Tyrone Planning Commission got a look at a new proposal Thursday, but it was not from a developer. Fayette County Planning & Zoning Director Pete Frisina presented an idea that would combine the efforts of the town and county to eventually adopt two new zoning districts to address future development along the Ga. Highway 74 North corridor between Sandy Creek Road and the Fairburn/Fulton County line.

Property along Hwy. 74 North is a mix of parcels situated, sometimes alternately, in either Tyrone or unincorporated Fayette County. Frisina’s suggestion was to have both entities work together to devise a plan that would create a Business Technology Park (BTP) zoning district on two large tracts north of Kirkley Road on the west side of Hwy. 74 and a Special Development District (SDD) north of Sandy Creek Road along the east side of the highway.

If agreed later by the town and county, the Business Technical Park district would seek development for a wide variety of uses such as business, professional and government offices, scientific, medical or research laboratories, financial, credit real estate and insurance businesses, publishing and printing, computer services and information technology, television or radio broadcasting, media productions and telecommunications and a host of other proposed permitted uses. The zoning district would not include retail establishments.

Frisina suggested that a proposed interparcel road beginning at Kirkley Road and linking with Hwy. 74 near Fairburn city limits could be extended to intersect with Landrum Road a short distance away inside Fairburn. Frisina said he had spoken with Fairburn City Administrator Jim Williams about the potential for extending the proposed interparcel road and that Williams agreed it would be a good idea.

The proposal for the east side of Hwy. 74 involved four narrower parcels taking up approximately three-fourths of the frontage between Sandy Creek Road and Fairburn city limits. Those four parcels, with a depth of approximately 800 feet, would be included in the Special Development District. Proposed office development would be more appropriately accommodated, Frisina said, by assembling the parcels in some areas to meet the intent of the district. Permitted support service businesses for the office developments could include restaurants, with the exception of free-standing facilities and those without drive-thru windows, personal services, convenience stores with no gasoline sales, blueprinting, graphic and copying businesses and office and computer supply stores.

Along with accommodating new business development, Frisina said the proposal would limit curbs cuts on both sides of Hwy. 74, provide for vehicular traffic within the developments and help manage the traffic flow.

“Highways 74 and 85 are the two major connectors in the county. About two-thirds of the workforce drives somewhere else to go to work,” Frisina said. “So we don’t want any more traffic problems on Hwy. 74.”

Planning commissioners said they would study the proposal. Frisina after the meeting said he expects to work with town manager Chris Venice to create  a document for the proposed zoning districts that the Tyrone Town Council and Fayette County Commission can adopt. Changes in existing zoning ordinances would follow the adoption, he said. 

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