Peachtree City: Ah, yes, I remember it well . . .

The future story of the rise and fall of Peachtree City will surely feature the flawed human urge to heap layer after layer of improvements on a good thing until it collapses of its own weight.

In 1993 when Julie and I selected Peachtree City as a place to live and commute to Atlanta, part of the local charm was the golf cart lifestyle, excellent community schools and undeveloped land and horse pastures between here and Interstate 85 at Fairburn. The pressures of work were eased a little as we drove by empty woods and fields of green grass, occasional snorts and gallops with muscles rippling under a dark coat in the sun, or even tranquil grazing. No stops.

We didn’t have all our present conveniences then. We had to choose between Newnan and Fayetteville for trips to Home Depot, Office Max or Wal-Mart, a leisurely quick drive through more countryside. Dining choices were few.

How things have changed.

There are now so many dining choices in Peachtree City we hardly notice when a restaurant nails shut its doors. Home Depot is just a short traffic struggle away, and I can choose between Staples and Office Depot for the supplies I need at my desk.

On Thursday I stopped with my two girls at Coldwater Creek to buy birthday presents for Mom, and we’ll visit Talbot’s, too, as Christmas draws near. We can get a buffalo steak at Ted’s and satisfy our insatiable urge to read at Books-a-Million, all within our little town.

We now have a state-of-the-art bridge on Ga. Highway 54 over the train tracks after a few years of work at what seemed half-speed at best while we drivers pulled our hair out. Shoot, I can even drive to Wal-Mart or Target now on my golf cart, and drop off the family dog at Petco for a shampoo. If I don’t like Petco, not to worry, Petsmart is coming soon, along with BJs or Costco or Sams or whatever. We are drowning in choices.

How much development is enough? What kind of community will be left when the construction dust settles? How many more stops can we add between Hwy. 54 and I-85 in Fairburn before commuting to Atlanta becomes impossible? How long will the few remaining horses last?

I know, I know, each parcel of land, each new restaurant and store, even the big boxes, belong to owners who are entitled to use their property to make money or sell to the highest bidder. I am, if nothing else, a committed capitalist.

Nevertheless, the past and coming development in the Peachtree City area is a sad loss to some of us. The charm that drew many of us to live here is evaporating bit by bit amidst the improvements intended to make our city a better place.

Who is to blame? In this very newspaper there is plenty of finger-pointing — including cowardly anonymous accusations — against fellow citizens. But I have a hard time pointing fingers and naming villains.

Some believe the mayor and city council have evil intent on the TDK Extension project and the unwanted traffic expected from it. Some believe the prior Tennis Center leaders were acting in their own self-interest, while others believe the prior mayor who challenged them had dishonest motives.

Some believe the Fayette County School Board members are in someone’s pocket as they dismantle community school boundaries and plan to move kids in a crazy patchwork of busing to fill new school buildings.

Personally, I don’t believe any of these conspiracy theories. Those in office are likely decent people, dedicated to doing their duty for the best interest of the public the way they see it.

And there is the rub – the way they see it. We all see things differently. Most often when we disagree it isn’t because one of us is malicious, it is just that we see the world through our own unique looking glass. We see situations and priorities differently, and the continuing growth in our community is one issue that is so important it is worth some rethinking by all of us.

I would urge our representatives to carefully consider how much development is enough. School board members should give heavy weight to the depth of feeling about “our school.” The parental commitment implied in that attitude of ownership may be worth far more to education than can be calculated in a budget.

As each new improvement is piled on, like new school buildings we feel compelled to fill, and as our community becomes less attractive as a result, we may come to regret that we failed to recognize how much improvement is enough, before it became too much.

A man named Bob Perks wrote a short story called “I wish you enough.” When a bystander in the story asked a man and his daughter why they wished each other “enough” they explained their wish entailed the following sentiments:

“I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright. I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more. I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive. I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger. I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting. I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess. I wish enough ‘Hello’s’ to get you through the final ‘Good-bye.’“

The message is simply about balance. I hope it’s not too late for Peachtree City to find some balance. For me, we passed “enough” a long time ago.