacDuff at no taxpayer expense and the additional tax revenues generated from the upscale homes and the impact to the overall quality of life in the City. Fields also told The Citizen that the new proposal would be more in keeping with the citys plans to have less dense residential developments further away from major intersections, such as the one at Ga. Highways 54/74. While he wouldnt reveal the estimated cost for building the at-grade railroad crossing improvements, Fields said it is significantly higher than the citys ballpark estimate of $2.79 million. If the annexation is approved, Wieland will foot the bill, taking the burden off city taxpayers, Fields said. City residents in the area are clamoring for traffic relief since the only way in and out of the area is Hwy. 54 West, an oft-clogged traffic corridor. Extending MacDuff Parkway north to Hwy. 74 will create another path in for traffic, but supporters of the road have made clear they dont want MacDuff to become a shortcut for vehicles trying to circumvent the bogged-down intersection of Hwys. 54 and 74. The road extension will also require an at-grade railroad crossing. The 360-acre tract in question thats currently in the unincorporated county was part of a larger annexation proposal studied, but ultimately voted down, by the City Council in August 2000. The lands previous owner, Pathway Communities, unsuccessfully fought the county in court to change the zoning to a minimum lot size of one acre. Several council members have noted that makes it apparent that the county is willing to defend its land use planning for the parcel, which could possibly mean opposing a high-density annexation bid from the city. An annexation moratorium was reinstated by the 2000 council, which lasted until last year when the current council, pushed by Brown, removed the moratorium in favor of a process that allows developers unlimited tries at getting their projects incorporated into the city. Wieland has been wrestling with the current annexation proposal for months. Several council members expressed concern with the high density originally proposed for the project, and last week two council members indicated they would not support further study of the annexation plan, in large part due to the high density of the previous Wieland proposal. |
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