10/20: Should Peachtree Corners become a city?
Moderated by Rick Badie
Cities are popping up across metro Atlanta: Johns Creek, Sandy Springs — where next? A report will help determine whether Brookhaven should pursue cityhood.
Residents of Peachtree Corners go to the polls Nov. 8 to decide whether to become Gwinnett County’s 16th town. Today, we offer two views — one that favors incorporation of that community and one that doesn’t.
What do you think?
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48 comments Add your comment
Vote No
October 20th, 2011
1:34 pm
My neighborhood is one of those that Peachtree Corners wants to annex. I have no idea why. We’re not close to what I consider to be Peachtree Corners. We’re actually bordered on one side by Fulton County and DeKalb on another side; it’s a well developed area so I doubt if Gwinnett County has any interest in making changes. I’m in favor of smaller government, not another layer of government. I see no benefit to being a city and will emphatically vote NO! to cityhood. However, I am very disappointed that I will not have the option to vote on Sunday alcohol sales. Not sure what’s up with that but hopefully one of my neighboring counties will vote to allow and I can make my purchases there on Sundays.
MARTA Rida
October 20th, 2011
1:23 pm
I must agree with Bryan-Pro Atlanta, businesses want to be in Atlanta, not Gwinnett or Cobb Counties. That’s why Atlanta has a skyline while Gwinnett and Cobb have strip malls and traffic. I moved to intown-Atlanta from Dunwoody because I wanted a nighborhood with identity and culture, not a suburban wasteland of strip malls and SUVs. I am proud to live in Atlanta and ride MARTA places, I never have to pay for gas or sit in traffic!
VERY Concerned
October 20th, 2011
1:19 pm
As a long time resident I am very concerned about who will be running this new city. Will it be the same people who stole many of the NO CITY signs. Or maybe the same person that damaged the NO CITY signs on Jones Bridge. It could be the same person the HACKED the VOTE NO blogs last night. Is this really who we want to control what we can not do on our own property.
Please publish the correct information. Many business have asked both Duluth and Norcross to be annexed into their cities. Makes you wonder why they would pay more money to not be part of Peachtree Corners. Spreading this false information that Norcross is out to annex us is to a scare tactic
Resident
October 20th, 2011
1:10 pm
I have struggled with this decision. I don’t want more government layers, regulation, or taxes. But the decision seems to come to this question: if there is such a thing as “Peachtree Corners” which has its own identity, interests, risks, and aspirations, then shouldn’t it have its own governance structure in place that provides a venue and process for its citizens and their representatives to make and implement decisions? I think self determination is a pretty high priority that is worth a reasonable investment of personal and community resources.
concerned long time resident
October 20th, 2011
12:57 pm
One of your above comments states that Norcross is encroaching on the Corners, Duluth has already had a hearing to annex part of it. They want to take the industrial parks that Berkley Lake wants for the taxes to help Berkley pay for their dam. Where is the office for the Corners movement? I have heard it is on Buford Highway and being a resident of the Corners I never realized Buford Highway was part of the Corners.??? Why is the office not at the Forum if this move will help the property values of the homeowners in the Corners?
Bryan -- Pro Atlanta
October 20th, 2011
12:51 pm
It’s funny everyone wants less government but then you want 50 million towns that will have there own government and more people in one region trying to decide what is right.
Aquagirl said it best! Move if you don’t like Atlanta and the region! Stop trying trying to create another town…. PREACHTREE Corners, Georgia.
As far as the Black and Hispanic comments, as a young Black male I’m extremely offended. It’s funny these people complain about the leadership but seems like Atlanta is doing just fine. Have you looked at the skylines of downtown, midtown, Buckhead, Perimeter, Cumberland, and just high rise buildings in the area in general. Companies want to be here. We have a population of almost 6 million so people want to be here too. The leadership must be doing something right because everyone wants to be here; not just Blacks and Hispanics!
Aquagirl
October 20th, 2011
12:43 pm
If P’tree Corners is to become its own legally-binding entity in control of its own zoning and the commercial/industrial tax base and resulting revenues within its own boundaries
I don’t think you’re getting it, Last….what happens inside P’tree Corners DOES affect people living outside that area. Zoning for the exclusive benefit of a neighborhood leaves everyone else out. If you are a small town in the middle of Georgia, I don’t care. If you are a small neighborhood in a continuous urban/suburban area, that’s a whole different matter. Zoning to develop your own tax base affects traffic and development outside the boundaries.
Frankly if Peachtree Corners does this, I hope Norcross zones adjoining areas for huge stinking industrial toxic waste dumps. If you’re zoning only for yourself, the neighbors have no obligation to do otherwise.
mike d
October 20th, 2011
12:39 pm
Are the signs going to be in Spanish?
nocity
October 20th, 2011
12:18 pm
More Government? really? Another busybody trying to exert their thoughts on us, trying to expand his power while counting the days til we pay his pension?
This is how it starts. The city claims it is only going to control zoning and garbage collection. Within 5 years we will have a police force, plans for new municipal buildings and government complex, tax increases, and so on…
I can’t think of a layer of government that is trying to shrink…that is cutting its budget. One cent SPLOST for schools?….How about these people in our government spending wisely the tax money they already collect. How about you taxpayers stop giving a penny here and a penny there and demanding the people you elect actually do their job within the existing tax base.
We make money in exchange for our time…the more we are taxed the less of our time…our life…is ours. Demand more from those elected, refuse government expansion, demand freedom from those who wish to control you by taxation
Will the last Democrat in Georgia please turn off the lights?.....
October 20th, 2011
11:38 am
Aquagirl
October 20th, 2011
8:00 am
“Yes, if the residents are willing to live, work, shop, and eat ONLY in Peachtree Corners. I’m tired of these little fiefdoms where residents obviously want the advantages of the metro area (bigger job base, major airport, more choices shopping and eating, etc.) without paying for necessary infrastructure….If you want a small cheap town U-Haul is ready when you are.”
It’s not anything where the residents want to be separate from the metro area or anything like that. It’s just about an outspoken neighborhood association that has had a very strong advisory role to the Gwinnett County Commission on zoning matters since the area was developed back in the 1970’s.
Now that the neighboring City of Norcross has started to encroach on the neighborhood by attempting to annex nearby industrial and commercial properties, Peachtree Corners feels rushed to have some type of legally binding say over zoning matters so as to be able to control the tax revenues from these business properties that Norcross is trying to also get control over.
It’s basically a little bit of competition for industrial and commercial tax revenues between the now-unincorporated neighborhood of Peachtree Corners and the incorporated city of Norcross which is threating to annex all of P’tree Corners’ possible future business tax base.
Peachtree Corners’ desire to incorporate is just a way of heading Norcross off at the pass before Norcross is allowed to completely expand and leave P’tree Corners with only residential properties.
If P’tree Corners is to become its own legally-binding entity in control of its own zoning and the commercial/industrial tax base and resulting revenues within its own boundaries then now is the time for the neighborhood association to act, otherwise P’tree Corners could very well be annexed into a growing incorporated City of Norcross down the line.