News | Tyrone

Citizens urge changes to report

Mon, 07/24/2006 - 9:32am
By: John Munford

Multi-family reference draws resistance

Tyrone’s draft of its community assessment report — designed to help guide future growth — will undergo some changes now that the planning consultant has gotten some feedback from the community.

Meanwhile, a survey on the town’s planning efforts for the next 20 years, called its comprehensive plan, is being developed and will be sent out with the town’s garbage bills. A special “visioning” meeting for the town has been set for Thursday, Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. so residents can have more input on how the town will develop in the future.

Several residents at Thursday’s council meeting opposed the report’s recommendation to increase the number of multi-family dwellings in the town. Several speakers specifically said they don’t want apartments.

Consultant Jonathan Lewis, who authored the report, said any part of the community assessment that’s not in the community’s wishes could be eliminated. He explained the reference to multi-family use was not for apartments, but rather for second-story residences over stores, which he said would be a good fit to help revitalize the downtown area. The report specifically refers to using multi-family housing developments as a way to bring more affordable housing to the area, as rent has increased 80 percent in Tyrone between 1990 and 2000.

Councilman Paul Letourneau noted that the town has eliminated the multi-family category from its zoning ordinances because the town doesn’t want to have apartments.

Also challenged was a portion of the report that indicated the town needed more medical facilities. But Lewis explained he wasn’t referring to a standalone hospital, but instead more clinic-type ventures including physicians and dentists.

The report also noted a lack of housing specially designed for seniors, but several residents pointed out that Peachtree City has several such facilities just a few miles away.

Lewis said he was receptive to all the feedback, and he hopes to get more at the Oct. 12 meeting, which will likely be hosted at Town Hall.

The comprehensive plan will be worked on in a series of meetings of a volunteer board comprised of business leaders, representatives of homeowners associations and others.

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It will happen eventually
Nice1's picture
Submitted by Nice1 on Fri, 07/28/2006 - 11:40am.

Too many people want apartments here. It will happen, and traffic congestion will increase. The crime rate will go up, and property value will go down. I think one story tasteful duplex-type homes would be okay, maybe townhomes too, but nothing should be stacked. If enough people voiced their opinions against the apartments, then maybe they won't permit them.

Ensure Domestic Tranquility


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Nice1: not so nice
Submitted by Sailon on Fri, 07/28/2006 - 2:07pm.

Where do you want those who make under $40,000 to live, like our cops, firemen, service department workers, restaurant workers, etc? I know, someplace else! A decent town provides such housing. Or, they require the workers to be paid more.

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Always Nice
Nice1's picture
Submitted by Nice1 on Fri, 07/28/2006 - 2:42pm.

I believe that a duplex, townhome, or fourplex can be made affordable, but they need to prepare for the traffic that any rentals will bring before making a change.

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Nice1--Townhomes, etc
Submitted by Sailon on Fri, 07/28/2006 - 3:41pm.

When you can get someone to build and sell such homes for our low wage earners so that they can afford them, or the rent, let me know, I want some of them. A policeman, for instance, a working stiff--not the chief, could probably afford about 4-500 dollars a month, once he has paid his taxes, his town and county support money, his school tax, a vehicle, food, clothing, and his sewer and rain bills. He may not run his A/C, nor have cable or disc. Unless they are free to him, he can't eat out much, unless his wife can afford day care and works for minimum wage and tips.

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High
Nice1's picture
Submitted by Nice1 on Fri, 07/28/2006 - 4:37pm.

What do you think about projects? I read somewhere that they were thinking about putting some of those in Fairburn near Tyrone. I have a thought about that, but I want to hear yours first.

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Projects Nice1?
Submitted by Sailon on Fri, 07/28/2006 - 6:12pm.

I am not familiar with that word, "projects." I think it is a plan, or a design, or a scheme. If you are talking about skycrapers with elevators and water and toilets that don't work, and leaky roofs, and broken out windows, and four times as many women as men and five times as many children as women, then I'm not for trying that again. They tore them all down in New York and Philadelphia. I think the intention of those was for temporary shelter until the people in them could get a job and buy something, at least rent a home. They didn't do any of that. We could put them all in hovels in the desert and parachute in water and bread once a week. NO MANAGEMENT was budgeted.

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High project
Nice1's picture
Submitted by Nice1 on Fri, 07/28/2006 - 11:29pm.

If I read correctly, I do believe that that is what it was referring to. I wish that I could find the article. I don't know if the initial idea was for temporary housing when projects were created. I always thought that they were just homes for low-income families. If it is for low-income families, I like the system I saw used in Maryland, but I don't know exactly how it works. They provide housing to low-income families in regular neighborhoods, and they receive some sort of assistance. They make it so that you never know who these low-income families are.

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Highgreen
Nice1's picture
Submitted by Nice1 on Fri, 07/28/2006 - 4:30pm.

I went to apartments.com. I found a couple of townhomes in the price range. Morrowood Townhome is one. There were two others, but not close by. It can be done. We just need to find a way. Don't be so pessimistic. There is a compromise.

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Morrowood Nice1
Submitted by Sailon on Fri, 07/28/2006 - 6:03pm.

Well, maybe we can get all of our low paid cops, etc., to live in that one in Morrowood. Or, somewhere else, maybe.

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Not my point High
Nice1's picture
Submitted by Nice1 on Fri, 07/28/2006 - 11:15pm.

I am just wondering why the same can not be done in Fayette county(affordable townhomes). We can keep everyone here. I just don't like the idea of stacking apartments. I am offering a solution. We could all live in the same area. I am offering the idea of affordable one story homes, rather than a huge complex.

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Pardon
PTC Guy's picture
Submitted by PTC Guy on Fri, 07/28/2006 - 5:21pm.

But you cannot rent a one bedroom apartment in Harmony for $500.00 a month.

Kick in a couple of hundred more for the nicer ones.

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


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PTC There must be a way
Nice1's picture
Submitted by Nice1 on Fri, 07/28/2006 - 11:33pm.

There has to be a way to get affordable homes in Tyrone for people without stacking apartments.

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Affordable
PTC Guy's picture
Submitted by PTC Guy on Sat, 07/29/2006 - 9:31am.

Price of land plus materials say you cannot.

Wood has been jumping every year around double digit.

To reduce construction cost one must make as many walls, as possible, common. And it must be on the least acrage possible.

I have watched some of the $100,000 homes go up. Would not have one.

Cheaply made.

Even then, it would take a big down payment to get a payment down to 500 a month for the house and land.

Which those who need that cost range will not have.

Just not there to do.

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


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Head in the sand Paul
mudcat's picture
Submitted by mudcat on Tue, 07/25/2006 - 5:15am.

Not only is it a bad idea not to address multi-family (and all uses for that matter) in your zoning ordinance, it is a really bad idea to broadcast in the media that your ordinance doesn't address these things.

As any second-year law student could tell you, if your ordinance is silent on a specific use, you are inviting that use - probably without restrictions. Sure, it would take a long and expensive lawsuit, but end result is the adult bookstore, strip club or God forbid - apartments!!!!! How do you think these things get into towns that don't want them? Answer, naive town councils think they can prohibit things by not talking about them. Consult your lawyer - you'll really be surprised by the way things actually work.
meow


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