Council punts Wieland townhome plan; Planning Commission also to review 2 big box proposals

Monday night, the Peachtree City Planning Commission will get its first crack at several proposals that could add more than 1,100 homes to the city’s West Village through annexation.

But the City Council has foiled a developer's request to build 350 townhomes on an adjacent tract of land that's already in Peachtree City. By voting Thursday night not to lift the city's multi-family moratorium, council has effectively removed townhomes and apartments from the drawing board.

Several council members said they thought the proposal from John Wieland Homes was too dense, with the 350 townhomes on an 89-acre tract.

The two remaining annexation plans will be reviewed during a workshop session of the Planning Commission, meaning that no vote will be taken on the projects but instead will provide feedback to the developers that could lead to the plans being tweaked.

The commission will only recommend an action to the City Council, which has the final say on any annexation or rezoning petition. The planning commission meeting starts at 7 p.m. at City Hall.

Several other significant items are on the workshop agenda, including a petition to locate a “big box” store in a shopping center off Ga. Highway 54 that would be located next to the Planterra Ridge subdivision. Then there’s a rezoning proposal to bring another big box store to Ga. Highway 74 south across from the Wilshire Pavilion shopping center.

West Village annexations/rezonings

The annexations are two separate proposals: one from John Wieland Homes and one from Levitt and Sons, although both were lumped together for consideration by regional agencies.

Also, both companies have promised to extend MacDuff Parkway from its current dead end to link up with Senoia Road and ultimately Ga. Highway 74 at the intersection of north Kedron Drive. Doing so will require a bridge to be built spanning the CSX railroad tracks.

The projected population of both projects combined is approximately 3,743 residents.

John Wieland Homes wants to annex a 379-acre tract just north of MacDuff to build 546 single family detached homes and a 15,000 square foot retail center.

Wieland also wants to rezone an 88-acre tract it owns to the west for a 350-unit townhome project. That tract is currently in the city limits and zoned for light industrial use; Wieland is also proposing to build multi-use sports fields near the townhomes which would be donated to the city.

Levitt wants its property, to the north and northwest of Wieland’s, to create a 699-home senior community that will feature a host of amenities including a clubhouse with various activities, a pool and several tennis courts. Levitt’s tract is 400 acres, more than 200 of which will be open space, according to Levitt representatives.

Both proposed annexations abut Line Creek, which will be a source of future drinking water for Fayette County once the county secures all permits necessary for the creation of Lake McIntosh. That reservoir would be located further downstream on Line Creek, south of Ga. Highway 54.

Although a second road was proposed for the to extend from MacDuff and link to Hwy. 74 at south Kedron Drive, city, regional and railroad officials have urged it not be built because it would use an at-grade railroad crossing that is sparsely used near a rail “siding,” which is a section of track used to temporarily park trains so they can be passed by other trains.

Part of the tract Wieland wants annexed was the subject of a court battle over zoning between the former landowner, Pathway Communities, and the Fayette County Commission. The court upheld the two-acre minimum lot size prescribed by the county.

Developing the land in the city limits means the property’s density can increase significantly due to the availability of sewer and the availability of zoning that can accommodate a larger number of units per developable acre.

Big Box for Hwy. 54 West

Capital City Development has proposed a shopping center that would be an extension of the McIntosh Village shopping center already in place on Ga. Highway 54 West. The proposal includes a 135,000 square foot warehouse club and a 89,000 square foot Kohl’s Department Store in addition to six other buildings, most of which would be along Hwy. 54.

All together the stores would total 247,000 square feet.

Because the entire development would be larger than 150,000 square feet, developers must seek a special use permit from the City Council since the size would violate the city’s big box ordinance.

The newest version of the big box ordinance allows developers to apply for the special use permit, but Council can choose to deny the application even if traffic and other concerns can be addressed.

A previous version of the big box ordinance banned such large stores, making it more susceptible to a legal challenge, the city attorney has indicated.

As with the rezonings, such big box permits would have to be approved by the City Council, with a recommendation coming from the planning commission.

Hwy. 74 Big Box rezoning

The rezoning on 74 south involves a proposal for a 140,000 square foot “home improvement” store and a 65,000 “soft goods” store among others. To do so, developer Columbia Properties of Marietta also must secure a waiver to the city’s current big box rules.

The development would be directly across Hwy. 74 from the Chick-fil-A restaurant at the Wilshire Pavilion shopping center.

Including outparcels listed on the concept plan, a total of 290,000 sq. ft. of development is proposed.

The parcel also contains the right-of-way necessary for realigning Rockaway Road with the existing traffic light at Holly Grove Road; the Georgia Department of Transportation plans to realign the road as part of the Hwy. 74 widening project.

A concept plan for the parcel has been submitted by Columbia Properties of Marietta. The land is currently zoned for general industrial use but the city’s future land use plan calls for it to be used for medium density housing, said City Planner David Rast.