Citizens, our Peachtree City government and the media are concerning themselves daily on whether or not we should allow a Kohl’s department store to be built near the entrance of Planterra Ridge subdivision — another “big box store” for Peachtree City.

I feel everyone has concerns about the wrong thing. There will always be residents who do and residents who don’t want the big boxes. There were pro and con arguments for Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Target, etc., and now that they are up they all seem to be accepted. But these concerns were not with the actual store, but the size of the building being allowed.

I feel the real problem is which store is being allowed, not if the building should be erected. Kohl’s? Why Kohl’s. Why another store of convenience? If you look at all the stores that are debated, and eventually allowed, you’ll see stores of convenience.

If we didn’t have a Home Depot in PTC, but wanted to shop at one, all we’d have to do is drive 10 or 12 miles towards either Fayetteville or Newnan and we’d be there. The same is true for all the rest.

And here we go again, now debating on Kohl’s, another store that can be found in both directions. Rather than debate over and over if we should allow another big box store, why don’t we set a standard of no stores that are within a 25 miles distance of Peachtree City. Then we’d have additional options, rather than if we should drive three miles or 10.

We should do a study of which merchants are located in the main shopping areas of Fayette and Coweta counties and just say NO to any store that is already there.

How about a Whole Foods, a Sweet Tomatoes Restaurant, a Trader Joe’s? Something new and different for the area, not just something more convenient.

This same mentality should be used for the smaller strip malls that continuously get debated as well. Just how many drug stores, mail stores, liquor stores, dollar stores do we need in one town? How about an art gallery? Again, something different.

Come on, developers and city government, think outside the box for both the big and little box stores. Bring something new to our area, not just slightly more convenient. I bet you’d get a lot less opposition and a lot more excitement from Peachtree City citizens if you’d offer us something new.

[On another subject,] my favorite part of The Citizen is letters to the editor. Every week I sit with my cup of coffee reading your letters and mentally agree or disagree with each subject at hand. Occasionally I’ll write in to rebut someone’s opinion, but most times truly enjoy reading everyone’s letters and the bantering that goes back and forth on certain subjects.

But this past week was different. As I read the letters I realized most were written by candidates, lobbying for our votes, saying exactly what they each felt the residents of this area wanted to hear.

Please do not allow candidates for local government to use your letters to the editor for their political platforms. I’m sure The Citizen will be running a side-by-side campaign page, as you have in the past, so we can compare those that are running.

Leave the letters to the editor for real concerns and debatable topics that are always so interesting and fun to read.

Debbie Pitts

Peachtree City, Ga.

[The editor replies: For many years, The Citizen has had a policy of inviting all local candidates to contribute letters to the editor (see our weekly invitation in small type at the bottom of the first letters’ column). We do this on the theory that more information from and about local candidates is a good thing. We still believe that this policy is a net gain for our readers.]