I am a Peachtree City homeowner and business owner. I was pleased to find the Comprehensive Plan Advisory Board’s survey online because my household was not part of the original sample of 1,000 that received the surveys in the mail (how our population was sampled is an important issue in its own right).

The deadline for the mailed surveys is July 14, but I think every resident property owner in Peachtree City should respond to this survey. It can be found at www.peachtree-city.org.

I would like to raise a couple of points of concern about the construction of the survey itself and how the data will be used.

Question 1.2 on the first page of the survey may be the most important one in the entire document. It “represents planning issues facing Peachtree City” and asks respondents to indicate how important each issue is.

These issues are significant – if you have not seen the survey yet, they include things like land use changes, annexation, and the introduction of public transportation.

But the instructions are to “indicate how important you feel each issue is on a scale from ‘very important’ to ‘not important’.” It seems harmless on the surface, but what does my response mean?

For example, I think the introduction of public transit is a horrible idea because of the correlation between public transit and increased crime. So is it “very important” to me?

I would say so – but “very important” could imply support for the idea. So, then, is it “not important” to me? That could imply ambivalence.

The survey’s validity (measuring what it intends to measure) would improve by phrasing the issues as “Transportation alternatives (bus/rail) are needed both inside and outside the city” and allow citizens to respond using a scale of “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree.”

A cynic might suggest the question was written to pave the way for this agenda – everyone either supports it or couldn’t care less. My hope is that it was merely a poorly worded question.

I think the CPAB should issue a statement explaining how the data will be analyzed and interpreted to make sure the respondents are providing data that is useful to the board.

The survey and the Community Assessment document reveal a bit about the direction the CPAB seems to be leaning: more low-income housing opportunities, introduction of alternative transportation (bus/light rail), redevelopment of aging residential areas, and growth — residential, commercial and industrial growth.

“Redevelopment of aging residential areas” smacks of eminent domain to me. “Low-income housing opportunities” could translate into more apartments and lower acreage requirements for new home construction.

But this is just one citizen’s interpretation. Please, read the document. It’s always a good idea to understand the ideas that our leaders, elected or otherwise, are mulling over.

Fill out the survey and turn it into City Hall. Call David Rast or Daniel Norris at 770-487-5731 to ask questions.

Will the results be published and easily accessible by every resident? How will the data be used? What happens if the voice of the people supports the status quo over “progress”?

Please read, learn, and let them know how you feel about these issues. Passivity could lead to Peachtree City losing the very characteristics that make it special.

Megan Millians
Peachtree City, Ga.

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