Peachtree City planning commission defers parking text amendment after debate on cart and bicycle parking

At a Peachtree City Planning Commission meeting, commissioners voted to recommend deferral of a proposed text amendment to the city's parking ordinance (section 909) until March 23 so staff can gather additional data on parking dimensions, ADA compliance and how to measure golf-cart/motorized-cart parking.

City staff told the commission the draft redline in the packet would, among other changes, allow substituting standard vehicle spaces with motorized-cart parking and add bicycle parking language. Staff said the proposal is still preliminary: "we're still in a preliminary phase, particularly for the parking component," and that staff would consult vendors and other cities to confirm measurements and practical implementation.

Keith Larson, a resident and pedestrian and bicycle advocate, testified in support. He urged the city to update terminology — arguing that carts operating in the city function as motorized personal transport vehicles under Georgia law — and said Peachtree City has already developed an ADA-accessible cart parking template with the U.S. Access Board. "This is a doable problem," Larson said, offering volunteer help and citing prior work in the West Village overlay and the 54 West development.

Commissioners debated whether to require a fixed number of cart spaces (the draft referenced five) or to allow a percentage-based substitution tied to the number of required vehicle spaces. One commissioner proposed a minimum of five spaces with a substitution cap (suggestions ranged from 10% to 15% in discussion). Staff warned that a one-size-fits-all percentage may not translate across different site types and suggested more study to define per-site metrics (for example, per storefront or per door-front) so cart spaces are usefully distributed rather than clustered.

There was also discussion about bicycle parking standards. Several commissioners supported making bicycle parking mandatory for new commercial development and redevelopment, with optional larger storage for long-term needs; staff said the inclusion of bicycle language in the draft followed a city council request and could be expanded or split into its own UDO (Unified Development Ordinance) section.

Before the meeting ended, a commissioner moved that the commission recommend deferring the parking amendment to March 23; the motion was seconded and passed by voice vote. Staff will consult city leadership, vendor partners and peer jurisdictions and return with revised language and technical measurements.

Next steps: staff said it will continue vendor outreach and code benchmarking and return the item to the commission on the proposed March 23 date for further recommendation to city council.