As all of you need to know, Peachtree City has a extended officially documented heritage of retaining an correctly lean share of multi-household housing. That is not NIMBY, it is rational, intentional setting up.
As we are witnessing now, back again throughout the Bob Lenox administration the authentic estate developers discovered plenty of funding obtainable for the design of multi-family members housing. In truth, the stress from builders towards setting up far more multi-loved ones complexes in the town was so strong that following several sizable developments have been accepted, the citizenry pushed back challenging, inquiring the Metropolis Council to refocus on common neighborhoods in the planned village custom.
Our neighborhood was struggling with various negative impacts, which include trailers behind colleges and grinding visitors congestion.
By overpowering desire from the constituents, the Town Council, heeding the needs of the citizen taxpayers, applied a moratorium on multi-family design while intentionally and intelligently defining the route of upcoming advancement going ahead.
Individuals similar citizen taxpayers experienced to foot the monumental bill to establish additions on to area school structures and put into action expensive transportation mitigation initiatives to stem targeted traffic congestion at the Highways 74-54 intersection and Highway 54-west.
The multi-spouse and children moratorium was supported and upheld by the Brown, Logsdon and Haddix administrations.
Sadly, the most the latest administration of Mayor Vanessa Fleisch, a serious estate agent, moved powering the scenes to make a radical redevelopment sample concentrating practically exclusively on urban style multi-family sophisticated improvement, a significant departure from the prolonged successful planned village plan.
They pushed for the Calistoa “mini city” to be designed at the stop of our airport runway, almost guaranteeing foreseeable future complications for our citizens in aviation and our aviation enterprises at the airport.
Two of the most outrageous steps at any time taken by a Town Council transpired during this time. Very first, the council moved to use taxpayer resources to sue any citizen in the courts who spoke negatively of the government’s attempts.
2nd, the Town Council and metropolis planning employees blatantly lied to the community in a council meeting when they voted to get rid of the multi-relatives moratorium, stating there was no for a longer period any assets accessible that was zoned for large apartment and condominium complexes, hence, professing the extensive held moratorium was pointless.
A limited time just after, Mayor Fleisch and her council colleagues experimented with to force-feed us an city progress eyesight that incorporated tearing down recreation facilities, uprooting secured greenbelts, and abolishing general public parks to build thousands of multi-family units on individuals sites by means of the Livable Middle Initiative (LCI). Certainly, there was large pushback from the citizens at the time once more.
The two incumbent council customers up for re-election, Terry Ernst and Kevin Madden, have been the two soundly defeated as the nearby taxpaying voters manufactured their displeasure over the harmful advancement proposals known in the voting booths.
Another substantial oversight was employing a Setting up Director who abhors the common model of village enhancement that continues to be a single of Georgia’s best advancement results tales. Director Cailloux’s consistent makes an attempt at “urbanizing” Peachtree Town have been the bane of our existence. (See: https://thecitizen.com/2020/11/01/lci-assembly-insult-to-peachtree-town-inhabitants/)
Robin Cailloux would be far better suited going back again to Atlanta and performing on tasks like the failed Atlanta Streetcar that she cultivated prior to her current work.
Many of us actually recognize council associates Destadio and Caola listening to the constituents and acting accordingly. Their organization stance opposing the higher density multi-loved ones housing in the midst of other difficulties the metropolis is struggling with is admirable.
The Town Council’s lie pertaining to no need for the multi-relatives moratorium continues with a developer seeking to build 36 models on just six acres off of MacDuff Parkway.
Director Cailloux has espoused the philosophy that builders are worthy of the most rewarding zoning and initiatives probable at the price of present-day citizens and our infrastructure.
Somehow the tables have been turned and we the citizen taxpayers are now responsible for the fiscal results and total reduction of chance for genuine estate builders. The developer, Brent Holdings, reported as much, “A 36-unit townhome advancement entails the minimum development hazard and delivers the finest flexibility to realize success.”
Listed here are some common sense tips for the council to contemplate. Very first, be general public servants, not progress tyrants.
2nd, cease attempting to urbanize Peachtree Metropolis. If we preferred that kind of development, we would have moved someplace else.
3rd, leap off of the multifamily progress educate. We do not want to be an homogenized, search-alike, failing suburban wasteland like other components of metropolitan Atlanta with their failing educational facilities, criminal offense and visitors gridlock. End attempting to emulate individuals other locations.
Multifamily housing complexes are now commodity projects owned by Serious Estate Investment decision Trusts (REIT) outdoors of the state. The homeowners treatment small about our community. The solution is cyclical in mother nature, and when leasing prices are down they become a incredible burden on the communities where by they reside.
There are some associates of the Metropolis Council who have promised a single issue and once elected completed the reverse. Be genuine and listen to the bulk of citizen taxpayers who moved to Peachtree Metropolis for unique causes and motivation to remain out of the urbanization method.
How numerous situations do the citizens have to force-again ahead of you heed their guidelines?
Steve Brown
Peachtree Metropolis, Ga.
[Brown is a former mayor of Peachtree City and a former two-term member of the Fayette County Commission.]
