By JOHN THOMPSON
Business Editor

Just look at all the dirt moving in Fayette County and you'll quickly realize that commercial real estate is booming.

Drive through Peachtree City and observe the progress of the new Harris Teeter store, where A&P used to be in the Peachtree Crossings Shopping Center.

Harris Teeter has sprinkled upscale metro stores throughout the Atlanta region and the Peachtree City store is the company's first foray on the south side.

While the grocery wars dominated many of the headlines early in the year, other retailers also looked to Fayette for new stores and have started work.

At Fayette's largest shopping center, the Fayette Pavilion, work began on phase three of the large power center.

Phase three will occupy 50 acres on the Ga. Highway 314 side of the center and feature Belk, Kohl's and Joanne Fabrics.

Across the street at Pine Trail Road,work has begun on a shopping center that includes Barnes and Noble and Linens `N” Things.

Just south of the Pavilion, Applebee's restaurant and a super Eckerd pharmacy are nearing completion.

The other major project in Fayetteville that's underway is a Lowe's superstore, next to the Banks Crossing shopping center.

New banking options also are figuring into the commercial equation.. In April, longtime Fayette County banker Gary McGaha announced that Southern Community Bank would open in early 2000 at 525 north Jeff Davis Drive. When he made the announcement, McGaha said the time was right to open a new bank.

“A small community bank can give better service. All decision making powers will be handled by local people,” he said.

Just a few weeks later, former Fayette County Bank executive Pat Shepherd announced the Bank of Georgia would open for business in early 2000 in Peachtree City.

Shepard, along with proposed managers Rick Duncan and Mickey Godwin, has vowed to bring community banking back to Fayette County.

Peachtree City also experienced a growth period with several major announcements. In February, Gilbert Southern Corporation announced it would locate its new district headquarters in the city. The 20,000-sq. ft. building near TDK Boulevard and Dividend Drive is expected to initially employ 20-30 people.

Gilbert Southern is a subsidiary of Omaha-based Peter Kiewit Sons Inc., which provides heavy civil and structural construction services throughout the Southeast.

A new office-warehouse building also was announced for the golf cart city.

Longtime Peachtree City home builder Richard Simms broke ground in April on a 20,000-sq. ft. building on Fulton Court off Huddleston Drive.

The building can house one large tenant or be subdivided into as many as eight spaces, Simms said.

Many experts thought the business construction pace might slow down, but two statistics seem to be driving the activity at a steady pace.

The county's unemployment rate is one of the two or three lowest in the state and hovers around the 2 percent rate.

In March, a study showed that Fayette County had the state's second highest percentage of incomes over $100,000. Only Fulton County had a higher rate with 11.2 percent of the households having a six-figure income. Fayette's rate was 9 percent.

The high income residents have to shop somewhere, and more commercial businesses are willing to call the county home.