The Peachtree City Council again postponed a decision Thursday on whether the city should apply for a traffic light on Ga. Highway 54 West at the intersection of Line Creek Drive.

Instead council is going to host a meeting at City Hall Friday, Jan. 23 at 5 p.m. on the issue. Specifically invited are residents of the nearby Cardiff Park and Planterra Ridge subdivisions, as council is exploring the possibility of linking the shopping center to Planterra Way to give it access to a traffic light.

The traffic light application drew criticism from several residents who complained that traffic already "stinks" in the area and will be made worse despite the results of traffic projections from a shopping center developer who wants the light to serve new retail stores.

Much of council's discussion centered on a plan proposed by the city several years ago that featured a light eventually coming to Line Creek Drive. But that plan also included an access road that would stretch from MacDuff Parkway to Planterra Way ... a road now impossible because of a deed restriction on one of the tracts of land.

Mayor Harold Logsdon said he still held out hope that Pathway Communities could be cajoled into releasing that deed restriction, but he admitted he had been unsuccessful in that endeavor so far.

Council adjourned briefly to discuss the issue in executive (closed) session because the matter is part of threatened litigation, said Councilwoman Cyndi Plunkett.

A traffic consultant for the developer told Council that if the shopping center is built without the light traffic in the area would be worse than if the light were built. He also said he thinks traffic on Hwy. 54 West could be dramatically improved by having the traffic signals "re-timed."

But improved traffic flow based on that timing depends on all of the vehicle sensors working at each intersection, and improving the flow on Hwy. 54 will cause traffic on side streets to wait longer.

The traffic light proposal has been denied twice by the Georgia Department of Transportation because of its proximity to existing lights at Planterra Way and MacDuff Parkway.

Some opponents of the proposed traffic light say traffic is bad enough in the corridor, particularly during heavy commuting times.

Also the city's agreement to sell a large part of Line Creek Drive to CCD hinges on the ultimate approval of a traffic light there.

CCD has agreed to purchase the right of way to the road for at least $500,000 and perhaps more if the appraisal comes in higher than that figure.

The 14-acre site owned by CCD is zoned general commercial, meaning that CCD could build a shopping center up to 150,000 square feet with no store larger than 36,000 square feet without needing approval from the City Council.

Without the light, the special use permit that allows the extra 25,000 square feet of shops and a store of 42,000 square feet would be kicked back to the City Council for reconsideration.

Also the city's agreement to sell a large part of Line Creek Drive to CCD hinges on the ultimate approval of a traffic light there. The right of way is needed to allow the larger stores to be built; without it the store size would be reduced because of the city's setback rules from roads and streets.

A study performed several years ago by the city looked at possible retail development on the south side of Hwy. 54 West from the city limits to Planterra Way. To handle traffic the study recommended a secondary road that would be off the highway but still provide access to retail areas.

That road cannot come to fruition because of a deed restriction that Pathway Communities has refused to waive, Haddix said. Also that road extended all the way to Huddleston Road, he noted.