By DAVE HAMRICK
Staff Writer

Fayette County should impose the same building standards on Ga. Highway 314 that it has imposed on Ga. Highway 54, members of Planning Commission have tentatively decided.

The group will take a formal vote July 1 on whether to recommend to the County Commission that it adopt new rules governing architecture, landscaping and other aspects of new development on Hwy. 314, mirroring exactly the standards adopted two years ago for Hwy. 54.

“Highway 314 is really no different in atmosphere than what we were trying to do with 54,” said Planning Commission Chairman Bob Harbison as the group discussed the standards during a work session last week.

As on 54, the commission's goal on 314 is to encourage residential-style architecture wherever offices are developed along the highway.

With recent widening and expansion of “big box” commercial development in Fayette Pavilion shopping center, applications for office zoning along the highway are likely to increase, commissioners said, their point emphasized during last week's work session by the presence of several homeowners who want to sell their homes for offices and move off the busy highway.

In previous discussions, county planning staff have suggested that Morning Creek may be the natural dividing line between offices and the resumption of all residential development along the road.

If the Planning Commission recommends the new standards July 1, the County Commission can take a vote on the matter July 22 during its regular zoning meeting. Both meetings will be formal public hearings.

Planning Commission members want more time, though, before making any recommendations about a tree protection ordinance. “This is one you really want to be as close to the money on as you can,” said county attorney Bill McNally during the work session.

County engineer Kirk Houser has provided commissioners with volumes of information about potential rules requiring developers to preserve existing trees, but commissioners said they need time to study that information. “I've spent two or three nights reading this stuff, and there's still so much more to absorb,” said Harbison.

Members said they want to first develop rules for commercial, industrial and office zoning categories, and handle residential rules later.

“Residential will be a lot more complicated and take a lot more time,” said commission member Al Gilbert.

In other business, commissioners last week agreed to send a proposed set of new standards for the Ga. Highway 74 corridor to Tyrone officials for comment before putting the rules on a commission agenda for a vote.

Tyrone Town Council had asked the county to consider adopting standards similar to the town's rules for the corridor. Only about two-thirds of a mile along Hwy. 74 remain outside Tyrone's town limits, and city leaders said they want the county to use similar standards if property owners along the highway want developments approved.

Council members adopted rules designed to encourage a “business park” atmosphere along the road, which is city's most visible entrance way.

“I think we'd just be better off if Tyrone would go ahead and annex it,” said McNally during last week's meeting.

Under the proposed rules, no more than 50 percent of a parcel could be used for buildings and parking lots, and the rest would have to be landscaped.