West Village tract faces challenges including landfill questions

The Peachtree City Council will appoint a task force to study what should be done with a vacant 88-acre site just to the east of recently annexed property in the city’s West Village area.

The acreage is currently owned by John Wieland Homes and is currently zoned for general industrial use. Wieland initially wanted to located 335 townhomes on that site, but that request was rebuffed earlier this year by the City Council.

One tricky part of developing the area is the presence of the Peach Pit, which has been described through the years as an inert landfill for construction debris. A few weeks ago a barrel full of liquid was found on the site, and a local environmentalist suggested that the site should be cleaned up and it should be determined if other barrels are on the site.

A Wieland representative at the time said he was unaware that others had been dumping on the site and that locks to the property’s gates have been cut through.

The site is bordered by Ga. Highway 74 and also the CSX railroad track. CSX recently installed a “rail siding” there that allows one train to pull over so it can be passed by another train for efficiency purposes, according to railroad officials.

Each council member will nominate two people each to the task force and the city’s leisure services director and city planner will also be appointed to the group. A railroad representative may also be sought for the group.

The nominations will be announced at a later date.