HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-18-2018 regular meeting City Council of Peachtree City
Meeting Minutes
October 18, 2018
6:30 p.m.
The Mayor and Council of Peachtree City met in regular session on Thursday, October 18, 2018.
Mayor Vanessa Fleisch called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. Others attending: Mike King,
Kevin Madden, and Phil Prebor. Terry Ernst was absent.
Announcements, Awards, Special Recognition
Fleisch noted that the ribbon cutting for the new spillway was a success, and Lake Peachtree
was filling. The Mayor said she hoped everyone soon would get a chance to walk across the
new bridge at the spillway. She also commended the recently completed work at Drake Field
and Pavilion. Fleisch noted that redevelopment was on her agenda when she first ran for office,
but she soon learned that infrastructure was in such a state of disrepair that projects such as the
spillway had to be a priority. Now that the most pressing infrastructure problems had been
handled, Fleisch said they could start looking towards redevelopment and urged the audience
to stay and see the presentation later in the meeting.
Police Corporal Brian Boyton was honored as the Employee of the Month, and Harold Layton of
Public Works was recognized as Supervisor of the Month.
Members of the Fayette-PTC Pickleball Club asked the City to repurpose several tennis courts for
exclusive pickleball use. Nancy Price, a former City employee, now a board member of the
Pickleball Club, thanked City Manager Jon Rorie and Recreation and Special Events Director
Quinn Bledsoe for meeting with them on several occasions and for their efforts on behalf of
pickleball. She mentioned that a great cross-section of the community was represented in the
the club. She introduced Kim Vining to present more information about the club's requests, then
screened a short video showing how one community had redeveloped a public park's courts to
accommodate pickleball.
Vining explained that pickleball was played on a court that was similar to, but smaller than, a
tennis court. The nets were lower in pickleball, and the posts supporting the nets were not as
large, because one of the shots in pickleball allowed for going on the side of the net. Vining
mentioned that many people found pickleball similar to golf because of the social aspect and
because a less-experienced player could pair with an experienced player. Pickleball was easy
to learn. Older players enjoyed it because it was not as taxing on the body as tennis, and many
families played together.
In five years, facilities for pickleball nationwide had gone from 1,700 to 6,500 with courts jumping
from 2,300 to 25,000. Many were nearby. Griffin had one of the largest facilities in the nation,
Vining said, and Coweta County was getting ready to build courts. Several private communities,
including Cresswind and Redwine Plantation, had pickleball facilities. Vining said Peachtree City
had all manner of recreational facilities, and pickleball could benefit residents of all ages.
They were proposing a centralized outdoor public venue for pickleball courts that allowed for
lessons and for play, Vining said. He said there were public indoor courts at Kedron, which had
limited availability, and some outdoor tennis courts striped for pickleball, along with the private
facilities. Pebblepocket Park, they felt, would be a good site and was a centrally-located facility.
Currently there were two tennis courts there, along with a practice wall. At most, 10 tennis
players could use it at one time. If converted to pickleball, there could be six courts, plus
portable nets at the wall, to accommodate 32 people at once. The estimated cost would be
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October 18,2018
Page 2
around $21,000. They could hold fundraisers to help the City defray costs. The public would have
increased playtime and lessons. The club could handle the programming; no City personnel
would be required.
Rorie said he first learned of pickleball in late 2012, and the sport was introduced in Peachtree
City around 2014. Ever since, he remarked, he had heard about the need for dedicated
pickleball courts. When he was Community Services Director, supervising the Recreation
Department, staff had looked into how to accommodate this new sport within the parameters
of public interest. Bledsoe discovered that it would cost between $110,000 to $150,000 to add
eight asphalt pickleball courts without lights. Eight courts with lights, fencing, etc., would cost
around $300,000. Parking and bathrooms would be an additional cost. Rorie said they decided
not to pursue dedicated pickleball courts at that time.
Staff believed some access for pickleball should be provided, so, 12 tennis courts had been
striped for pickleball, Rorie explained. Of the 12 courts, four were in poor shape now, he
acknowledged. Fayette County had striped four tennis courts, making a total of 16 courts in the
County for pickleball. He said these were all dual-purpose facilities, which was sound public
policy and maximized public resources.
As City Manager, Rorie continued he had to make budget recommendations and had said 'no'
to budgeting for dedicated pickleball courts. He said it might be back on the table five or 10
years from now, perhaps as a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) project, which
was how the splash pad, currently out for bid at Glenloch, was being built.
Rorie said he was prepared to line every one of Peachtree City's 35 tennis courts for pickleball.
Staff was currently evaluating the usage of the tennis courts to see how many were necessary,
and whether they should be maintained, repurposed, or eliminated.
In the future, when tennis courts were resurfaced, they would be striped for pickleball, Rorie said,
but, he could not recommend moving forward with dedicated pickleball courts at this time. He
told Council he would be happy to discuss other options as part of Staff Topics.
Agenda Changes
Rorie said he wanted to remove the consideration of development agreement changes at
Everton from the Consent Agenda to allow for Council discussion. Madden moved to move the
Consent Agenda item regarding the development agreement with Everton to the regular
agenda. Prebor seconded. Motion carried unanimously.
New Agenda Items
CA#1. Consider Revisions to Development Agreement- Everton
This item was pulled out for discussion, Rorie explained, because he thought Council should have
an open public discussion, rather than a consent vote. One section in the agreement talked
about the dedication of land to the City, but did not state a timeframe. Rorie said he asked that
the development agreement be modified to reflect this, rather than leaving it open-ended.
City Attorney Ted Meeker said Paragraph 8 would be revised to read as follows: "The Developer
shall quit claim deed to the City without any use restrictions no less than 17 acres of land as
shown on the plat entitled, " Plat for Proposed Elementary School Fayette County Board of
Education," dated April 4, 2002 recorded In Plat Book 36, Page 6 Fayette County records and
attached hereto as Exhibit E. Said transaction shall occur within 30 days of the signing of this
amended development agreement."
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Page 3
The only change was the addition of the 30-day signing period, Rorie said, and Fleisch added
that getting the quitclaim deed was important.
Meeker said the motion should be to approve the amended development agreement with the
Paragraph 8 revision. King so moved. Madden seconded. Motion carried unanimously.
10-18-07 Consider Ordinance Amendments-Council Meetings and Public Hearing
Procedures
Rorie read, "On August 16, staff previewed an ordinance amendment that would standardize
and clarify the times allocated for public comment at the beginning of City Council meetings,
public input on items opened for comment, and public comments during formal Public
Hearings." He said there was inconsistency regarding speaking times. The biggest change, Rorie
said, was that instead of not restricting the times for public hearings, there would be 10 minutes
"for" and 10 minutes "against." Council would have the discretion to vote to extend these times if
needed, but this would standardize procedures up front.
Prebor asked if the motion to extend would be made during the discussion, and Meeker said it
could be extended before the hearing started, if they saw the need in advance.
Prebor moved to approve New Agenda item 10-18-07, Ordinance Amendments - Council
Meetings and Public Hearing Procedures. King seconded. Motion carried unanimously.
Rorie then pointed out that Council had skipped two items on the agenda, the approval of the
minutes and the presentation of the quarterly reports.
Minutes
October 4, 2018, Regular Meeting Minutes
Madden moved to approve the October 4, 2018, regular meeting minutes as written. King
seconded. Motion carried unanimously.
Quarterly Reports-3rd Quarter 2018
Rorie said they fell a little short of the nine-mile path repaving goal this quarter, coming in at 8.23
miles, but the SPLOST crew paved 3.6 miles, so when the totals were added together it was
almost to the overall goal. Rorie said he was pleased because of all the other work the crew had
to tackle.
New Agenda Item
10- 18- 08 Presentation- Highway 74 North Gateway Coalition Corridor Plan
Rorie introduced Richard Fangmann of Pond & Company, saying the City had been working
with this firm for four or five years, starting with the study on the SR 54 corridor. They were the
consultant on several projects in the City, he noted. At this meeting, Fangmann was representing
the Gateway Coalition, which looked at the SR 74 North Corridor through Peachtree City,
Tyrone, Fayette County, and Fairburn. It was looking at ways to address improving access and
mobility along the corridor. Rorie said there had been several other briefings and reports, but this
should be more thorough,with final recommendations.
Fangmann described this study as covering the area along SR 74 from SR 54 north to U.S.
Highway 29. He said he would meet with the other cities and Fayette County this fall as well. The
purpose of the study was to establish a vision for this corridor, looking at improving access and
mobility as well as aesthetics and other modes of transportation, such as pedestrian, bike, and
even mass transit in the Fairburn area. They took a 20-year look into the future to 2040, with
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Page 4
providing capacity to maintain mobility as the goal. The project started in the summer of 2017
and was now at the recommendation stage.
Recommendations for vehicular improvements should delay a major widening project as long as
possible, Fangmann noted. Making the corridor into a super street was their answer, and he said
he would explain that concept later. Putting a pedestrian/bike path along the east side of the
highway was another recommendation. Separated crossings and trail alignment options were
included.
The centerpiece for Transportation Demand Management (TDM) would be a new park and ride
lot being built in Fairburn, which could be useful to Peachtree City and Tyrone residents.
Consistency along the corridor was also a goal. That could be achieved, Fangmann remarked,
by redevelopment and consistency in parking, signage, and access management.
A solution for improving the efficiency of the corridor was putting in R-cuts, which were signalized
intersections, or J-turns, which were unsignalized. Fangmann displayed diagrams of traffic
patterns at both types of intersections. These intersections allowed vehicle access to side streets
through left hand or right hand turns in, but exiting the side streets required going to a signal or
median cut slightly downstream. There were a couple of intersections where vehicles that were
going straight would be allowed to do so, but those turning would have to make a right turn,
then a U-turn. He said he was not talking about the intersection of SR 54/SR 74, which the City
was working on with the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT). These changes would
be further north on SR 74, up to the 1-85 interchange, which was getting its own improvements.
Benefits from the super street and improved intersections included fewer and less severe vehicle
accidents, Fangmann noted, showing a chart of national safety studies for R-cut and J-turn
intersections. These configurations also increased efficiency, reducing the number of
intersections where left turns were allowed. He presented statistics detailing how efficiency and
travel times were improved, even if volume increased. Modeling of the SR 74 corridor showed a
significant reduction in delay, particularly as time passed and volume increased. Distance
traveled would go up slightly because of the additional travel required to get to one of the R-cut
or J-turn intersections.
Fleisch asked about the current traffic count on SR 74. It was in the upper 30,000s near
Peachtree City, Fangmann responded, adding this was pushing the limits on a four-lane road,
which was why critical intersections north of SR 54/74 were often crowded. By around 2040, the
corridor was projected to have around 50,000 vehicles. The goal of the Gateway Coalition
project was to put off a major widening project, but at that point, it would be time for additional
changes, he remarked.
One of the things the public mentioned in their surveys, Fangmann said, was that they
appreciated the mobility, but also loved the aesthetics along the highway, such as the wide
medians and the tree-lined sides of the street. Avoiding a widening would preserve those
factors.
The Coalition's recommendations would save money, Fangmann said, noting that $36 million
would be the low end of widening this stretch of highway, while implementing the super street
concept would be about half that cost. It did not have to be done all at once, but an
intersection at a time, as the need arose.
When the concept was in place, Fangmann said, a pedestrian or bicyclist would have an easier
time crossing the highway without conflicts with other vehicles. There would be a refuge area in
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October 18, 2018
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the middle. The trail would be only on one side of the road, so it was important to make it easy
to access and depart. They hoped to work with property owners on easements to
accommodate the trail, but there might be a need for right-of-way purchases in other areas.
Fangmann said they were looking at alignment options for the trail in the 1-85 area. Three areas
had been identified for grade separations for the trail to further separate it from the road, but
that was not mandatory.
Fangmann briefly discussed the park and ride lot, saying some MARTA routes would be adjusted
to feed into it.
The group felt it was important for the corridor to be consistent in its look and feel throughout its
length, Fangmann noted. Peachtree City's requirement for a tree buffer between the properties
and the street was a model for other sections. Near 1-85, the development patterns were already
established, and it would be difficult to add requirements, but there were other areas where
standards could be incorporated. Block area and length was another way to ensure
consistency. He showed a depiction of what this could look like, noting it was similar to what
Peachtree City had. Midway through the corridor, near Tyrone, he noted, the tree buffer was not
required, but there were standards for landscaping in berm areas to provide separation from the
road. They had a little more visible signage there, however. Nothing was recommended that
would dilute the standard, only to increase the buffering.
Fangmann said team members got a copy of the plan for review on October 15, and it would
be available to the public for review and comments October 22 through November 26, both on
the Fayette County and Peachtree City website. The final report should be ready by the end of
the calendar year. Fangmann said they would like the County and cities to adopt the plan so
they could move forward together towards implementing it.
Mark Gelhardt said he lived off Lexington Pass in The Heritage subdivision. The plan showed an R-
cut being installed on SR 74 at Lexington Pass, and Gelhardt said it was unnecessary. The
Heritage had been built out at 65 homes for more than 20 years. There was just one way to get
out of the subdivision, at Lexington Pass. Another side road could take drivers to the left. They
already had the ability to do U-turns, Gelhardt emphasized, and the ability to take right hand
turns. Across the street was the Senoia Road entrance to the highway. No one came straight
across, he pointed out, because if they were traveling that way, they would have done it at the
intersection further down. The railroad tracks were behind them. There would be no increase in
traffic volume because the subdivision was built out. Gelhardt said he was there to represent his
community association as being opposed to the R-cut at Lexington Pass and Senoia Road.
Gelhardt said he was a longtime member of the Fire Department and had responded to many
wrecks. There were far more dangerous intersections than this one that they should be spending
tax dollars on, he commented. He said he saw no life safety issues at this intersection.
Fleisch noted that Fangmann could only answer questions about R-cuts in a general way. She
said they had looked at the intersection at South Kedron for many years.
Rorie stated that in an R-cut, you had to go in one direction, then do a U-turn to head in the
other direction. In simple terms, anyone who went through this intersection now and tried to turn
left was taking a risk, plus it was illegal to cross two lanes, then wait in the middle for traffic to
clear to make a left turn. It came down to time, distance, and shielding. An R-cut limited the
amount of time a motorist was in the intersection and created a distance so they could turn and
get out of the way. Right turns were easier than left turns.
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Page 6
Rorie asked how many collisions it would take to deem an intersection too dangerous. If he had
been T-boned in the intersection, one would be too many. He admitted that the R-cuts would
not eliminate all accidents.
The plan was on the website to elicit public comment. However, the City Manager said plans
were moving forward for adding this R-cut as well as additional northbound U-turns between
Kedron and Lexington and Lexington and Kedron North signal. The engineered plans were
posted on the website. Construction was imminent for the R-cut at Kedron South, followed by a
U-turn and R-cut at Lexington, and the U-turn for Kedron within six months. This was about
balancing safety with access and mobility along the corridor; it was not about one intersection,
Rorie stated.
Gelhardt said his homeowners association totally disagreed. He used that intersection every day,
while Rorie did not. He added that Rorie assumed they went to the middle of the intersection
and stopped. There was a traffic signal 0.3 mile to the right, Gelhardt reported, that stopped all
traffic on the southbound lane. All they did was sit on Lexington until there was an opening in the
northbound lane, then make their left turn. Almost no traffic from Senoia Road went straight
across. Most of it made a right hand turn. The only people this R-cut would affect were the 65
homeowners in The Heritage.
Prebor said he had heard from some residents of The Heritage, too. He suggested that rather
than adding the R-cut north of the intersection, they could make it drivers could not turn left out
of Lexington, but would have to travel to McWilliams and turn left. That would accomplish the
same thing, he noted, at far less money. Gelhardt said he concurred.
Prebor added that he saw a fatal motorcycle accident at that intersection. Gelhardt responded
that the motorcyclist was not hit because he was in the middle making a turn, but because the
oncoming driver did not see him. Prebor said he could see why the state would say an R-cut was
needed, but he believed going over to McWilliams would accomplish the same thing.
Gelhardt stated that the turnaround for the R-cut planned for Kedron Drive affected McWilliams.
Drivers would not be able to come out of McWilliams and turn around because of this. He
offered to get a petition from all 65 homeowners objecting to this. He said his association asked
him to come and represent their views.
Fangmann noted the purpose of the R-cuts was to eliminate as many left turns as possible. It did
create some out of the way travel, but did enhance safety. Some specific situations might be
different, but national statistics regarding a lessening of crashes were significant.
Madden asked what was happening with the project to improve the 1-85 interchange.
Fangmann said it was moving forward, but there had been trouble with funding because costs
far exceeded estimates. Loop ramps and widening of the whole area just south of 1-85 and a
block or two north were planned. It should provide significant additional capacity, although the
closely spaced signals would have to be aligned. Fangmann said that project had moved far
enough along that it was not really considered in the Gateway Coalition's study.
Fleisch said it was moving ahead now. The costs to buy the rights-of-way turned out to be about
twice what was estimated, she noted. The Mayor said she went to a meeting in Atlanta that
seemed to have gotten the project going again. However, she said she could not estimate a
timeframe.
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October 18,2018
Page 7
Fangmann said it was a major project. Buying rights-of-way took time, then construction had to
be completed.
Council/ Staff Topics
Discuss Economic Redevelopment Initiatives
Rorie recalled the topics discussed throughout the meeting, such as where to locate and how to
fund recreation amenities, and how to improve traffic flow. The City could look to how they had
done things in the past or search for new ideas going forward. Vision, inspiration, imagination,
dream, and goal should be general watchwords for future planning, he noted. Everyone had
their own perspective on how to define these words and how they related to growth in
Peachtree City.
They went through a public process in 2017 to update the City's Comprehensive Plan, confirming
that things like maintaining the cart paths and greenspace were important. The community's
concerns included lack of a central gathering place and limited housing type options. The need
for redevelopment of retail space was another issue brought forward. Goals and policies would
be words to keep in mind, too, Rorie noted.
Rorie pointed out that Peachtree City was 59 years old, and he had been here for seven years.
During those years, a prominent topic of discussion had been the aging infrastructure, along with
vacant lots and build-outs. The only vacant lots in the industrial park were small lots that were
difficult to develop. Variances were often needed to allow for certain projects. A blend of
commercial and residential development was cited as important in the Comprehensive Plan.
The importance of access and mobility was emphasized. Rorie said it would be a mistake to
focus solely on SR 74 without looking at SR 54. Interparcel access was important. Community
Improvement Districts (CIDs), which the City had just looked at, would boost development. Rorie
noted that Frank Destadio, Chairman of the Planning Commission, was present, and allowed
that the Planning Commission dealt with these issues as well.
As an example of a redevelopment opportunity, Rorie mentioned the Pitts Service Station, which
had been vacant for years. The City had granted a variance so it could be used as an auto
parts store. A buyer had purchased it and was exploring other options. He deemed Lexington
Village, a mixed-use development, ahead of its time, but said that was what the future held.
The City needed to consider where it was, where it had been, and what the next 50 years look
would look like. Staff had been looking at various redevelopment proposals, Rorie remarked,
with Huddleston Road off SR 54 West one example. Golf Rider had developed a new facility that
looked great, but it raised the question of what would happen to the lot at the corner of SR 74
and Huddleston. Obstacles to development could include getting sewer throughout the
corridor, cart path access, interparcel access, as well as a traffic component.
Another potential development site was around City Hall, which was nearing 30 years old.
Private property owners had presented proposals in the past that had not worked out, including
at the Aberdeen Village Shopping Center. Rorie said he did not want to be narrow-sighted and
focus only on the shopping center. He wanted to look at the area across the street and down
the street, creating a small town type of development. Rorie asked Jim Strickland and his firm to
look at a concept that extended beyond the shopping center.
Strickland thanked Rorie for the opportunity. He said he moved to Peachtree City 45 years ago
and raised his family here. He served on the Planning Commission for 10 years. Strickland
emphasized that Peachtree City was not broken. He said he was proud to be a resident and
talked about the City all the time. He started his business here in 1977. In 1982, the architectural
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October 18,2018
Page 8
firm Historical Concepts was founded. It started with three people and now had more than 40,
with offices in Atlanta and New York.
Strickland said he was at the opening of Aberdeen Village in 1977. He said Partners II owners Jim
and Marilyn Royal had made a great contribution to the community. Several years ago, Royal
approached him, saying he was considering a project for 215 apartments on the site. Royal
decided against that, but asked Strickland to work on a mixed-use concept. He said he would
share some of the ideas his staff had developed.
Strickland recalled that when they first began working in Senoia 12 years ago, it was nearly a
vacant town. He showed photos of what it looked like today. They had even taken an alley and
converted it to a mixed-use development, Strickland remarked. He said the local business
community and the city government gave them the opportunity to redevelop downtown
Senoia.
Strickland also displayed photos of the Old Town development in Columbus, featuring a church,
a community gathering space, and homes.
Strickland said he had always thought about having a chance to work on redeveloping
Aberdeen, not just the shopping center, but the park across the street as well. Lamar Seals'
daughter also expressed an interest on working with Strickland on property she owned. Then,
Strickland recounted, he talked to the person who bought the bank building at Aberdeen
Village,who was enthused about the project as well.
A site map of a redeveloped Aberdeen Village showed they would keep the existing roads and
add others. Other additions included a meeting hall. Other elements would have residential and
commercial properties. Strickland explained they planned for about 30,000 square feet of
commercial development and 150 to 160 housing units. A right-in, right-out access was possible.
The goal was a community where people could walk around, with a small town-type
atmosphere.
Strickland explained they drew their ideas from projects they had been involved with all over the
country, including Savannah; Celebration, Fla; and Clemson, S.C. Glenwood Park in Atlanta
and Senoia were other inspirations, and Strickland displayed photos of ideas he would like to
incorporate at Aberdeen Village.
He said they considered City Hall as part of the project, with paths linking it to Aberdeen Village.
There could possibly be a small lake, maybe with a lakeside restaurant. Strickland summed up
this plans by saying they had a lot of fun dreaming about what could be and thanked the City
for the opportunity.
Rorie said he wanted to talk about concept planning vs. strategic planning, adding that he did
not like to use the term "master planning" because situations changed. The plan Strickland
presented was concept planning; there was nothing specific, just concepts. Strategic planning
was required for the next 50 years. He pointed to a church on the aerial photo, saying it should
be considered in the plan for the next 50 years, along with privately-owned recreational facilities
such as The Bridge.
Public/private partnerships would be vital when planning for the future. It was necessary to look
at infusing private dollars into these projects. It would be narrow thinking to look just at the
shopping center without planning for the land around it. He mentioned the Pitts Service Station
property and said the Seals family, who owned it, were looking at long-term development. If
City Council Meeting Minutes
October 18,2018
Page 9
land was being looked at for private development, it was short-sighted to not consider how it
would fit into the broader picture.
Rorie summarized by saying he wanted to continue to move forward, with Senior Planner Robin
Cailloux, to work with Historical Concepts on developing the Aberdeen Village concept and
exploring how it fit into the larger area. He wanted the authority to look at the potential and to
ensure they were doing the right thing in the public interest.
The Mayor said she was pleased with the plan and thanked Strickland.
Executive Session
King moved to convene in executive session to discuss pending or threatened litigation and the
acquisition or sale of real estate at 8:12 p.m. Prebor seconded. Motion carried unanimously.
King moved to reconvene in regular session at 9:12 p.m. Prebor seconded. Motion carried
unanimously.
King moved to deny the Eatherton claim as such claim was presented. Prebor seconded.
Motion carried unanimously.
There being no further business, Prebor moved to adjourn the meeting. King seconded. Motion
carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 9:14 p.m.
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