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Lowe’s out, Kohl’s still in for Hwy. 54 W.Tue, 02/27/2007 - 6:02pm
By: John Munford
A plan for a shopping center on the south side of Ga. Highway 54 West in Peachtree City has one less big box retailer now. Capital City Development has dropped the proposed 135,000 square-foot Lowe’s home improvement store from its plans, but an 89,000 square-foot Kohl’s Department Store remains on the drawing board. Along with a 50,000 square-foot building, the total square footage of the McIntosh Village South development is 182,600. Neighbors told the Peachtree City Planning Commission Monday night that they still opposed the project, with some arguing the big box concept wasn’t the right fit for the parcel, which extends along the southern side of Hwy. 54 between Planterra Way and MacDuff Parkway. The neighbors said Capital City has been very responsive to making suggested changes. Doug McMurrain of Capital City Development said one resident’s idea will be implemented on the architecture of the Kohl’s store: using old-fashioned store display windows to provide some variety on the front of the store. There are also three different golf cart parking areas that will be directly in front of the two big box stores. Another change requested by residents was the elimination of an access road that was on the first version of the plan, tying the shopping center to Planterra Way. Still, some residents told the commission they were worried mainly about how the development will worsen traffic in the area. The 14.2-acre parcel is already zoned for general commercial use, so it will be developed in some way, McMurrain said. The commission did not vote on the concept plan for the shopping center as the topic was hashed out in a less formal workshop environment. Because of the development’s size, it will require a special use permit from the City Council under the city’s big box ordinance. This will be the first time a developer has sought such permission from the city, and that decision is left to the discretion of the City Council. McMurrain said he hopes to attract a sporting goods store such as a Sports Authority or Dick’s Sporting Goods in addition to a Home Goods store. McMurrain said he would ask the companies to use their smallest store plans, so it could be that the 50,000 square-foot building ends up being smaller in real life. McMurrain said he wants McIntosh Village South to have the same look and feel as The Avenue shopping center with architectural elements such as outdoor patios and fountains and brick walkways. Capital City is hiring the same company that did the outdoor design for The Avenue projects, he added. Also, McMurrain said the company would “enhance” the buffer along Planterra Way. As to the shopping center’s affects on nearby residents including those in the Cardiff Park subdivision, McMurrain made a pledge at the meeting. “You’re not going to see it, smell it or hear it,” McMurrain said, adding that even the lighting will be controlled and landscaping will be enhanced along the residential area to screen the view. Another of McMurrain’s ideas is to control the hours in which trucks can make deliveries and pick up trash. Tim Lydell, president of the Cardiff Park homeowner’s association, said the current plan is “miles better than the first plan they put up,” but still the association is not in favor of the project because of the big-box-sized Kohl’s. Big box stores bring traffic and may ultimately cost the city more in services than it brings in with tax revenue, Lydell said. They also cause traffic problems, he added. Lydell noted that big box stores were not included in the overlay district that was planned for the Hwy. 54 West corridor. “The general consensus is that it’s in the wrong place,” Lydell said. “It backs up to a residential area.” Planning commissioner Patrick Staples said he noticed several pluses that will help McMurrain support his argument for the big box special use permit from the City Council. McMurrain, who also oversaw the development on the north side of Hwy. 54, noted that the landscaping along the highway is not in yet but it will look nice once completed. That project is about to go out to bid, he said. login to post comments
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