HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-02-2017 Retreat workshop City Council of Peachtree City
Retreat Workshop Minutes
May 2, 2017
The Mayor and Council of Peachtree City met in Retreat workshop session on Tuesday, May 2,
2017. Mayor Vanessa Fleisch opened the workshop at 6:30 p.m. Council Members attending:
Terry Ernst, Mike King, Kim Learnard, and Phil Prebor.
The topics for the workshop were the Comprehensive Plan and Annexation.
City Manager Jon Rorie noted this was the first of two Retreat workshops leading up to the budget
workshops that would begin in June. The Retreat workshop on June 6 would focus on PTC
Economics, and the first budget workshop was scheduled on June 26.
Planning & Development Director Mike Warrix said the initial public hearing that began the
Comprehensive Plan process was held in August 2016, and they would present the draft plan at
this meeting. The Steering Committee members had worked diligently on the plan for the last six
months.
Senior Planner Robin Cailloux addressed the purpose of the Comprehensive Plan, noting the state
mandated the plan be updated every five years. It helped the City keep its Qualifying Local
Government status (QLG) with the state,which allowed the City to procure grants and participate
in some programs. Planning was also part of the City's genetics, and current residents were
reaping the rewards of those planning efforts. The Comprehensive Plan allowed the City to
confirm and establish its goals, as well as allowing the City to pay that forward by ensuring a high
quality of life for future generations. The Plan also offered a framework on how to implement or
achieve the goals.
The timeline for the update began with the public hearing on August 4, 2016. The Steering
Committee kickoff meeting was held October 4, 2016, and the first public open house was held
on December 8, 2016. The Steering Committee was comprised of a cross-section of citizens and
included Scott Bradshaw, Nate Walker, Sean McMillan, Tonya Curry, and Kim Westwood. The
committee first met on January 10, 2017. Open houses were held in December and February. The
Steering Committee held a joint meeting with the Planning Commission, other City boards, and
the Fayette County Development Authority (FCDA) on February 27. The committee met again on
April 13 and will also present the draft at the May 8 Planning Commission meeting. The final draft
would be on the May 18 City Council agenda, with the Department of Community Affairs review
to follow (May-July). The target adoption date by City Council was in late July or early August.
Once adopted, the City would retain its QLG status.
The Comprehensive Plan update had been a listening exercise, Cailloux said. It provided an
opportunity to listen to the public and Steering Committee. She continued that three major topics
had come up-economic development, transportation, and the village concept (land use) and
how it could be practically implemented in today's environment. The three areas had intertwined
impacts, and the joint meeting was held to talk about those impacts. The goal was to start
"breaking down the silos" and understand the interrelated consequences of decisions that were
made.
The community had confirmed goals that included protecting the environment and greenbelts,
using the village concept for annexations and redevelopments, encouraging quality job growth,
providing safe and convenient travel through and within the City, and balancing the levels of
service with the City's long-term financial liability. This confirmed established goals that would
keep the City heading in the same direction. The committee also identified some policies and
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May 2,2017
Page 2
practices that could be measured in achieving those goals, and they helped create the
Community Work Program (CWP) in the Comprehensive Plan, which outlined the action items to
achieve the goals. The CWP table included the goal, the actions needed to achieve the goal,
the responsible department/commission/organization, funding and source, and which year the
actions/goals should be accomplished (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022).
The economic development action items included shifting the tax burden away from residents
(increasing commercial and industrial share of tax base). In Peachtree City, the residential tax
base was approximately 66% compared to just under 33% commercial/industrial use. Fayette
County's tax base was approximately the same as the City's. Coweta County residential property
owners made up approximately 57% of the tax base, while commercial/industrial uses were
approximately 43%of the tax base. The state tax base average was approximately 51%residential
and 49%commercial/industrial.
Cailloux said the City had partnered with the Fayette County Development Authority to attract
new development and to keep businesses and jobs that were already here. Many existing
companies in the County were doing significant expansions on-site. Rorie added that the Planning
Commission, Fayette County Development Authority, and Peachtree City Water & Sewerage
Authority were in attendance at this meeting, and the idea was to have this conversation. At the
April 20 City Council meeting, an impact fee waiver and a jobs grant were approved for an
expansion at Rinnai, and those incentives were driven by ordinances and Council policy. The
idea behind them was to encourage expansion and infill in the industrial park.
Transportation action items included encouraging alternative modes, and SPLOST projects would
expand the multi-use path system, Cailloux said. She noted that the Georgia Department of
Transportation (GDOT) looked at the City as a beacon of a multi-use path community, not only
because the City had such an extensive program, but because it had been here for so long. The
state was looking to the City to provide guidelines for other communities.
Managing congestion was another item, and there were SPLOST projects on SR 54 that should
help. The City was also participating in multi-jurisdictional planning efforts to work with GDOT,such
as Fayette County's Comprehensive Transportation Plan and the Gateway Coalition on SR 74
corridor plans.
Rorie noted that transportation was a regional issue that extended throughout South Atlanta. Staff
had reached out to surrounding communities and had met with Coweta County recently to look
at their transportation plan. It provided the opportunity to look at what Coweta had planned and
how it would impact the City and County. Everyone needed to look at traffic long term. Data on
projected growth was available, and regional action plans needed to be developed.
Learnard pointed out the City was part of the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) and Coweta
County was part of the Three Rivers Regional Commission, asking if it could be an issue for any
regional plans. Rorie said the City and Coweta County were in the same GDOT region,which was
good. Fleisch asked if Coweta was part of the non-attainment area for air quality. Cailloux said
Coweta was part of the Metropolitan Planning Organization, which was a federal designation,
and were regulated by the same rules as Fayette County. Rorie said having both regional
commissions working on the traffic issues would be beneficial.
Cailloux continued that the actions items for land use were to preserve the natural environment
(stay the course, explore possible stormwater management incentives) and to develop and
redevelop using the Village Concept (define types, redevelopment, annexation). Fleisch asked
if there was ever a definitive answer regarding what the "village concept" was. Cailloux said
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there was not, and that was an action item. It did not mean the same thing everywhere or to
everyone.
Frank Destadio (Planning Commission) said he had gone to most of the meetings on the
Comprehensive Plan update, and there had been a great effort put into the plan update.
However, he did not see any definitive comments on the quality of Lake Peachtree. He noted
that the silt coming down Flat Creek was the real problem with the lake, and they needed to talk
about how to slow down that process.
Ernst agreed, saying they had discussed it, but there was no plan. The situation needed to be
fixed. Destadio said the siltation would continue if no plan was in place.
Cailloux discussed the Village Concept, noting the state used the term Character Area. One of
the goals in Land Use was to define the types of villages, pursue Livable Centers Initiative (LCI)
funding, and adopt architectural guidelines, especially along gateways and corridors. Activity
centers were another way to look at the Village Concept. The commercial areas were different
sizes, and some were regional attractors like the Walmart/Home Depot area, while others had
more of a community feel such as Braelinn Village.
Federal transportation money was used to fund the LCI program run by the ARC, Cailloux said.
The funds were given to a community to look at how land use was impacting transportation.
Another short-term project was to adopt architectural guidelines, which could be different in
different parts of the City or along gateways and corridors. Architectural guidelines would help
further identify the different villages and village centers.
Redevelopment was another goal for land use. Cailloux said 10 areas had been targeted in the
2006 Comprehensive Plan, asking if they were still appropriate areas for redevelopment. The 10
areas identified were Wynnmeade, Aberdeen Village retail, Westpark Walk retail, Willowbend
Center, Huddleston Road, Lake Peachtree, Braelinn Village retail, Peachtree Crossing retail,
Steven's Entry, and Peachtree Crossing. The focus should be on the vision or desired result of
redevelopment for the areas, as well as appropriate incentives.
Rorie said he was more familiar with the work done at the Braelinn Village retail center,which was
a good example. Kroger had been expanded,and there had been architectural updates. There
had been some issues with tree removal and landscaping. He asked what would happen if K-
mart closed and asked if another big box be recruited. Rorie said progress had been made in
these areas since 2006, adding that the City should continue to look at what was happening in
the retail centers.
Destadio asked what would happen if ClubCorp sold the private golf courses, asking if the City
could handle that situation. The City's long-term vision should include what would happen if any
of the golf courses were closed and what the City would want to see on the golf course properties.
Prebor pointed out that these courses were different because the residential component was built
around and through the courses.
Cailloux continued that, in 2014, an annexation study was done, and the areas considered for
annexation included SR 54 eastward, Dogwood Trail northward, Wilksmoor industrial, and Starr's
Mill southward. She said this also included coordination with adjacent jurisdictions. The Village
Concept and step down zoning should be applied to future annexations. The idea of annexation
was to clean up the City's borders, Cailloux said. They should look at what was rural and what
was suburban to help clarify the borders.
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The SR 54 East area included the Publix shopping center, Shiloh Village (mobile homes), Sumner
Road, Governor's Row (office/commercial/undeveloped), Longboat/Genevieve (large lot
residential), and Ebenezer Road (agricultural properties along the road).
Rorie said there should not be a piecemeal approach to annexation on SR 54 East, but a phased
approach. If an area was urban, then it should be in the municipality. This area was developing
as a separate village with residential and commercial components. Annexation should be a high
priority to balance out the tax base.
Fleisch noted that two of the recent annexations, Heritage Assisted Living on SR 54 East and the
day care center on SR 74 South, were due to failing septic systems. They were annexed because
of the health code. There were several businesses in this area that were on septic systems, and
she could see similar problems occurring as the businesses got older.
Cailloux said access to sewer would be a major attraction for these properties. They might not
need it now, but if they wanted to maximize/increase the use of their property, they might not be
able to do so because of a septic system. King said the Fitness Center spent $500 per year to
maintain the septic system, but hooking up to sewer would cost$17,000.
King said he understood that a certain percentage of homeowners had to agree to annexation
of a residential area. Cailloux said 60% of the property owners and 60% of the registered voters
had to be in favor of an annexation.
The Dogwood Trail northward area included Crabapple Lane tracts adjacent to Kedron Hills,
which was zoned R-22 (half acre minimum, three-fourths acre average); Dogwood Trail tracts;and
Sims Roads tracts (connected to Astoria Lane tracts zoned R-43, one-acre lot size).
Rorie said there had been a request to annex the Dogwood Trail tracts, asking how the step-down
zoning would apply. Usually the zoning requests that went along with the annexation requests
were related to density issues. Either R-22 or R-43 would fit with the surrounding zoning. Cailloux
said the most recent tactic used by developers was to look at the gross number of houses that
would be permitted on a tract, condense the houses together, and leave a large area of
undeveloped property. She said extending R-22 ad finitum, would be a continuous sprawl, and
the idea of stepping down would provide an end in sight.
Ernst said the City should look long and hard at adding more residential because of the current
tax base. Rorie said as the City expanded its borders, the service delivery had to change.
Maintaining service levels was the idea behind looking at pockets/areas. It cost $1.5 million to
add a fire station, and Rorie asked what sense it made to annex if the City had to add a fire
station. They were looking at a 20-year defined footprint so staff could plan service expansions.
The Wilksmoor Industrial study area included the industrial tract next to the quarry in Tyrone, the
agricultural zoned tract next to Cresswind, and islands contiguous to the City. Cailloux said the
orphan islands in this area needed to be cleaned up. There were residential areas next to
industrial areas. Rorie said there should be movement in this area over the next few years. They
wanted to avoid making today's decisions tomorrow's problems. The City dealt with issues daily
on the west side of the City because of the proximity of residential zoning to industrial and
commercial zoning.
The Starr's Mill southward study area included the Redwine Road horse farms, Jefferson Woods
subdivision, Mountbrook subdivision, The Chimneys, Millpond Manor, Brechin Park, and the New
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Hope Baptist Church campus. Any movement towards GA 85 would need coordination with
Fayette County and Senoia.
Fleisch noted that Brechin Park had a Senoia mailing address, and the Post Office had also
wanted The Gates subdivision in the City to have a Senoia address. A petition to have a
Peachtree City as The Gates' address had been approved.
WASA board member John Oakey commented that he owned land in two other counties, and a
home that was on septic had to be on at least one acre because of septic tank issues. He asked
if that was the same for Fayette County. Cailloux said it was, adding that Jefferson Woods, and
other subdivisions in the County had one-acre lots. Fleisch noted that Mountbrook and The
Chimneys were on sewer, saying that sewer for The Chimneys had been part of the sewer
purchase and Mountbrook was on sewer due to the proximity to the Starr's Mill School Complex.
Rorie said there were areas in the City that had minimum one-acre lots based on the zoning and
were designed for septic, which was not a good or bad thing. It was a decision people made.
The lot size and soil type determined whether a lot would have a septic system.
Rorie said the budget for long-term sustainability of all City facilities came out of the
Comprehensive Plan process, but it had not been driven by just that. Maintenance would be a
highlight at the June 6 Retreat workshop. The City had not done a good job of explaining where
the money had gone. They would look at how much it cost to expand services. If one mill in the
City's budget was worth $2 million and the City spent $2 million per year on the cart paths, that
was spent on something in this City that no other city had. The City had a master plan for the path
system,and 13 of the SPLOST program projects were about extension and expansion of the system.
A huge issue for the cart paths was the south end connectivity, Rorie continued. Fayette County
was working with GDOT on a County-wide multi-use path master plan. Rorie and City Engineer
Dave Borkowski had spoken to the County Engineer about the GDOT project, particularly in the
Redwine Road area.
The City needed to work with planning departments in other cities and counties, Rorie said. The
City was a border town and felt the impacts from other common ground. Rorie said he had
discussed joint planning between the City and the County with the County Administrator for
common standards. As SR 54 East developed toward Fayetteville, working together was more
important. Certain areas needed to be looked at long-term even if only an internal agreement
level between the two planning entities.
Destadio said the update was a good plan. He wanted to emphasize one thing. Complete
Streets (a program where streets were planned, designed, and operated for safe mobility for all
users including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists,and transit users) had come up at the last Steering
Committee meeting. He did not know if Complete Streets was worth the effort, noting the City
had a good staff and great transportation planning.
Cailloux said if Complete Streets was adopted, it could tie the City to the program. The
Comprehensive Plan update suggested it be looked at. The ARC had said it was a conundrum
whether the program would be appropriate in Peachtree City given the City's multi-use path
system.
Fleisch thanked the Planning Commission and Water & Sewerage Authority (WASA) members for
attending the meeting. She said over time there had been changes in Planning and at the airport,
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which led to changes to their agreement with the City. Due to recent developments, it was
probably time to look at WASA and its relationship with the City.
King said there had been a letter-writing campaign three or four years ago, and there was one
now. Whether the issues were perceived or real, there was an accountability problem with the
citizens. With the amount of money spent on bonds, it was the citizens and WASA ratepayers
paying for the bonds, so they should have a voice. Bringing WASA under City control was an
emotional argument that was not very objective as to what needed to be done. There had been
a conversation about having a study done to look at all the issues between WASA and the City.
The lawyers on both sides were disagreeing about whether or not WASA had the capacity to go
outside the City limits. This was not a new issue and had been going on a long time. They needed
to put their heads together and fix this perception so everyone understood what was going on.
The City was prepared to fund a study if everyone agreed. The attorney who helped with the lake
agreement had been recommended, although his availability was not known. This was not just
for Council, but also WASA and the citizens.
Prebor agreed,saying he was asked about WASA every day. There was a level of mistrust. Council
had to work with WASA for the benefit of all the citizens because that was what they were here
to do, and there was a perception they were not working together.
King said he had spoken with Oakey recently, and he had discovered some things from WASA's
perspective that he had not considered. This could be fixed.
Ernst said one of the reasons he ran for Council was because of the dysfunction of the prior
Council. They argued and could not work things out. This Council had fixed that, and he did not
want to have that same dysfunctional attitude with any of the boards in the City.
Rorie asked Joan Young with FCDA to speak about economic development and the City's tax
base. Young said it was a timely subject; they had to balance the tax digest and address the cost
of services. There was a need to address sites. Peachtree City had an abundance of sites at one
time, and the sites were running out. The FCDA had contracted with a site consultant, and they
found the County was out of balance. If the sites were not preserved now, residential
development would take over. The site consultant would make a presentation on May 17, 8:30-
1 1:30 a.m., at the FCDA office. She asked Council to attend.
Young noted that it was a double-edge sword. The FCDA had been very successful with the
target industries of headquarters, aviation and aerospace, film and new media, data and data
centers, information technology, and advanced manufacturing. They would provide jobs with
good paying wages and create a capital investment that would bring in a good amount of taxes.
There were three ways to do this. The first was lead generation and recruitment of companies
that were a good fit. Step 2 was to beef up business retention,which was huge for the City. They
were seeing those efforts pay off with existing industries. Step 3 was new projects, the traditional
economic development of project managers from the state calling about companies wanting to
relocate.
Young continued there had been $23 million spent on existing industry expansion projects during
FY2017 that created 123 jobs. There were $100 million in new projects currently looking at the
community that could bring a total of 936 jobs. Additional sites would be sorely needed if all the
projects came to fruition.
There were several ways to address the lack of sites. There were spotty areas, and infill was one
way to address the need. Infill worked, but it was not the easiest solution. Big boxes were great
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secondary resources, Young said. If there was an empty big box, she said she would look at
recruiting technology companies, research and development companies, or innovation centers
to fill the empty space. What might appear to be problem for the City could be a solution for the
FCDA.
The FCDA was looking for more business locations for target industries. Annexation was another
solution since the City could create what it wanted in an annexed area. Young continued they
were also looking at joint development projects. There might be areas with land, but lacking
sewer or the needed infrastructure. Joint partnerships were happening throughout the state, and
municipalities were sharing the tax base, infrastructure, and land. There had been a tremendous
uptick in interest in this community, and the FCDA did not want to tell a company it could not be
accommodated.
Rorie asked about abatement strategies, noting that abatements were typical and included wins
for both the business and the municipality. He discussed zoning, saying they were looking at the
ability to add a Special Use Permit to the General Industrial (GI) category that would allow for
lighter intensity uses. They were looking at how to infill the industrial park and to keep from having
vacant buildings.
Young said tax abatement was a necessary evil. Companies were investing millions of dollars,
and typically wanted more benefit up front where most of the costs were. They also wanted to
see a community committed to them as well. She added she had never seen a company just
relocate because they liked a community. There were negotiations and the art of the deal if they
were going to be successful, Young said. The competition was global. Fayette County had to
become more competitive if it was going to be successful.
Learnard asked what fixed the fact that residents had to bear the brunt of taxes. Young said it
would get worse. People wanted to live in Fayette County because of the quality of life. The
County had been so successful that It was very difficult to maintain an inventory of sites. Schools
were located on major arteries on sites that would be good for a business. They needed to identify
and preserve sites for business recruitment. The County recently lost a business because two
nearby counties were willing to give the company the land. Communities were getting hungry,
and Fayette County/Peachtree City would have to compete.
Rorie asked Young to define a quality job. Young said it had to be above the median pay,which
was currently $19.81 per hour. A quality job was relative, but FCDA looked at pay scales. If a
working person could not make a living wage, then they could not buy a home here. They were
not making an investment in the community.
Rorie said there were competing interests. There was no right answer, only the opportunity to seek
right answers and second right answers.
The workshop concluded at 8:05 p.m.
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Pamela Dufresne, P o puty City Clerk Vanessa Fleisch, Mayor