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Peachtree City council hears hours of public comment on Crabapple Lane gate as residents divide over reopening
Summary
More than 20 residents spoke during an extended public-comment period about the Crabapple Lane golf-cart gate, with opponents citing neighborhood safety and supporters pointing to lost grant funding and community connection; council paused for public comment and did not vote to reopen the gate.
Dozens of residents packed Peachtree City Hall on Nov. 24 to make competing appeals over whether the city should reopen the Crabapple Lane golf-cart access that currently closes a connection to neighboring Tyrone.
The council extended the public-comment period to accommodate 20 speakers and heard sharply divergent accounts. Don Myers of Kedron Hills said reopening the road would turn Loring Lane into a “cut through” for traffic and jeopardize safety: “Opening Crabapple would make our subdivision a cut through to the Kevin Village shopping area … The safety of our residents is the most valid reason” he said.
Speakers in favor of reopening emphasized connectivity and fiscal consequences. Hailey Aaron told council the closure was “improper” and said Fayette County withheld project funding after the closure, citing as much as $1,700,000 in lost or postponed grants; she said county leaders have urged Peachtree City to open the gate to restore intergovernmental cooperation. Steven Eumes urged a temporary opening to collect empirical traffic data, repeating Fayette County Administrator Steve Rapson’s recommendation to “open the gate and collect the data” before making a permanent decision.
Others offered middle-ground proposals. Todd Weinreb, a neighbor, suggested a donor-funded electric gate to provide safe short-term access for a resident with mobility needs while a long-term cart-path solution is planned and funded.
Council did not take a formal vote tonight to open Crabapple Lane. The meeting record shows the council allowed extended public comment (motion carried 3–2), heard two hours of testimony that included both individual hardship stories and county-funding claims, and moved on to the rest of the agenda. No new council directive to change the gate’s status was recorded in the meeting minutes.
Why it matters: The dispute has implications beyond neighborhood convenience. Speakers said the closure affects grant eligibility, intergovernmental relations with Fayette County, and planned transportation projects. City staff did not present new traffic or safety data during the public-comment period; some residents urged the council to seek independent empirical counts before deciding.
What’s next: Council members indicated they will continue to consider options, including intergovernmental discussions with Fayette County and potential alternative access designs. Several residents asked the city to either reopen the gate temporarily for data collection or pursue a funded alternate path that would connect Tyrone traffic into the city’s existing cart-path network outside of residential streets.
Attributions: Quotes and attributions are drawn from public comments recorded at the Nov. 24 council meeting.
