Land swap off the table; deeds protected property

First Baptist Church of Peachtree City has abandoned its request to acquire the city’s existing Pebblepocket tennis courts in a land swap to build a community center.

But the construction plans are still on. The newly revised plan features the 25,000 sq. ft. building moved south of the Willowbend retail center, at the northwest corner of Willow and Willowbend roads.

The plan will be considered Monday night by the Peachtree City Planning Commission in a workshop format, meaning no formal vote will take place. Because the proposal is now just a site plan, the matter will not come back to the City Council for further consideration, city officials said.

“Since a land swap is no longer part of the proposal, the plan will be finalized by the city Planning Commission and will not come back to the mayor and city council for approval,” said City Manager Bernie McMullen.

Removing the land swap should appease neighbors in the area who opposed the relocation of the tennis courts and use of city-owned land nearby that’s currently greenspace. In fact, it was the concerns of those neighbors about possible deed restrictions on the property, which was deeded to the city by developers.

“The deeds really preclude relocating the tennis courts to the area along Pebblestump Point, making the land transfer a moot point,” McMullen said.

The church also has cut down the number of parking spaces by about 200 from its original request of 740, officials said.

The three existing apartment buildings along Willowbend Road directly across from the church campus will still be demolished and developed as parking.

The plan also includes a reconfiguration of the church’s existing parking lot and relocation of the main parking lot entrance to line up with Willow Road. A copy of the revised plan will be available at Monday’s meeting and online at www.peachtree-city.org, officials said.

The building will have a gym with a raised walking track and a 2,000 sq. ft. teen hangout area with televisions, electronic games and pool tables, officials have said. The rest of the facility will be designed for multi-purpose use.

McMullen said he appreciated how church representatives worked with city staff and area neighbors to address concerns and create the best possible plan for the site. He also thanked the concerned area neighbors who volunteered their time to review the proposal and its revisions.

Church spokesman Randy Daughtry said he appreciated the city’s efforts on the project so the plan could meet the needs of the church and the community. The church has offered to host city recreation and leisure programs at the building when it’s not being used for church activities.

“The original initiative to develop programs and services through a Community Life Center that benefits our city and church is not, and never has been, contingent upon the execution of a land swap with the city,” Daughtry said. Although we are no longer pursuing a land swap, we still plan on working with the city in maximizing the use of our current and future facilities in serving the community.”

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