During the city of Villa Rica’s most recent July council meeting there was a lot of discussion surrounding Punkintown Road with citizens of the community speaking out on their mixed feelings about potential construction and development in the area. During the four-plus hours of the meeting, a good hour and a half was dedicated to citizens’ comments where the stances varied from traffic concerns, crime, fast city growth, other infrastructure issues, and the use and allocation of city funds. Although all comments were not about Punkintown Road, it was clear that it was important to the people of Villa Rica.
The first agenda item in reference to this area was the proposal for improvements to the intersection of Punkintown Road and Shoreline Parkway. This item was a part of the consent agenda, so it was approved with one vote amongst 23 other items. This approval means the city will award a contract to Bartow Paving for improvements to the intersection of Shoreline Parkway and Punkintown Road costing $1,309,969.29, to be funded by Carroll SPLOST. The Fuqua Development requires additional turn lanes and a new traffic signal at this intersection. Individuals interested in the breakdown of costs for this project can find an itemized list of expected expenses on the city website.
As the meeting moved into the community development portion, applicant Arpit Realty, L. L. C., introduced their request to rezone 45.26 acres from Agricultural Single Family to Commercial Low Density and Single Family Attached in order to construct a mixed use development with undetermined commercial uses and approximately 120 age-restricted townhomes on site. According to the applicant’s letter of intent, “the commercial use may include a medical clinic or health care facility, fitness center, day care center, drugstore or pharmacy, administrative or professional office, bank or financial institution, medical or dental laboratory, retail, restaurant, fast food, car wash, filling station, or any other permitted use listed in the zoning ordinance,” per planning and zoning documents in the agenda packet.
The development was approved with three council members voting in favor, one abstaining, and one voting no.
