Here comes the future. What has long been the tree-lined vista of the South Fulton Parkway has begun a transformation at Ga. Highway 92 that is only the beginning of commercial, office and residential development in Union City’s 6.5-mile area of the parkway that will extend far into the future. The initial approved development will bring approximately 1.66 million square feet of retail, up to 2,900 residential units and 1.65 million square feet of warehouse space.

It is not common to have a decrease in serious crimes in an area that is experiencing rapid growth. But that is what happened in 2006 in Fairburn. Tallied for calendar year 2006, those crimes showed an overall 8.7 percent decrease over 2005.

It might be coincidence and is hopefully not related, but several members of the south Fulton and north Fayette communities began manifesting some of the same symptoms late last week that they experienced during the summer and fall months after breathing what they said were emissions from the Philip Services Corp. (PSC) waste treatment plant on Ga. Highway 92 near Fairburn. More than 750 Fulton and Fayette residents reported experiencing the same few symptoms in mid-2006 after breathing what many claimed were emissions of the chemical odorant Propyl mercaptan and organophospahte pesticide MOCAP that escaped the plant property.

Union City Planning Commission Jan. 29 adopted a 90-day moratorium on issues related to development along Roosevelt Highway. The move follows a late 2006 vote by the city council to adopt the Roosevelt Highway Corridor Overlay District guidelines.

The Georgia Society of CPAs (GSCPA) has honored one of Fayette’s future aspiring accountants.

Now is the time to begin applying for admission to Landmark Christian School for the 2007-2008 school year. A great first step is to check out Landmark's website, where you will find a wealth of information about Landmark and their admissions process.

A development proposal received by Tyrone official late last week could be the first step in revitalizing the town’s aging downtown.

Fairburn city officials say 2006 was a great year and 2007 should be even better. That was the message at the annual city council retreat held Jan. 13.

A new group has come into existence in Chattahoochee Hills. The group may be new but the message is not. That message calls for a June vote to form a city that will control the development and the destiny of one of the last remaining large areas of rural metro Atlanta. Nearly 225 area residents filled the gym at Georgia Baptist Children’s Home for the Jan. 20 meeting.

A chill was in the air and the heat was on during the late night hours of Jan. 20 as Union City Police conducted roadchecks along some of the city’s highly traveled roads. Temperatures falling into the high 30s during the eight-hour exercise did not prevent officers from checking the licenses of hundreds of drivers and making 22 arrests.

A Roswell man has been charged in the Jan. 17 burglary of D.J.’s Grocery at 504 Main Street. Photos taken during the burglary and items found in his vehicle led to his identification after he was arrested the next day in Newnan.

It may not be the most colorful topic on anyone’s short list but it clears up a problem that has been years in the making. Fairburn City Council Jan. 22 approved a measure adopted by the Tyrone Town Council in late 2006 that settles what has been a sticky issue over a portion of the town’s sewage needs.

Tyrone Planning Commission Jan. 25 approved a variance request to reduce setbacks to 10 feet on two adjacent lots located along Brentwood Road between Arrowood Road and Howell Park. The properties are in the Main Street area near Triangle Park.

The Tyrone Town Council sent a clear message to developers thinking about developing a tract near Flat Rock Middle School: leave it alone.

What was long held a dream by many in the Chattahoochee Hill Country area of South Fulton County is poised to become reality. In keeping with the concept that would contain development within a small fraction of the 40,000-acre Hill Country, plans have been submitted to create the 2,000-acre Friendship Village at South Fulton Parkway and Rivertown Road. Far from being an enclave, Friendship Village is envisioned to be a full-spectrum community designed to melt into the rolling hills of south Fulton while maintaining nearly two-thirds of the community as greenspace.

To Jim Simpson it is a family matter that need not be disturbed. To the developers of South Fulton Crossing shopping center it is a way to accommodate emerging business while preserving an old family graveyard.

The debate over whether to form the new City of South Fulton or remain unincorporated continued Thursday at Emmaus Road Missionary Baptist Church on Flat Shoals Road. Members of a half-dozen homeowners associations listened as Fulton County Commissioner Bill Edwards and South Fulton Concerned Citizens representative Benny Crane presented opposing views to the issue facing voters in June.

Chattahoochee Hill Country Conservancy has a new executive director. And Christine McCauley brings with her a passion for stewardship of the land and a desire to conserve the rural character of the 40,000-acre Chatt Hills area envisioned by residents and the organization.

Residents of Chattahoochee Hill Country are invited to attend the “Future City of Chattahoochee Hills” town hall meeting Jan.

Tyrone hopes to capitalize on its Irish heritage this spring as the town gets ready to stage its first St. Patrick’s Day festival.

The Sandy Creek Band strutted their stuff during last weekend’s Martin Luther King Jr.

After months of discussion, Legacy Theater in Tyrone may soon have a marquee sign that will remind residents of the old-fashioned movie palaces.

Initial plans for Friendship Village, the first of three proposed villages in Chattahoochee Hill Country, have been submitted to Georgia Dept. of Community Affairs. Plans call for developing 5,981 residential units, nearly a million square feet of retail and office space and 96,500 square feet of civic and institutional use on 1,997.6 acres.

Twelve- year-old Senoia resident Sara McFall dusts for fingerprints at Union City Police Department’s Crime Scene Unit lab.

History has been made again. For the second consecutive year, a Fayette educator has been named a finalist for 2008 Georgia Teacher of the Year.

In some people’s minds it was only a matter of time. In the minds of others, it will never happen. House Resolution 12 introduced Jan. 9 by Alpharetta Rep. Jan Jones calls for the break-up of Fulton County that could result in the re-creation of Milton County on the north side and, presumably, Campbell County on the south side.

It was a look to the future Thursday as South Fulton Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Leslie Hamrick provided a glimpse of the organization’s plans at the Annual Meeting and Luncheon at Georgia International Convention Center.

The price of copper is up and thieves wanting to make an easy buck are cashing in. But police investigating the thefts are making headway with catching those wanting a quick profit on the shiny metal.

State Sen. Ronnie Chance (R-Tyrone) has been appointed Chairman of the newly created Senate Government Oversight Committee by Lt. Governor Casey Cagle. The Senate Government Oversight Committee is the newest standing committee in the body, which will be responsible for holding hearings, if necessary, on issues of concern within the state government. He also will continue serving as secretary of the Senate Finance Committee.

Last year, residents of Tyrone saw their small town move into the big leagues as new restaurants and a performing arts center moved into town.