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Last week, our Peachtree City Council decided to postpone the annexation decision on 52 acres on Stagecoach Road near the Booth Middle School.
During the discussion, it was interesting that Councilman Phil Prebor expressed concern if this annexation wasn’t made, that other development in the area may cause a new elementary school to be built in the area.
A simple review of recent financial information discussed at our Fayette County School Board as well as a cursory review of attendance trends over the past decade would assure Councilman Prebor that no new schools are on the horizon.
In fact, we have closed 4 schools over the past decade and may have to close more as the administration pursues their strategy for higher class sizes to close their financial gap.
Councilman Prebor may not remember when the Centennial subdivision on MacDuff Parkway, the developer set aside land for “Centennial Elementary.” That school was never built, and Centennial’s children have attended Peachtree City Elementary without any trailers or other impacts of development.
More recently, the Everton developments were annexed into Peachtree City in exchange for the continuation of MacDuff Parkway. Again, there were calls to reopen Tyrone Elementary due to the potential overcrowding of other nearby elementary schools due to the expected student load from Everton. Again, the growth was absorbed without trouble.
It’s interesting that the Everton land annexed into Peachtree City was subject to nearly the same Fayette County zoning as the area under consideration. When Everton was given much higher density allowance, the properties were zoned to Flat Rock/Sandy Creek to account for current students.
In the current situation, a high-density development on Stagecoach would have to be zoned to nearby Booth/McIntosh which are already near capacity.
In fact, any growth, whether in Peachtree City or elsewhere in Fayette County, can be absorbed by our schools. However, the developer, Mayor, and Councilmen Prebor and King, have not provided a single expected benefit to the citizens of Peachtree City for this annexation while the benefits to the developer are clear.
I hope our council reviews facts and not wild and silly speculation in considering this annexation request. There is no benefit to citizens of Peachtree City; thus there is no reason to approve this annexation.
Neil Sullivan
Peachtree City, Ga.
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