Council to consider change for Kedron commercial tract

The Peachtree City Planning Commission has approved the rezoning of a commercial tract to a multi-family use.

The 5.6 acre tract is off Newgate Road near the Kedron Village shopping center and is zoned for general commercial use. Weatherup Construction wants to build 21 luxury townhomes on the property, each with their own elevator.

The development is designed for older persons and those with disabilities who could benefit from having the elevator, which will take residents from their basement garage to the two upper floors, said developer Gene Weatherup.

The commission’s approval is a recommendation only and is not binding. The Peachtree City Council has the final say on all zoning matters.

Weatherup said recent changes to the plan included the addition of parking for golf carts that features electrical hookups so they can be charged and also the addition of impervious parking spaces.

The choice was also made to not disturb the current detention pond on the property because it would “take too long for all those pretty trees to grow back,” Weatherup said.

City Planner David Rast said Weatherup actually could have squeezed one or two more townhome units on the property but he chose not to.

“This is one of those plans that just keeps getting better as it comes back to us, and I commend Gene for that,” Rast said. “... Most developers try to max out their property.”

The plan also has good screening from the adjacent shopping center, and it has several outdoor places for residents to visit with each other, Rast noted.

Nearby condominiums also help transition this parcel to multi-family, Rast said.

City resident Linda Wojcik noted that she usually speaks at planning commission meetings to oppose developments, but she was actually in favor of this one because it would be better than allowing the site to be used for retail stores.

City spokesperson Betsy Tyler noted that at one time the city allowed multi-family development for sites zoned for general commercial. That ultimately led to a lawsuit over the property that is now the Camden Apartments off MacDuff Parkway. The lawsuit was settled out of court, and as part of that settlement the city agreed to rezone the property from general commercial to general residential.