When 11 p.m. rolled around last Thursday, the Peachtree City Council was bound by ordinance either to take a vote or suspend debate on "The Mews" shopping center, postponing it until the Jan. 21 meeting.

The council voted to deny John Callaway's application for rezoning, effectively preventing his 345,000-square-foot upscale "village center" at that location. The vote was later said to be 4-0, with Jim Pace abstaining, but Mayor Robert Lenox apparently favored the rezoning to allow The Mews.

When council members Annie McMenamin, Carol Fritz and Robert Brooks had given opinions and said they would not support the rezoning, Lenox looked at Pace and said, "I think you and I are academic."

A sample of council comments:

From McMenamin "Because of my respect for Paul Heard, this is one of those times when you wish your heart could dictate your decisions. I think these (exclusive) retailers are 'shopping' the area and looking at every development, and we will have upscale stores in Peachtree City."

From Fritz "Because of the traffic and the Land Use Plan, I cannot support this."

From Brooks "I can't support this but I would like to ... my compliments to Dr. Callaway ... I am proud of the city residents for expressing their opinions."