Friday, Aug. 19, 2005 | ||
Bad Links? | DAPC looking at redevelopmentBy JOHN MUNFORD The Development Authority of Peachtree City is hoping to focus on several key parcels in town that could be prime spots for significant redevelopment. Two spots off Ga. Highway 54 West piqued the authoritys interest Tuesday night: a tract of land behind the Days Inn and abutting the Line Creek Nature Area and another in the nearby Line Creek Office Park. The latter is big enough to potentially host a development the size of the Home Depot and Wal-Mart shopping center if several tracts were pieced together, City Planner David Rast told the authority. Authority member Todd Strickland said the drawings done for the commercial development on the north side of the road could possibly be used to lure a quality developer. Those drawings were made for RAM Development, which ultimately agreed to use a similar type of architecture on all outparcels along the highway, Rast noted. The tract behind the Days Inn would be ideal for a Class A, high-quality office building, particularly because of the view it would have of the Line Creek Nature Area, Rast suggested. The authority could have a representative sit in on talks between city officials such as the planning commission and private developers, in hopes of expressing what the authority would like to see on certain properties to enhance the citys tax base, Rast said. Rast also spoke of several other key tracts in significant areas of the city that are currently undeveloped or could be redeveloped, including: An undeveloped parcel on the corner of Walt Banks Road and Ga. Highway 54, which will be home to mixed use projects combining office/storefronts with residential lofts above. Several developers have approached the city about different developments that focused on residential development only, but the property is zoned for mixed use development, Rast said. Another parcel on Ga. Highway 74 south near Rockaway Road, which is zoned for light industrial use but could ultimately be developed as residential. The proposed realignment of Rockaway Road with the traffic light for the intersection of Holly Grove Road on Ga. Highway 74 would involve this particular property, Rast noted. A cluster of more than 10 homes in the area of Williams Circle and Robinson Court just off Ga. Highway 54 near Robinson Road. Rast noted that a developer would have to buy out a number of property owners in the Peachtree Colony area, but the location on the highway is so significant that it could possibly happen. He added that the city has no plans to condemn those parcels, and even if the city developed plans for the site, input would be necessary from the property owners. Drake Field, the city-owned park between City Hall and Lake Peachtree. A plan to develop passive recreation such as walking trails failed when brought to voters years ago, but Rast said the site is the most underused in the city and has tremendous views. Now, he said, it is mostly used as a parking lot. The authority has budgeted $10,000 for economic development. Strickland said it could cost as little as $300-$500 for the authority to commission artists renderings of what type of development it would like to see for a given property. Authority Chairman Steve Fraas said that Brian Cardoza, the head of the Fayette County Development Authority, agrees this will be a good direction for the Peachtree City authority to take.
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