Published Saturday, November 14, 2009
Candlewood residents oppose Hwy. 154 rezoning request
The Newnan Times-Herald
Residents of the Candlewood subdivision on Ga. Hwy. 154 were out in full force Thursday to oppose a commercial rezoning request that would put a grocery store in their back yards.
A public hearing was held before the Coweta County Board of Commissioners on the request of Michael Cunningham for rezoning of 38.11 acres from Rural Conservation. The commissioners will likely vote on the issue at their Tuesday meeting.
Cunningham is requesting that 17.33 acres be zoned C7, Commercial Major Shopping District, for a retail shopping center that would include a grocery store and parking. Heavy Commercial zoning, C8, is proposed for 20.78 acres for gas pumps associated with the grocery store, a carwash, an automotive service business, public storage, and continued operations of his Country Gardens Nursery.
The grocery store would face Ga. Hwy. 154, and would be located west of the existing convenience store. The gas pumps and automotive services would face Lower Fayetteville Road. The existing pond would be used for stormwater management.
Access to the site would be from both Lower Fayetteville Road and Ga. Hwy. 154.
A 100-foot buffer is proposed between the shopping center and Candlewood. A 75-foot buffer is proposed between the nursery and the subdivision.
Commission Chairman Paul Poole, whose family owns nearby land, and who lives very near the site, recused himself from the discussion and public hearing.
The Cunninghams are "people who stand for and represent everything we like to think of as Coweta County character," said land planner Dennis Drewyer, who spoke for the applicants.
There is already commercially zoned property at all four corners of the Hwy. 154/Lower Fayetteville intersection, Drewyer said.
"We feel that the introduction of a modern-day grocery center... with quality guidelines... is the ultimate mixed use," Drewyer said.
Jimmy Kealhofer said his family moved to Candlewood three years ago because it was quiet, safe, and had good resale potential.
"That is all going to be taken away if you guys approve this rezoning proposal," he said.
Kealhofer said it has been a very rough year for his family: he and his wife lost both their parents; he lost his job, and their retirement savings have been cut in half.
"All of those things are outside my control and yours," he told the commissioners. "But the additional loss of home value, safety and peace of mind is totally within your control," he said.
"I think I'm going to simplify this for everybody," said Alan Pope. From his home, there are two super Wal-Marts within 10 minutes. There are two Kroger stores and three Publix stores within just a few miles.
There's a small strip center directly across Hwy. 154 from the subdivision. "That has been there for five years. Never once has it been completely full," Pope said.
And there's a closed-down Save Rite grocery store less than two miles away.
"Let's get somebody in that before we start building more," Pope said. "There is plenty of room for growth but this is not the growth we need right now."
Phil Vardakis said he thinks the grocery store will "irreparably harm" residents by lowering their quality of life, and property values.
As for the Save Rite, "if the community can truly support more grocery stores, then why has that building remained vacant for so many years?" Vardakis said.
Jeff Kemmerer made that point quite clearly as he showed the commissioners two poster boards covered with pictures of vacant commercial space nearby.
He's also concerned about rats and other pests in the grocery store Dumpsters, and failed septic tanks.
"I remember when people were objecting to the rezoning and development of Candlewood," said Drewyer.
There are various reasons that commercial space becomes, or remains vacant, Drewyer said. And usually those reasons are "access or visibility or location. Sometimes it is competition."
And that's why no grocery store will ever open in the Save Rite location, Drewyer said. "It may be a great indoor soccer or skating area... but groceries don't go in and reconfigure someone's old-fashioned building."
