Maybe the third time’s the charm?

When the Peachtree City Council meets Thursday night, they will address for a third time the issue of approving a sewer connection to a shopping center just outside the city limits off Ga. Highway 74 South.

The Plantation Center at Starr’s Mill is not seeking the sewer to increase its density. Rather, it would allow the company to avoid using an underground septic system.

The site, located at the intersection of Hwy. 74 and Redwine Road, is directly adjacent to the Meade Field sports complex, which would also be sewered under the current proposal from the Peachtree City Water and Sewer Authority.

The shopping center is zoned to have up to 111,000 square feet of retail and 41,000 square feet of office space. Those figures do not include the four out-parcel sites that are directly off Hwy. 74.

The matter was tabled by the City Council at its last meeting as council members requested more information on the county’s overlay design requirements and the open space protection for existing vegetation on the site.

The main issue in play, however, is a state law that requires developments to hook up to a sewer if one is “available” within 200 feet of a given property.

City Attorney Ted Meeker said that in the past such lines have only been considered available upon approval from the city. Still, some worry it’s possible a developer could seek legal action to demand sewer service if the site is within 200 feet of the sewer system even if the city resists it.

Councilman Don Haddix has said he worries that extending the sewer will allow other parcels nearby to have more intense uses. But according to information provided to council members in advance of Thursday’s meeting, only one adjacent parcel does not have sewer service, and it’s directly across the highway from the shopping center.

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