Friday, July 9, 1999
Friday, July 9, 1999 |
By
MONROE ROARK
The Peachtree City Planning Commission will take another look at a 63-acre plan from the Peachtree City United Methodist Church at Monday night's regular meeting. The church's initial presentation June 28 left members of the Planning Commission as well as neighboring residents wondering about the current state of church zonings in the city and if they should be readdressed as a whole. The property in question is at the corner of Robinson Road and Old Stagecoach Road. The church, which claims about 1,000 regular attendees and 2,000 members, would build in stages on the site, eventually having a large sanctuary, other buildings, considerable parking, and outdoor facilities such as athletic fields. Residents in the adjoining areas said that the prospect of ongoing outdoor activities and much added traffic was not what they had in mind for the neighborhood. During those discussions, it was also pointed out that the church's request, while appearing to be relatively huge in scope, was perfectly legal under current city guidelines. A church is considered a conditional use in Peachtree City, and can be allowed in any zoning category. The city looked into restricting which categories churches could be built in, but considerable opposition from churches in the city led to that plan's defeat. One resident who spoke out at the June 28 meeting said that, while he thought churches are of great benefit to the community, he felt a church was fairly assured of getting almost any type of request approved by the city simply because it's a church. The chairman of the church's building committee said a contract on the land is to be signed in August, but it will be two years or so before any ground is broken, because a major capital fund-raising campaign would have to begin at the first of the year. The decision to table the request came after the Planning Commission instructed the applicant that there was not enough detail in the conceptual site plan, particularly traffic studies and how the overall plan would be phased in. New agenda items on the Monday schedule for the Planning Commission include: ä A landscape plan for building four of Jefferson Corners, at Stevens Entry and Eastbrook Bend. ä A conceptual site plan for the Sellmer Building at 290 Dividend Drive. ä A conceptual site plan for the Line Creek Apartments on Line Creek Parkway.
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