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Fairburn’s boom continues

By BEN NELMS
bnelms@TheCitizenNews.com

To say things are booming in Fairburn would be an understatement. Having nearly doubled in population since 2000, the city is seeing a constant expansion in business along Ga. Highway 74, Fairburn’s emerging commercial district. And it is the section of Hwy. 74 just east of I-85 that is seeing a growth explosion.

As is customary for locations in metro Atlanta with close proximity to expressways, the growing business community along Fairburn’s portion of the Hwy. 74 corridor will attract increasing numbers of interstate travelers. Currently more than 41,000 vehicles traverse the interchange area each day. Yet far from being the province of Fairburn and South Fulton, the Hwy. 74 corridor is a main traffic artery for the many thousands that live in west Fayette and east Coweta counties. For many residents of Tyrone, Peachtree City and down to Senoia, it is the primary access point to I-85. In light of that reality, Fairburn City Administrator Jim Williams said the time is right for conscientious commercial development along the corridor from I-85 to the Milam Road area.

“We’ve got a lot of good things going on. The development of this corridor is intended to make the commercial areas more desirable for our residents and others in the surrounding area,” Williams said. “What we envision is having continuous shopping from Milam Road to Oakley.”

The aim today, Williams said, is to have development well planned and well executed. The city has seen more development in the past year than in any year in Fairburn’s history, he said. And following that plan, the city is emphasizing commercial and industrial development, having prepared a number of areas for commercial development.

“We’re on the threshold of major development and we want to be prepared for it,” said Williams. “We want things to develop in such a way that it doesn’t cripple us here or those to the south on Hwy. 74.”

Just east of I-85 on both sides of Hwy. 74 will be four new motels averaging 60-70 rooms. Hampton Inn is nearing completion on the east side of Hwy. 74 almost adjacent to the expressway and construction on the Wingate Inn a few blocks south is well underway. Between the two will be a Zaxby’s restaurant at the corner of Hwy. 74 and Oakley Industrial.

Directly across Hwy. 74 and behind Wendy’s and Racetrac will be the location of the Sleep Inn and Country Inn motels, both of which should see a start in construction by the beginning of 2006, Williams said. Other as yet undetermined commercial enterprises just to the west of the motels are slated for the 9.02-acre parcel further behind the Wendy’s restaurant and the Country Inn site and a 19.68-acre tract directly across Oakley Industrial, behind RaceTrac and the Sleep Inn site. The sites are zoned C-2 Commercial. The property is being developed by Simmons Vedder through the approval of a recent rezoning request. The company also developed warehouse sites further down Oakley Industrial.

“Simmons Vedder always does a great job of landscaping and maintaining their property along with installing tasteful signs and nice lighting on the roadway,” Williams said.

Property on both sides of Hwy. 74 all the way to the Fayette County line will likely be developed. Currently at Milam Road, 19.87 acres on the northeast corner of Hwy. 74 and Milam Road has been rezoned for commercial use. The largest parcel, 14.4 acres, is situated along Milam Road. The conceptual site plan called for a proposed 60,000 square-foot “big box” retail business with approximately 24,300 square feet of other retail spaces attached and parking for more than 500 vehicles. Three additional outparcels, ranging from 1.2 to 1.6 acres in size, were being considered at the site. Two of the outparcels would front Hwy. 74 while the third would be situated to the east, near the retail space adjacent to the “big box” site. The outparcels might be developed as commercial retail centers or as free-standing commercial facilities such as restaurants, banks or other businesses, depending on market conditions. Not set in stone, the conceptual plan could be re-worked to include a large swath of property positioned in the direction of Oakley Industrial. Recent rezoning has also paved the way for commercial activity on the southeast side of Milam and Hwy. 74 toward the Fayette county line, the area surrounding the new Bank of Georgia building.

Williams said the installation of two median cutouts between Oakley Industrial and Milam Road will aid in providing vehicular access to businesses on both sides of Hwy. 74. He said an important part of the planning for the corridor involves the installation of interparcel roads on both sides of Hwy. 74 from I-85 to the Fayette County line just south of Milam Road as the various tracts are developed.

“Our ordinance says that if you develop, you provide interparcel access,” said Williams. “This is a wonderful opportunity. There is no reason we can’t have a first class entrance to the city from the south. And the interparcel access roads will be designed with the movement of traffic in mind. They will be a qualitative component of the overall development that helps provide convenient access shopping.”

Though less noticeable from Hwy. 74 but long present in the planning is the area along Plantation Road. Plantation roughly parallels Hwy. 74 between Milam Road and Oakley Industrial. Pavement and drainage gutters have been installed at no cost to the city. The work was done by developers, Williams said.

Back up Hwy. 74 and west on Oakley Industrial and across Bohannon Road is the site of the 600,000 square-foot S. C. Johnson southeast distribution center that opened in 2004. Another development near Oakley Industrial is a 600,000 square-foot warehouse on a 37.095-acre site on the southwest corner of Bohannon Road and Creekwood by property owner Simmons Vedder. Williams said the first phase of the plan called for construction of a 490,000 square-foot facility with access off Creekwood Road. The plan also includes an area on the site for a Phase 2 expansion of an additional 110,000 square feet.

Looking at the growth along what is becoming Fairburn’s commercial corridor, Williams assessed the current and coming commercial activity with an eye towards serving the growing communities in South Fulton, Fayette and Coweta counties.

“I look at the area and I see nothing but opportunity,” he said.

Given the rapid growth in the area, it is only a matter of time before major grocery chains, big box stores and other retailers will establish their claims to the area. For Fairburn, South Fulton and the surrounding areas in Fayette and Coweta, it is not a matter of looking to the future. The future is here.