Palmetto is on the move again. It has been more than a year since property was annexed into the city, but that might be changing. Planning and Zoning commissioners Thursday voted to recommend the annexation of 254.71 acres that would extend the city limits south into Coweta County to I-85.

The proposed annexations, consisting of four contiguous tracts in all, are situated on the city’s south side. Two of the properties sit on the west side of Collinsworth Road and include a 96.33-acre tract owned by the Robert W. Steed Estate and an adjacent 73.38-acre tract owned by Coweta-Fayette EMC. The EMC property extends to Weldon Road, linking to the two remaining tracts. Those properties include a 30-acre tract bordering Weldon Road and I-85 and a 55-acre tract situated immediately to the south and west. Both tracts are owned by Howard Guthrie.

Commissioners voted to recommend the Steed tract for A-Agricultural zoning and the EMC tract for M-1 Light Industrial. The board also voted to recommend the smaller Guthrie tract for C-3 General Commercial and the larger tract for M-1 Planned Industrial Park.

Representing all four properties, Tommy Arnold said Guthrie had agreed to install a deceleration lane and sewer on the industrial tract. The sewer would link with the three remaining properties and onto the city sewer system, he said. Arnold said Guthrie would pay for a traffic light to be installed at the Collinsworth Road/Weldon Road intersection. A second traffic light, located west on Weldon Road and intersecting with EMC’s rear entrance is also planned, though city administrator Bill Shell said that expense would be rolled into a previously approved traffic study, with the developer presumably sharing the cost with the city. Shell’s remarks were in response to a question by Mayor-elect John Miller, who had asked about funding for the light.

Development of the commercial and industrial tracts was thought to be approximately two years away, Arnold said.

During the public hearing, an adjacent property owner surfaced concerns about stormwater runoff from the subdivision immediately west of the Steed property. The subdivision is situated inside city limits. The property owner was asked to contact city code enforcement to have the concern reviewed.

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