Developer Tom Reese’s ambitious plans for a new subdivision in Senoia cleaned a major hurdle Monday night.

The City Council signed off on a development agreement and approved the first read of an annexation request for 268 acres on Ga. Highway 16. Reese plans to build Fieldstone Estates, which will feature 265 lots and leave 142 acres as open space.

Amenities at the development would include tennis facilities, a swimming pool and clubhouse and homes would start in the $300,000 range. The development would also feature homes that would reflect the historical background of the city, Reese said when he first proposed the plan last year.

In the development agreement, Reese pledges to pay the city $30,210 for well-site exploration, along with the installation of sewer collector lines within the proposed development.

One of the more interesting clauses in the agreement concerns the First Baptist Church of Senoia. The city would allow Reese to donate 15 acres of the open space to the church to build a new facility. For over a year, the city has been looking at options for a new city hall and one option was using the existing First Baptist Church as a new city hall, and possibly a police station.

The city also pledges to reserve wastewater treatment capacity for the development for seven years.