Peachtree City now has an official set of design guidelines on the books, regulating a variety of matters from building architecture to the layout of residential subdivisions.

The new design ordinance was approved by the City Council last week. The standards will regulate the design of buildings, streets, subdivision and lighting.

City Planner David Rast said the new requirements can be enforced via special conditions enacted on site plans by the city’s planning commission. The commission recommended approval of the ordinance.

“A lot of things we’ve done through the years, we didn’t have a lot to back it up, and fortunately we haven’t been challenged,” noted City Planner David Rast.

Earlier this year, Rast noted that more of the developers who are approaching city staff don’t share the same vision of quality architecture and design; at times it has been hard convincing developers of those benefits, he has said.

The ordinance will help regulate redevelopment of commercial areas, as city staff predicts that older shopping centers may be razed and rebuilt from scratch as the city runs out of available vacant commercial property.