Wednesday, November 3, 1999
PTC eyes halt to any annexing
Unique traffic impact rule also on agenda

The City Council of Peachtree City, one month after passing an admittedly flawed traffic ordinance, has cleaned it up and will consider a revised version at tomorrow night's regular meeting.

Also slated for tomorrow is the annual reconsideration and renewal of the multifamily moratorium and a move to place the annexation moratorium in ordinance form as part of the city's zoning code.

In an interview last week prior to Tuesday's election, Mayor Pro Tempore Annie McMenamin, who requested placing the annexation issue on the agenda, acknowledged that the moratorium can be changed according to the wishes of whatever council is in office, but she believes the current council is not in favor of any annexation anytime soon.

The traffic impact ordinance, which has come under fire from developers and attorneys as being possibly unconstitutional, was first approved Oct. 7. Mayor Bob Lenox said at that time that it almost certainly would need revising.

Here is a summary of what the ordinance says:

The area covered in the ordinance runs along Ga. Highway 54, from Ga. Highway 74 to the Coweta County line, and stretches 6,000 feet north and south.

One of its stated purposes is to establish a minimum standard of traffic operations for the corridor.

The ordinance applies to all projects for which a development permit has not been issued at the time of its adoption.

A traffic impact model is being constructed and maintained by the consulting firm of Dames and Moore, and it will be continually updated to reflect the impact of each new proposed development.

For unsignalized intersection, a maximum average delay of 45 seconds is permitted. For signalized intersections, a volume-capacity ratio of 1.10 and a maximum average delay of 60 seconds is allowed. These figures are calculated according to the Highway Capacity Manual, a nationally recognized reference for traffic control.

A traffic impact study is to be done for each project in the corridor, as well as each project outside the corridor that generates more than 100 peak-hour trips. This study would be done by a qualified engineer, at the developer's expense.

If the project meets the ordinance's standards, a development permit may be issued. If not, the developer may agree to mitigate the problem areas or delay the project until capacity is increased, traffic is reduced or capital improvements are made.

A traffic impact determination will be required before final site plan approval is received. That determination will expire within 90 days if no permit is secured, if no work is begun 90 days after the permit is secured, or if work is stopped for 60 consecutive days.

In other business, the City Council has set public hearings for tomorrow night on two variances — the Runkle property in Meadow Run, and the Wheeler property in The Fairways.

Bids are being considered on the Wynnmeade connector road project, and city staff recommends McCoy Grading at $153,691 and 90 days. The connection from Wynnmeade Parkway to Line Creek Parkway is being built to provide Wynnmeade residents with access to the new signal planned for Hwy. 54, as the Wynnmeade/54 signal will eventually be removed.

 


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