From the article's wording, was this a closed meeting for Planterra residents only?

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Keeping it real and to the core of the issue, not the peripherals.

Talk about keeping it real. You're now off on a tangent for sure.

Not on a tangent at all!

You have not seen Golf Carts flying across the road into the shopping complex?

If too many cars are bad, what about when there are too many carts?

It is the principle of the thing. Trying to control public assets for your own benefit.

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Keeping it real and to the core of the issue, not the peripherals.

Hello! They are not private streets paid for by the HOA. They are public streets!

You going to make every development owners only? Get real.

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Keeping it real and to the core of the issue, not the peripherals.

Real is up to 3000 cars going through the subdivision in one day. (Be sure to let us know what street you live on so we can detour traffic in front of your house, after all, it is a public road). Real is having Walmart tractor trailers go through on roads not stressed for that kind of traffic. Real is having to keep your kids off of your front lawn and the street (no sidewalks) in front of your house because your formerly quiet street has become a "connector road" (words of the city engineer). Real is the inrease in the mathematical probability that since our streets are now a connector road, a child will get run over by a distracted driver speeding through our residential area.
Look, we aren't elitists just whining because we don't have anything better to do. Planterra was here before all of the development and the mess of Hwy 54/74 and the situation has become unsafe and not what anyone in PTC would want for their neighborhood. All we ask is for a chance to come up with creative solutions acceptable to everyone, residents and non-residents. Georgia Law as well as city regulations will determine what we can and can not do. What you are implying is that Planterra Ridge do nothing and just let things continue as they are. Afterall, they are public streets right?

Manny,

First off, I am sorry this has happened to your neighborhood. Hopefuly much of this will end once Hwy 54 opens properly.

Two and a half years ago, I tried to enlist your HOA's support of the annexation to extend MacDuff Parkway. Ms. Dembsky, the Planterra Ridge HOA President, while being verbally supportive failed to attend many, if any; meetings to show your HOA support of the annexation. We lobbied that to extend MacDuff Pkwy before the construction began would allow traffic a route around the construction.

The last time that I conversed with Ms. Dembsky regarding support in front of city council for annexation, I was told that while she is sympathetic to our traffic woes, your HOA was losing it's sign along Hwy 54 and that through an oversight, no replacement was in the construction budget.

The point that I am getting to is simple. Had your HOA taken a more aggressive stance on the annexation and extension of MacDuff Parkway, you probably wouldn't be having as much traffic roll through your neighborhood as the extension would have already been complete.

We in Centennial however, are still stuck with only one way in and one way out. Tuesday's gas main break again brings to light the situation that has developed down MacDuff Parkway. Planterra does have options for getting in and out of your neighborhood, but privatizing access without privatizing the roads is not fair to the remainder of taxpayers in Peachtree City.

I certainly hope that the City Council rejects this idea and that within the next 2 months as Hwy 54 opens, your problem will be greatly reduced.

Please keep in mind that the annexation issue isn't dead. There has been movement and there is more to come. Once again, I would encourage your HOA to support the request and help expedite the extension of MacDuff Parkway.

Dana Kinser

Dana,
In general I agree that planterra and centennial and other neighborhoods that rely on mcduff parkway share some concerns and could probably join forces to help one another. But with regards to the cut through traffic in planterra, I'm not sure how extending mcduff parkway earlier would have made any difference. The cutthrough traffic in planterra comes from south and east of planterra. E.g. industrial park employees who live in coweta, or ptc residents living south of 54 trying to get to walmart without having to deal with 54/74. I agree the mcduff extension would have eased traffic heading south on 74, but the folks cutting through planterra wouldn't hav used mcduff anyway. So what am I missing?

That said, once the work on 54 is finished, i think planterra's problems will be greatly reduced. A speed bump or two may be all that's needed then to deter the few that still think it's a convenient short cut. So before anyone does anything drastic about the planterra traffic, let's wait to see what happens after the roadwork is done. I have to believe that will help alot.

I know people that live up and down MacDuff Parkway that will actually go south of Hwy 54 on Hwy 74 and cut through Planterra as it is faster than negotiating past the railroad bridge. That volume, to what extent it may be; would be gone.

Please don't think that I feel the MacDuff Parkway extension will cure all problems. It won't, but it would have certainly eased the disaster that has become Hwy 74/Hwy 54 for the past 2 years.

Any relief at that intersection would have certainly helped Planterra.

As for an alliance, we were succesful in recruiting support that showed up at meetings from Wynnmeade, CedarCroft, and Chadsworth. The only West Village HOA that failed to show was Planterra. Their support, while not guaranteeing anything, certainly would have helped and could have been the push that got this thing through.

Going forward, I feel as though all of the neighborhood developments within the West Village should get together and form their own PAC. Collectively they represent a rather large voting block.

Dana Kinser

I agree, Dana. There has to be more roadway to simply by-pass enough through and other traffic away from the 74/54 intersection.

A second entrance to the shopping center is not a cure. But it is an element in the cure.

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Keeping it real and to the core of the issue, not the peripherals.

History lesson.

Planterra Ridge was part of the industrial park for 30 years. After all, it is on that side of 74. When the "responsible" developers decided in the 1990's that 800 acres of industrial land was too much, they converted a chunk of it into Planterra Ridge. The fact that it was already backing up to an airport and an industrial park and across the street from GC zoning (that means General Commercial with no size restrictions) was somehow ignored or overlooked by everyone.

So, Planterra gets developed and the residents are shocked that a Home Depot and a Wal Mart are their new neighbors. One of those residents rides that "outrage" to fame (although not fortune) as our only disfunctional and mentally-challenged mayor.

Now we have traffic in front of a large comercial center and people are once again "shocked"

Pay attention to what is going on, people. What they discuss today in city council and planning commission meetings are a preview of your future. Get involved!

Yep. Those who bought should have done basic research on where they bought.

Remember when it was built? Many first buyers began complaining about airplane noise.

Sorry, Manny, it is whining to talk about no sidewalks when you knew there were no sidewalks when you bought.

And good grief, wanting streets so safe kids can play in them? Even Mayberry was not safe for that.

Hmmm. Tiny front yards and obviously no back yards? Then you expect kids to be able to play safely right by the road? That is nuts in any dvelopment.

I did do my research. My kid had a safe yard to play in. And there was and is no danger or thru traffic or commercial traffic.

With that said, you want to bleed off thru traffic. Begin with pushing for a second entrance to the shopping area. Also, push for some new roads to bleed traffic away from PTC and especially away from the 74/54 intersection.

I actually wish you to have a peaceful home. But go at it the right way. Not by trying to take rights away from other tax payers.

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Keeping it real and to the core of the issue, not the peripherals.

It is insane there is only one entrance to the shopping center. There should be another.

That is a real solution.

Yes. Laws can regulate road weight. That is common practice everywhere. And reasonable.

I have posted more than once we need traffic solutions to take pressure off areas.

But bluntly, attempting to tell taxpayers they cannot use a specific road because an HOA is upset is not an answer. It is an aggravation to the existing problem.

Block that road off and what happens? Now 74 and 54 get worse. Now the residents take forever to get into the entrance to the development. Now the road pressures back up and impact others. Now we are paying for you private roadway.

Transfering the problems is NOT an answer.

When the work is complete, it should help some. But with Target and other development along 54, 34 and 74 traffic is going to get worse and worse and worse.

There really has to be another entrance to the shopping. That will bleed a lot of traffic away from 74/54, a truly miserble intersection.

Real is you were never promised a quiet street forever. Real is we all pay for that road, not just you. Real is trying to treat it like your private domain will not work.

As mentioned by others. There are other roads that have become cut throughs. If you get a private road should they not as well?

Ooooops! The conjestion just went up again!

I truly believe the keys to somewhat help you are finishing the construction and another entry/exit to the shopping.

Not unsympathetic to your issues. But you cannot punish everyone else, who pays for that road as much as you do, for your benefit.

It is a road. Roads are to be driven on.

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Keeping it real and to the core of the issue, not the peripherals.

I was not in favor if gating off the area. But hey, I don't live there, so those who do should have more of a say. If they want it private, let them have at it. My last neighborhood in Henry County considered it, was way too expensive when it came right down to it.

As far as no thru traffic, it says so on the signs. I guess you think they are only a suggestion, well I guess you feel the same way about all road signs. How one should pick and choose which ones to obey is beyond me.

My idea was to make the fines high for speeding in all residential areas. I have no problems with that. I also stated what I thought was the best suggestion, and I stand by that.

High Fines for driving on a public street? Maybe the people of Coweta County should fine Doggy for driving on their streets. How scary is that? How about toll booths in front of EVERY neighborhood?

I deserve it.

thought you wanted to ticket people just for driving on the public road. If they speed....nail em. I'm sure the Bladder will have a problem with that.

The meeting is tonight. The story was written to appear in our Wednesday paper; it was just posted online Tuesday.

Sorry for the confusion!

I will be there and we'll have a story in the Friday edition.

Right you are Dana, public roads are public roads. If council does this, it gives traction to my idea of limiting cart path access to Peachtree City residents only. Everyone ridiculed that idea, but the Planterra gates are pretty much the same thing.

Council can't seriously consider this. Thank goodness this didn't come up with Brown, Rapson and Weed in office.

Y'all come on this IS PTC, if Golf View can get a 20 mile an hour speed limit (slower than a school zone, mind you), a stop sign at every corner and huge speed bumps, this too COULD happen.
We tend to over react in this city.
I agree, if gates are installed, Planterra HOA needs to not only pay road maintenance, I feel they need to purchase the roads from the city. Hey, what a plan, maybe this purchase plus a few Logsdon fund raisers could pay the PNB bad loan back. ;-}
Oh better yet put the gates before the tennis center and charge admission for the tennis center guests. Oh the fund raising opportunities are endless!

Buzz off (((((edited)))

Sure. Things like excessive stop signage and low speed limits can happen.

But, that would blow up in their face as well. Then they would have drive that slow and do the bumps as well. Every time they go out.

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Keeping it real and to the core of the issue, not the peripherals.

The request is insane.

Any of these turkeys think about the fact it would require manned gate houses to let emergency vehicles in, in example?

The police need to ticket those who play stunts to block traffic. It is against the law. Driving through is not.

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Keeping it real and to the core of the issue, not the peripherals.

Driving thru is against the law. There are signs at both ends that say NO THRU TRAFFIC. I guess the cops have found it more profitable to stop people in other areas w/ no red flag on the ladder or the 3rd brake light out. Or you think they just don't want to ticket BMW's and such?

you live in Planterra?

So you like using the powers of the police to determine who is worthy and who is not in regards to who gets to travel certain roads? I didn't think democrats liked police powers????

Funny, isn't it.

Liberals want to fight the legalities on issues like illegals and such. But when it comes to their homes, well, that is a different story!

Those signs are meaningless.

As long as they are publicly funded no court is going to uphold assigning exclusive usage to certain residents only.

As noted. Other residents on other roads have cut through traffic as well.

Why? Because the powers that be have failed to provide sufficient main artery roadage.

Why are they not fussing about their not being a second entrance to the shopping center from 74 behind or beside Walmart?

Right back to the issues I said on other topics about traffice relief on 74.

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Keeping it real and to the core of the issue, not the peripherals.