Peachtree City — you'll love to call it home! Hey, you think you like it now, you should have been here in the 1980s. It wasn't too small, wasn't too large — just right. “Well, I was here,” you might say. “I've been living here a long time.” How about the early 1970s? Remember Peachtree City then?

That's when the only bank in town was The Fayette State Bank, nestled among the pines and hardwoods where City Hall now sits. The only drive-in window was an easy-in, easy-out drive lined with fruit trees. The only grocery store in town was Jim Hudson's Supermarket in the Aberdeen Village Center.

For Sunday dinner (in the South, we call lunch “dinner”) after attending one of the few churches in town, here were three choices: Peachtree City Cafeteria, located on the corner of Ga. Highway 54 and Huddleston Road (you remember, next to Miss Opal's house), Flat Creek Club, which was a real treat, or you could just go to Mama's and enjoy all the fresh vegetables from the garden, cornbread, biscuits and a roast that was truly “home grown.”

How about the 1960s? Anybody remember Peachtree City then? If you do, you might qualify to be a real “native” of this planned utopia. There were still as many cotton fields and corn fields in town as there were houses. Robinson Road was a little-traveled dirt road and if we had substantial rainfall, we were always late for school because Mr. Harvey's schoolbus got stuck! Remember all those huge old oak trees in John Hood's yard? Don't you remember?

How about Mr. Dave McWilliams' general store? It was in the Hwy. 54 West corridor where the Chevron station is now. Mr. Dave had everything! It was sort of like a Kroger, K-Mart, Home Depot and gas station all rolled into one. Talk about “one stop shopping”! Heck, there wasn't even a traffic light at Ga. highways 54 and 74. The only thing at the intersection was Hi-Brand Foods, opening the way to our industrial park to the south.

Remember Loy and Louvale Cochran, Miss Phoebe Whitlock, Daddy Bob and Myrtice Huddleston, Albert and Dorothy Pollard, Miss Mattie Brown, Mr. Calvin and Miss Addie Knowles, Miss Louise Leach? No? How about Luther and Catherine Glass, Claude and Reba Thompson, Ralph and Brownie Jones, Jim and Miriam Fulton, Chip and Katie Conner, Floy and Bruce Farr, just to name a few. Wouldn't it be nice to turn the clock back about 20 or 30 years? But since that's not possible, we can only deal with the future.

Peachtree City is a unique, wonderful town and many, many people do call it home. Our family has called it home all of our lives, literally. We truly are natives. We have seen many changes over the years with the influx of people, business and industry.

The founding fathers of Peachtree City had a vision. Their dedication and hard work is why Peachtree City is what it is today. They developed a land use plan that has been fairly well adhered to. We believe our mayors and city councils over the years and our current mayor and at least some current council persons have worked hard to keep the concept of our town intact and unique.

Every land owner and developer within our city limits has been, for the most part, treated fairly in their efforts to sell their land or pursue their development. If they hadn't, your house may not be here. Very few developments have been allowed that didn't comply with zoning ordinances at the time or the land use plan. A few mistakes may have been made along the way, but over all, the concept has always been consistent with the Peachtree City idea.

What about the west side of our town? For many years, city staff has agreed that a village on the west side, consistent with the other villages in Peachtree City, would be the best possible plan. If you look closely at the land use map, you'll notice a large parcel of land on Hwy. 54 West zoned General Commercial.

This parcel originally extended all the way to Wynn's Pond, until our father sold a large portion of it to local developers for what today is Wynnmeade, the beginning of a village on the west side. This property has been zoned general commercial for well over 25 years.

Our family, consisting now of one brother, three sisters and seven grandchildren, inherited this 42.5 acres four years ago after our parents, Hugh and Eloise Huddleston, passed away. We have never actively pursued selling the “family farm.” However, we have been approached several times over the last four years by various developers.

Some encouraged us to join them in the zoning dispute four years ago over general commercial and multifamily zoning, that eventually went to court and resulted in 399 apartments being approved for the property next to ours. We refused to join in that endeavor.

We were once under contract with Cousins' Properties, who came to us, for their upscale retail center, now going on the City Circle site. Just behind our property 200 single-family homes are about to be built and just beside us, the 399 apartments. And just up the road, Cousins' “Avenue” project will be starting soon. Yet, our right to sell a parcel of property properly zoned is being challenged.

We wonder if Cousin's had purchased our land if the degree of protest would be the same. We wonder if “upscale” retail consisting of maybe The Gap, Banana Republic, Anne Taylor and Barnes & Noble would be of as much concern to our neighbors.

One might guess that traffic generated by the upscale retail may be very close to traffic generated by a Home Depot. After all, the closest Gap to Fayette and Coweta counties is Southlake, Shannon and Cumberland Malls. While you may prefer to drive to the mall to do your upscale retail shopping, we would venture to say that our neighboring communities would prefer to drive to Peachtree City. Fayetteville and Newnan already have a Home Depot, but they don't have a Gap or a Cousins' “Avenue” project.

So, will traffic be negatively impacted at City Circle? Absolutely, but an acceptable way to mitigate this negative impact is a longer turning lane and a second traffic light just a few hundred feet from the existing light at hwys. 54 and 74!

So why can't additional turning lanes and traffic lights help mitigate the impact for other developments in the corridor? Maybe one of the problems is the fact that some may not feel a Home Depot is as “desirable” in the community as a Gap or Anne Taylor.

Well, it may be Peachtree City but is still America and the law allows for commercial development on commercially zoned property, as long as buffering, landscaping and other ordinances are adhered to.

What about safety concerns? Traffic has been a nightmare in the corridor for several years. Why, all of a sudden, is everyone so concerned? Could it be political timing?

Regardless of the environmental concerns of GRTA and laws recently imposed by the federal government, city staff has known for three years that the apartments and Cedarcroft subdivision would be a reality. Considering the number of homes in Planterra Ridge and Wynnmeade and knowing the apartments and Cedarcroft would soon be added, why hasn't the city already built or at least planned for a fire station/EMS facility somewhere in the corridor? This is certainly not the fault of current land owners.

So we ask the city, in the face of this dilemma, are you being fair to the landowners or are you being politically correct?

The owners of the City Circle property were allowed to sell their land to Cousins' Properties. The owners of the apartment property were allowed to sell their land. Why should we be prevented from selling our land?

It is a commercially zoned piece of property being submitted for commercial development. A traffic ordinance to stop certain development but allow others is unfair. Maybe a moratorium is the answer. That way, there would be no development.

Can you be politically correct and say no to future industrial development, no to Cousins Properties and no to anything else in this town? Can a traffic study distinguish between “trips” to the industrial park and other “trips” through the corridor?

We believe it has been made clear that future industrial development will not be denied. Are the rights of the owners of industrially zoned property not the same as rights of the owners of commercially zoned property? Let's face it. Even a McDonald's would negatively impact traffic.

We understand the concerns of the homeowners in Planterra, but was there not a disclaimer with each home sale in Planterra Ridge informing potential homeowners of the airport and industrial park to the south of their subdivision? Perhaps this should have compelled potential homeowners to find out about other property surrounding them or at least looked at the land use plan before making such an investment.

And, please, no more talk about loving the land and the trees and the wildlife. Do you not realize that there were more trees and deer roaming around on the land where your house is than there could ever be on our land? Ours is 42.5 acres. “Yours” is the rest of this town.

No one loved this land more than our father, Hugh Huddleston and our grandfather, Daddy Bob Huddleston. Farming this land was their life. They raised their families on this land and made their living on this land.

Now, because of continued development around us, we would like to sell our land. Our property is constantly being vandalized. We put locks on all the barns and they are cut off. Our fences are regularly cut down. People trespass daily, despite No Trespassing signs posted all along the property lines.

We frequently find children playing in and around the pond our father built many years ago as a water supply for the cattle. Bicycles, teddy bears and other toys have often been found in the pond, despite the fences and signs that have been maintained throughout the property in an effort to prevent such potentially dangerous activity. The police have been called many times, not only for the vandalism and trespassing, but also for illegal hunting with firearms. Just two weeks ago, a man from Indiana set up a camp site with his camper! Thankfully, the police were able to convince him to leave around 1 a.m.

We understand the views of the opposition. Can you understand ours? We all have rights. A temporary inconvenience now (and it will be temporary) and continued efforts of the city staff and land owners throughout the west side of Peachtree City may just result in a beautiful finished product.

We believe it is very difficult, if not impossible, to be “politically correct” and “fair” at the same time. Mayor Lenox has always appeared fair and is not afraid to state the facts, regardless of public opinion. He seems to be able to look at the “big picture.” Many times he has not hesitated to point out the legal rights of a few, even in the face of criticism by a large opposition.

Others, however, seem to say only what they feel people want to hear. The laws of this country are not based on popular opinion. One city council person continues to insist the proposed development of our property was only submitted in response to hearing of the traffic ordinance. This is absolutely not true.

We entered into a contract with RAM Development Corporation in June 1999. It was at that time that RAM Development met with members of the city staff and disclosed the plan for our property. Some time after this plan was disclosed, the idea of a traffic ordinance arose. The public hearing to discuss the traffic ordinance was held on Sept. 16, 1999. The traffic ordinance was not actually adopted until the latter part of October.

We find it interesting that when “The Avenues” plan was submitted, there was no discussion of a traffic ordinance. We also find it interesting that when Summit submitted their first site plan for the apartments, there was no discussion of a traffic ordinance. We strongly feel that the idea of a traffic ordinance was introduced by one in an effort to directly prevent the development of our property. While the ordinance may seem like a quick-fix to the traffic problems, we question not only the timing, but the fairness and constitutionality as well.

We respectfully submit this letter with no malicious intent, but rather from our hearts as a statement of our feelings and fond memories of the past and a hope for the brightest possible future. Peachtree city truly is and always will be our home.

Bill Huddleston
Barbara Phillips
Mary Jayne Huddleston
Dinah Holt
The Huddleston Family
Peachtree City

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