I don't plan on interfering in the self determination of the fine citizens of Coweta County. They have every right to build and live in the type of county of their choosing, whether it be rural or completely developed.

The heart of the TDK matter is that a few key people have hijacked our city government and are about to destroy our beautiful city with the development headaches associated with Coweta County. Some of our PTC council members are truly Manchurian candidates, and I don't think anyone fully realized their plans to "sell out" PTC (except for a few prophetic souls that were largely ignored as kooks). As has been widely reported, tens of thousands of cars from a new city in eastern Coweta are about to be routed directly into the heart of PTC.

Our city is about to become a "cut through" community, and our entire unique way of life ended. The mayor and 2 council members are literally stealing economic value out of our homes and transferring it to Coweta developers. They are taking PTC's fine name and reputation, which we PAY for when we buy our overly-expensive homes, and GIVING it to some Coweta developers, who will then market their new city as "right next to PTC" - - we will then get the traffic and lowered home values. Make no mistake about it, this is theft on a grand scale, even if it is hidden and hard to quantify.

An economist could calculate the income transfer from PTC citizens to Coweta developers, but suffice to say, it will be in the millions. This is not even considering the huge tax base implications (sales and property tax going to Coweta, not Fayette).

This would be an interesting PhD dissertation for an economist who specializes in this area. This 4-lane highway will literally make a select few MILLIONS, while destroying the quality of life for THOUSANDS.

Assassin is right yet again. Seems your whining and ringing of hands is not being very effective.

erhaps a "For Sale" sign in your yard would eliviate some of your stress?

As I tried to tell you in my 'inane' "stroll down memory lane" Mayberry has long 'left the building' (so to speak).

...and as for your history here, my children's great-great grandfathers and uncles were large land owners (some still are) in Campbell, Fayette, and Coweta before the War for Southern Independence - - but this is simply not relevant to the matter at hand (e.g., TDK destroying PTC). Just because the family history may go way back in Fayette County (they lived along Line Creek in the 1840's and 1850's!) is a moot point. We are discussing modern issues, thank you. This land now belongs to many others, and these citizens bought homes in what they thought was to be a "master planned" community. The mayor and council have NO RIGHT to route Coweta traffic into this city just so some Coweta developers and a few Fayette businessmen can make a buck. This is not an issue of improving historical trails, paths, or roads, as we are creating a brand new road to land that has always been undeveloped or agricultural. Coweta has a right to change the zoning USE of their land as they see fit, but no one in Coweta County has a right to make PTC build a road to accommodate their new traffic.

PTC cannot (and does not) control development in areas outside the city, nor do we have a legal right to do so. But we don't have to commit traffic suicide and invite the Coweta developers building right next to us to send their waves of traffic into our city!!
This is most insane thing I have have ever heard of. How can this be happening to an educated and progressive city such as PTC?

We may be related if your family members were large land owners here. I moved in 2004 by the way. As for as the 'debate', I am not involved in your debate. I am trying to help you to understand that growth is inevitable here since it is a desirable place to live. Allow me to over simplify the life cycle of a city like PTC:

People start a community, others like is so they move in. These move-ins like it the size it is and have no complaints. Those who were already there may or may not like it now that it is bigger with the new move ins. (Exit Enigma here)By planning ahead, many know what the ideal size, the projected size and the proposed size is of the city and it is called a 'planned community'. (Enter PTC here)

You cannot tell people that they cannot move in. (Enter Federal Law)

You can regulate the rate of growth to some extent, you can accelerate it or delay it, you can profit from it, you can lose money from it, but it will occur none the less just as long as you have a desirable place to live. (Enter county and city ordinances here).

The more people move in, the more traffic there will be, the more crime that will occur, and the bigger the burden on existing infrastructure, utilities and the higher the costs of government business will increase due to building costs to acomodate growth. Again,..you can profit from it (politicians who see the growth coming get first shot at a piece of the pie) or you can not profit from it...but it is coming regardless.(Enter current dilemma here).

In some cases, growth is 'stunted' or delayed in what are commonly called 'bedroom communities' (Enter PTC specifically and Fayette County in general here) people live there in a simple uncluttered environment, in a multitude of subdivisions while working elsewhere.

These communities try to hold down growth in check through strict building codes and 'unfriendly' ordinances and restrictions placed on businesses to keep the numbers of them low (no sales of liquor by the drink, high fees, building codes, sign ordinances, cost of licenses, etc., etc.).

This lack of a business base shifts the tax burden to the homeowners to fund necessary infrastructure and social services growth. This high number of people relative to the number of businesses also create ingress and egress issues. (Enter TDK type projects here).

This creates several other unique problems - just ONE example is how to build enough schools for all the kids from these homes (remember - your population is large but your business tax level is low) without the benefit of large business generating tax revenue and sales taxes. (Enter Fayette County Schools here - pre Pavillion, and pre Avenue). Even a SPLOST doesn't raise the revenue of the average city that is NOT a bedroom community due to the small retail business base.

So, add to this the government (and Billy Payne bringing in) section 8 apartments (more high density housing) and you have high property taxes and inflated tax appraisals (I can lower your taxes by saying your house is worth more since it is a percentage) to try to provide enough revenue for this growing 'bedroom' community. These high taxes are justified because it is a 'bedroom community' and you have a good quality of life...for the moment that is.

Enter business growth to provide revenue for the over burdened infrastructure, over crowded schools, underpaid teachers, more fire and police, more road repair and needed county facilities, road expansions (remember high density apartments and bedroom community)and traffic control all while appeasing a community clamoring for lower taxes..... the businesses now come to Fayette and PTC for a multitude of new reasons not the least of which is that – the move-ins (remember them?) like the size of the community but are - "… tired of driving to Clayton, Coweta, Spalding, Fulton, to shop and eat out!" and we need seriously now need revenue but "Taxes are too high".

Businesses come, (enter Pavillion, Avenue, O'Charley's, Wal-Mart, Penny's, Longhorn - you get the idea) some despite tough standards, and some that are invited to help relieve the tax burden ....and more people follow.... now the bedroom community is now just a regular community with a severely lagging infrastructure, high tax rates, overpriced houses, rapid new growth, increased local workforce, higher demand for low cost high density (apartment) housing for all the new workers in these food and retail businesses and now those who were here and wanted a bedroom community the size it ‘was’ (enter stroll down memory lane here) are wringing hands, yelling that the ship is sinking and blaming politicians when the reality is - a bedroom community can only be a bedroom community for a limited amount of time without being encompassed by heavy traffic, high property taxes, high home costs and potentially high crime. (Enter Decatur example here).

We now have a former bedroom community, in the stage of rapid growth, with and expanding tax base, a rapid influx of businesses, an ever increasing transient population and an under developed infrastructure with serious ingress and egress issues. You may undergo short term decreases in property values, you property taxes should stay the same or decrease. Appreciation should slow but eventually your property could become worth much more due to the growth once you reach a capacity and create scarcity.

So, all of that to say – what debate? I don't see a debate.

Start a blog on here. I'll participate.
Now, you did forget a part of the reason for unleashing thousands of cars from Coweta into PTC via TDK.
Whatever the paths of the traffic turn out to be from Coweta, you can bet that commercial development will fill the roadways along that path. Let it be 154.
Those people and companies who own development interests here, and associated cement companies, contractors, and real estate in those areas stand to become richer.
There are two ways to go with a place to live: nothing much but homes, or a combination of nail parlors, etc., and homes. We have eight liquor stores and 43 places to buy wine and beer now in PTC.
This growth will occur somewhere, it has to. My thought on that is, though, let it be somewhere else and I'll drive there! IF I WANT TO.

I just want you to all visualize those two together for a minute .......
........................................................................
........................................................................
....................... There. Now how funny was that!?

Merry Christmas!!