The latest plan to build a shopping center at the corner of Ga. Highway 54 and Planterra Way met with direct criticism at Monday night's meeting of the Peachtree City Planning Commission.

Capital City Development's plan includes a gas station directly off Hwy. 54, and developer Doug McMurrain said the plan "can't work" without it there.

McMurrain previously has asked the City Council to abandon Line Creek Drive and Line Creek Circle so he'll have room to build an 89,000 square foot Kohl's Department Store on the site. But the process has drug on for two years and McMurrain said he's run out of time.

The current plan assumes the streets will remain the city's property.

McMurrain said he's now running out of time on his interest-only loan for the $8 million 14.3 acre parcel. McMurrain said he also has several users already lined up for the project, which he added was "not a bluff."

The road issue has been somewhat controversial because with the current road design in place, that city-owned property forbids construction of a big box retail store, defined by city ordinance as any store larger than 36,000 sq. ft.

The site is zoned commercial and McMurrain said his latest plan, which includes several buildings for retail and restaurant use, can meet the city's ordinances and also the design guidelines for the Hwy. 54 West corridor.

The largest two buildings on the current site plan are 24,000 sq. ft. each. The entire shopping center would total 99,000 sq. ft.

The plan was discussed in a workshop format, meaning the plan wasn't up for a formal vote but merely for comments from the commission. Most of the comments came from commission chairman Marty Mullin.

"To be honest, I don't know where even to start," Mullin said, indicating that he would vote against the plan because it is not in the best interest of Peachtree City residents.

McMurrain said he wanted to wait and see if the City Council makes a decision on the roads at its Feb. 7 meeting.