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7 objective reasons to oppose Kohl’s big box project as detrimental to PTCTue, 09/25/2007 - 3:18pm
By: Letters to the ...
I had a woman tell me last week my standards are too high. Her comment came as a result of my views in the ongoing Kohl’s debate. What I found so puzzling about her comment on my “personal standards” was the fact the Kohl’s proposal fails to comply with any of our city standards at all. I find it incomprehensible to think someone could berate another’s values when they make theirs up as they go. Several homeowners’ association presidents have asked me to appear at some meetings to present the other, more objective, side of the Kohl’s debate. Since I have commitments in the evenings as a youth soccer coach, father and other projects, the objective side of the argument is listed below. First, there is no way we should acquiesce to the demands of a developer who flies into town and threatens us with harmful development if we refuse to sell him city-owned land and abandon our comprehensive plan and city ordinances. History shows the true character of a people is proven in times when they muster the ability to face difficulty or uncertainty without being overcome by fear or being deflected from a chosen course of action. With his current local holdings, the developer in question here had a wonderful opportunity to become a pillar of our community, but he showed little desire for anything like that. In fact, he had to have the assistance of a former mayor, Joel Cowan, who takes a lot of credit for the city’s success, to make the big box possible. Second, the developer bluff is pure smoke. We do not have the demographics for a Hooters and he must have a big box to succeed. The proposed big box site is tied up with options and can revert back to the owners. Third, the city’s comprehensive plan unmistakably focuses on village center retail consisting of stores with a smaller footprint serving the village. Consequently, the city’s big box ordinance specifically prohibits big box development and it clearly lists the rationale for doing so. Our comprehensive plan and our ordinances are, in fact, the city’s standard for development. Anyone claiming a Kohl’s belongs on that site or any other site is simply making up their own standard for the present moment. They care not about the historical relevance of what made our city a great place to live. Around seven years ago, the city created a task force to specifically address the Ga. Highway 54 West corridor. The task force worked diligently on a plan that blended with the existing standard of Peachtree City. In fact, a consultant hired by the city developed a plan which had an urban, big-box feel and the task force vehemently threw it out. The task force of local citizens created a design more consistent with our historical planning values, and the Atlanta Regional Commission rewarded the effort with some large cash grants for infrastructure. The task force plan did not include more big box stores. If you allow the Kohl’s, it will only be the beginning. The project will set a harmful precedent. If you want an example of the dangers of setting a precedent, look at the current Lowe’s lawsuit for a site on TDK and Ga. Highway 74. Fourth, it was shocking to hear people dismiss the traffic from the proposed Kohl’s shopping center and with comments like, “The traffic is going to be bad anyway.” Are we so dim-witted as to have completely forgotten the traffic congestion nightmare we very recently had on Hwy. 54 West? Are we foolish enough to think we are not heading back in the same direction with building more regional stores? Fifth, some of Kohl’s claims being made are tantamount to someone trying to sell ocean front property in Iowa. It is ridiculous to think the big box Kohl’s shopping center is going to look like The Avenue. Even City Council members are making this claim. When you review the square footage of each individual store and the parking requirements, the Kohl’s will look as much like The Avenue as the Target center does. The Kohl’s representative and others claim their store does not draw from a regional market. Nothing proves that claim more illogical than the fact Kohl’s has built in or adjacent to regional shopping centers all over metro Atlanta. Sixth, the homeowners in Cardiff Park have concerns, and rightly so, about an open space exposing their houses to the development site. What they do not seem to understand is that every development before the Planning Commission requires an approved landscaping plan. It is the duty of the Planning Commissioners to insure that any landscaping plan mandates dense planting in that area no matter what is built on the site. Seventh, my heart sank when one of our planning commissioners supported the Kohl’s because it looked better than the Wal-Mart across the street. I would say 99 percent of our retail establishments look better than the Wal-Mart. I never thought I would ever witness such a faint attempt at justifying a big box store in Peachtree City from a member of our own Planning Commission. I remember the days when the Planning Commission was so stringent about adhering to our ordinances they made a builder cut the corner off a house to comply with buffer regulations. Gone are the days when city officials and appointed representatives consistently cited the comprehensive plan as their decision-making guide. The new pseudo-standard is the most permissive our city has ever seen. The historical context and our ordinances shaped over decades no longer apply. Finally, we need to consider the real possibilities. Our police chief has gone on the record in the past saying he would rather not have the big box stores. There are studies on regional shopping centers and crime. As we have witnessed in Fayetteville, Newnan and all over metro Atlanta, corporate leaders pull big boxes and relocate them all the time. In most cases, a low-end development follows. Kroger recently proved that stores will purposefully sell or lease to a lower-end store just to keep the competition out. Most importantly, where in the world is Peachtree City heading? Who is steering the ship? We have not seen such a radical shift change since the early days when the city abandoned the original vision of 80,000 to 120,000 residents build-out and a heavy urban feel. Coweta County is in the process of committing developmental suicide, but that does not mean we have to follow them. Steve Brown stevebrownptc@ureach.com Peachtree City, Ga. [Brown served as mayor of Peachtree City from 2001 to 2005.] login to post comments
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