Subdivision would also be near Falcon Field runway, Lake McIntosh

A plan to rezone 37 acres in Peachtree City’s industrial park for an 80-home subdivision and an event center with 12 overnight villas will be reviewed again Monday night by the planning commission.

This time the commission is expected to vote either in favor or against the proposal for Callula Hill presented by Pathway Communities.

If ultimately approved by the council, the rezoning would be a significant departure from the city’s village concept and most recent land use plan, as the subdivision would not be directly adjacent to any other residential area.

But Pathway Communities has argued the land’s proximity to Lake McIntosh makes it a prime site for lakefront homes that also border the Planterra Ridge Golf Course. The tract is also very close to the end of the runway at Falcon Field Airport, which serves small engine aircraft and larger corporate jets.

Although planes taking off from the airport would certainly be heard at the proposed subdivision, planes currently do not fly directly overhead, as they turn left immediately after taking off, Pathway contends.

The homes would be sold in the “high 300s to 700” range and the size of each is being limited to 4,000 square feet to protect views of the lake, Pathway representatives have said.

Gene Lavine of Pathway Communities has said the city will be better off financially if the property is zoned residential because it will receive approximately $840,000 a year in taxes. Were the land developed for industrial use, city revenue would be about half that, he added.

Levine also has said that a deed restriction on the lots would forbid homeowners from taking down any trees larger than six inches without special permission by an architectural review board.

If the subdivision is approved, its initial access would be through the Southpark industrial park. But later a new entrance would be built off an access road to Lake McIntosh that will extend from TDK Boulevard.

A city analysis showed that there are 473 acres of remaining undeveloped industrial-zoned property in the industrial park along with approximately 240,000 square feet of vacant buildings.

The Southpark industrial park includes mostly office and distribution facility uses along with some manufacturing; companies ranging from Rinnai, Aventure Aviation, the Shinsei Corporation, FieldTurf, Metal Forming and Jasper Transmissions.

Another issue with the property is how golf carts from Callula Hill will link with the rest of the city’s golf cart path network, Rast said.

Rezoning the property will require changing the city’s land use plan designation for the parcel and also the zoning to limited use residential and limited use commercial.

Pathway has said the homes will be age-targeted, designed to appeal to adults who are downsizing from larger homes. But there would be no age restrictions on residents.

The 80 homes would be on 25 acres of the property, while the event center would be on a 6.8 acre tract, leaving five acres of open space on the site, Rast noted.