Participants in the potential development of the northwest corner of Walt Banks Road and Ga. Highway 54 are looking for a way to draw several different pieces of property into a single plan that everyone is happy with.

Another step in creating that scenario took place at a recent meeting of the City Council of Peachtree City and various land owners and developers at the library. The group is scheduled to meet there again Tuesday at 11 a.m.

And while there is still a great deal of ground to cover, every side appears to be talking and looking for a solution.

Jim Williams, the city's development director, unveiled a drawing of a possible layout combining residential, commercial and office-institutional zonings throughout the 73-acre tract, which is currently controlled by several parties.

Williams said that his preliminary design, which was essentially drawn up to give everyone a discussion point, was motivated in part by several points raised by attorney Doug Dillard, who represents Bill Lassiter, the owner of 33 acres at the site.

Dillard had stated in a previous meeting that visibility along Hwy. 54 and access from the highway to the site were top priorities in coming to an agreement on the use of the property. The current stipulations on the tract call for a 100-foot buffer on the highway.

Lassiter, Dillard's client, was not present.

Williams' drawing included two entrances from Hwy. 54 — one at the existing stoplight in front of Stein Mart and another just north of that.

After Williams' brief presentation, Dillard said that he had no problem with the concept in general, although some tweaking here and there would be in order.

He noted that Lassiter would be giving up a great deal by converting so much office-institutional property to residential, and wondered if some kind of condominium or town house development could not fit into the overall plan somewhere.

Mayor Bob Lenox said that one point not to be overlooked is the possibility of upper-level development in this plan, such as office or residential space situated directly above street side commercial parcels.

Councilwoman Carol Fritz said she also was concerned with drainage factors, noting that all of the property backing up to this tract is on septic tanks.

Addressing the condo suggestion, Councilwoman Annie McMenamin said she wants the “best value” possible for the benefit of the residents of Southern Trace, a subdivision next to this property. She wondered if condos would meet that need.

Lenox then asked if anyone believed there was a market for attached residences in the upper $200,000 range in the area.

Developer Bob Adams, who is developing a portion of the site, said he believed there is such a market in Peachtree City for fee-simple town houses with a homeowners' association. “The word `condo' is still a four-letter word around here,” he said.

But there is another hurdle to clear before any development of that type is undertaken.

City attorney Rick Lindsey reminded Dillard that to build town houses or an assisted living facility, which also has been mentioned as a possible use for a portion of the tract, he must get the City Council to lift its moratorium on attached or multifamily housing.

A few moments later, Dillard, who is known around the state for challenging various local zoning decisions, lightheartedly said, “You all know what I think of your moratorium.” To which Lindsey smiled and said, “That is for another forum.”

Lenox repeated that one of his main goals is to find out if a basic concept can be agreed upon before a lot of money is poured into the design process.

“We can pursue this,” Dillard answered.

John Callaway, whose Mews development planned for this tract was denied by the city earlier this year, suggested that the design phase should not go too far without input from tenants.

Other issues also were mentioned as needing to be addressed, such as how to make it easy for local citizens to get from the residential portion to the commercial and vice versa — “inter-parcel access,” as Dillard put it.

Callaway said he knows of a buyer interested in a child's shopping center there, and asked if that was an idea the city might be interested in.

Adams mentioned that his plans for the Lallande/Scott property will be presented at Monday's Planning Commission meeting and again at the June 17 City Council meeting. He said his petition conforms well with the plan under discussion.

As plans were made to convene again and work toward developing a more concrete design, all in the group expressed their eagerness to get moving.

“We've spent enough defending this corner,” said McMenamin, referring to past litigation. “Now we can spend some being proactive and doing something we can all be proud of.”

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