The new headquarters for the Peachtree City Police Department will undergo the same given every other new building in the city, beginning with its recent scrutiny conceptual site plan approval by the Planning Commission.

The Police Department is moving from its current location in the basement of City Hall to have a larger area for office, training and storage facilities. Funding of the new facility was recently approved by the City Council.

The new site will allow the department to continue having all of its resources in a single location, while also allowing other departments at City Hall to expand.

The plan was submitted by Cobb and Associates, the architects for the project. The new facility will be located on Ga. Highway 74 South next to the Peachtree City Water and Sewerage Authority's headquarters.

The conceptual site plan includes a 14,175-square-foot building on 5.55 acres, along with 83 secured parking spaces. The space designated for the new facility is planned to house the 57 current employees and up to 75 future ones, which should be more than enough to satisfy departmental needs through buildout, according to city staff.

Architect Don Cobb told the Planning Commission Monday night that the structure would be of masonry construction. The adjacent property is zoned for limited industrial use.

City staff recommended approval of the conceptual site plan with the following conditions:

” Existing vegetation throughout the site, especially within the undisturbed buffer area, must be preserved to the greatest extent practicable.

” The existing asphalt driveway must be widened to a minimum of 24 feet all the way to the entrance and rear parking area.

” All utilities must enter the site through cleared areas rather than through natural areas.

” Wheelstops may be necessary in the parking spaces that abut the rear fence, or the fence should be moved a minimum of three feet away from the back of the curb.

” All overhead power lines that traverse the site must be relocated underground.

Planning Commission members, after some discussion, added two conditions relating to the screening of the emergency generator and providing for cart access to the site, which does not currently exist.

With those seven conditions, the conceptual site plan was unanimously approved.

In other business, Jim Harris, owner of Yard Time on Huddleston Road, requested approval for five new storage bins at his site to store additional stock material.

Harris said that there is a need for extra storage capacity for some materials, and the new bins would assist in maintaining the appearance of the existing bins. Several of the current bins are overflowing, according to a city staff report.

The walls and floor of the new bins would be poured-in-place concrete, similar to the existing structures, staff said.

In recommending approval of the additions, city staff suggested the following conditions:

The rear wall of the bins must not encroach into the 10-foot setback adjacent to the railroad tracks.

The overall height of the bins must be similar to the existing structures.

Landscaping may be necessary at the rear of the walls to assist in screening the area, and would be determined once the walls are in place.

The applicant should continue to coordinate with city staff to monitor the appearance of the site from Huddleston Road and Ga. Highway 54.

The Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve the request with the attached conditions.

A scheduled public hearing concerning proposed improvements to Holly Grove Church Road and Robinson Road was delayed..

Several residents of The Preserve, a nearby subdivision, had attended the previous two Planning Commission meetings to voice their concern about the proposed realignment and paving of Holly Grove Church Road and the extension of Holly Grove Road to Ga. Highway 74. They worried that the projects would create traffic and speeding problems in their neighborhood.

City staff has met with the homeowners association as well as representatives of the Holly Grove AME Church, but the problem has yet to be resolved to everyone's satisfaction, hence staff's recommendation to continue the matter until the Jan. 10 Planning Commission meeting.

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