News | Peachtree City

PTC may annex Publix shopping center, 35-acre tract

Fri, 08/08/2008 - 3:15pm
By: John Munford

A shopping center just outside Peachtree City’s eastern boundary and an undeveloped 35-acre tract off Ga. Highway 74 north near Old Senoia Road have something in common.

Both are now being officially eyed to possibly bring into the city limits; they are currently served as part of the unincorporated county.

In the case of the Peachtree East shopping center, the 18-acre site is fully developed under county development standards and would bring an estimated increase of roughly $200,000 in property taxes.

The undeveloped 35-acre tract, which is actually three separate parcels located between two large tracts recently annexed into the city, would remain undeveloped for now as there are no contracts on the property. Developer Bob Rolader said the request is not seeking a rezoning, so the parcels would remain zoned for agricultural residential use as is currently zoned for the unincorporated county.

Thursday night the city council approved overtures to allow city staff to study the feasibility of annexing both properties into the city limits. Doing so would mean the city must provide city services to the parcels, and for the shopping center Plunkett said the city really needs to look at a cost benefit analysis of how much public safety coverage the parcel will require from the city.

The drawback of the shopping center annexation is all store facade signs are out of compliance with the city’s sign ordinance because they are back-lit. Council indicated it might favor phasing in the required sign changes over a seven-year period to defray the potential cost of $250,000 to $300,000 as mentioned by attorney Rick Lindsey, who represents the company that owns the shopping center.

Plunkett said she hoped the Publix store sign could be replaced quickly since that store is unlikely to be leaving anytime soon. Publix is the flagship store in the shopping center, which also has a Starbucks and a Stein Mart.

Lindsey noted that annexation would allow any restaurants at the facility to seek Sunday alcohol sales which are allowed in the city but not in the unincorporated county.

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Haddix: Annexation
Don Haddix's picture
Submitted by Don Haddix on Sat, 08/09/2008 - 8:18am.

Just to answer a few of the questions asked:
1. No, the trailer park will not and cannot be annexed. There is no will on Council to ever do that and it is prohibited by ordinance.
2. There will not be a bridge. New State law allows golf carts to cross at signaled pedestrian crossings, so no need.
3. There will also be a golf cart road added, eventually, basically where the carts are currently driving on grass and dirt.
4. A golf cart connection has been a growing demand by many PTC citizens.
5. We are already providing some services to the shopping center. Unless research shows some surprise this will be a tax gain to PTC and cease to be an non recouped cost to us and benefit to the County. If a surprise arises, it can stay in the County.
6. This center is already assumed by most to be part of PTC.
7.It will never conform to PTC standards unless it annexed in. So it may take 7 years but at least that is a deadline.
8. The center, with the add of Starbucks, is non conforming to County ordinances. They had to decide whose standards they wished to conform to and chose PTC.
9. Yes, there is an AR zoning. Basically it is a holding zoning until final zoning is determined at a later date.
10. The past Council annexation of in Wilksmoor was handled incorrectly and created legal, home, McDuff and other issues that require annexing the 35 acres to fix. It is not about any known plans for developing that land at this time and should fall under a future Council, which I do not think will be so retail and housing oriented if there is at least a one seat shift in majority.

Hope that information helps.

Don Haddix
PTC Councilman
Post 1
donhaddix.com


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Actually Dingy Don, it is a mobile home park - not trailers
mudcat's picture
Submitted by mudcat on Mon, 08/11/2008 - 6:58pm.

Your answers are all correct. The big question is that since you are only one voter on council - how will the other 4 vote?

You should get used to the idea that the trailer trash as you are trying to imply, will actually be brought into the city and could be voting on your re-election. Be nice.

My guess is that Cindy and her 2 hounds will go for the annexation - in spite of the reasons you state. That is still 3-2.

What say you?


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Haddix: Mudcat
Don Haddix's picture
Submitted by Don Haddix on Mon, 08/11/2008 - 8:04pm.

To do so would first require changing the ordinances to allow such.

None on Council have any desire to change it. Sure not Cyndi.

A rare moment on such issues, I agree. In 8 months we have had exactly two 2-3 votes with Doug and I on the winning side. No 3-2 votes.

Don Haddix
PTC Councilman
Post 1
donhaddix.com


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Thanks, Don you answered my questions and some I had
Submitted by MYTMITE on Sat, 08/09/2008 - 10:03am.

not asked. As always, you keep us informed. Lets hope everyone in PTC gets out and votes at the next election so we can have a sway vote in our favor instead of in favor of developers, etc.

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Go Don!
NUK_1's picture
Submitted by NUK_1 on Sat, 08/09/2008 - 8:44am.

Hey, I actually am in complete agreement with you for once and I'm glad you brought up the fact that some don't seem to realize about services already being provided in that area whether it's officially PTC or not. Mutual aid agreements and common sense dictate that if something major happens in that area, PTC PD and FD aren't going to sit around and say "oh, let the county handle it."

Way to lay the facts out to everyone and try to help people get an informed opinion instead of a knee-jerk OH MY GOD, NO,NO,NO reaction.


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Define "in that area"
Submitted by NeedtoKnow on Sat, 08/09/2008 - 7:23pm.

Mutual aid agreements and common sense dictate that if something major happens in that area, PTC PD and FD aren't going to sit around and say "oh, let the county handle it."

Um, yeah, they are. Shiloh is also "in that area" and there have been many major (if you define major as fights in progress, fires in progress, burglaries in progress) in that area that PCPD has not responded to, nor been asked to respond to. The only reason PCPD would respond to something like that in the shopping center is if the suspects were running into PTC (meaning, crossing hwy 54 or driving westbound on hwy 54). And the county fire dept will only request help from PCFD if their closest units (at Station 8 off of Flat Creek Trail and next closest is Station 3 in Tyrone) are not available.

Don't assume Mutual Aid is automatic. It is actually pretty uncommon.

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Mutual aid?
Submitted by yeahwhatever on Sat, 08/09/2008 - 7:07pm.

What is your definition of something major? A nuclear attack? There's mutual aid, then there is automatic aid. Learn the difference. There is no automatic aid in that area. PTC PD & FD are willing to help if asked but it's not commonly needed or asked for as you imply.

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And this too is Steve Brown's fault
mudcat's picture
Submitted by mudcat on Fri, 08/08/2008 - 6:49pm.

When that idiot mayor threw anyone associated with Lenox, PCDC, the real mayor Brown or Group VI under the bus he created a terrible situation that lasts way beyond his horrible 4 years.

In this case, you have Rick Lindsey who knows city ordinances better than anyone (since he helped write some) and now he is on the outside representing others. He is a lawyer and he can't be faulted for representing people who want to hire him, but doesn't anyone besides me think it would be better if Mr. Lindsey were on our side instead of the "insurgents"? Huh? Answer me.


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I question to those in the know...
yardman5508's picture
Submitted by yardman5508 on Fri, 08/08/2008 - 4:54pm.

Does PTC even have an AR zoning designation? Keep the faith.

Democracy is not a spectator Sport.


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Safe assumption
Submitted by someonesgottasayit on Fri, 08/08/2008 - 4:47pm.

I'm going to go ahead and assume that Peachtree City will NOT be annexing the mobile home park that is also located in that area. Just imagine the uprising that would occur at just the mention of an idea that might possibly, one day, incorporate a mobile home park.

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They won't because...
Submitted by NeedtoKnow on Sat, 08/09/2008 - 7:29pm.

It is against city ordinance to have a mobile home in any zoning category, unless it is of a temporary (as determined by the council) nature.

I read it in Don Haddix's reply, but also went and looked it up myself.

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You can assume that all you want, but you'd be wrong
Robert W. Morgan's picture
Submitted by Robert W. Morgan on Sat, 08/09/2008 - 4:48am.

Like an uprising has ever influenced anything the city wants to do.

The mobile home park is contiguous to the shopping center and the cemetery, it has one owner, it is already on PTC sewer and after the cart path bridge is built, the real estate magnet that owns the park can raise rents more than enough to cover the couple of extra dollars she will have to pay in city taxes.

And it only takes 3 people on council to make it happen. I'm betting it happens before Christmas.


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Realtors and developers
Submitted by Bonkers on Sat, 08/09/2008 - 5:19am.

Do they sleep in the same beds around here?

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Logsdon, Plunkett on the move again
Submitted by Dondol on Fri, 08/08/2008 - 4:09pm.

Here we go again, Logsdon and Plunkett whoring the city out again. These people built this center in the first place just outside of the city limits to escape our ordinances and now that there talk of a cart bridge they want in. Mayor you've got to stop this our backsides are getting sore.

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What do you mean dondol?
mudcat's picture
Submitted by mudcat on Fri, 08/08/2008 - 6:52pm.

The mayor has to stop our backsides getting sore? What do you mean by that? Does the mayor have some cure for sore backsides?


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