Peachtree City will write and approve its own administrative procedures for a set of housing rehabilitation codes proposed for adoption, city officials say.

The city department of development services has proposed that the city adopt housing codes dealing with older houses and commercial buildings, since the city's only housing code at present is for new construction. Two public hearings have been held on the codes, and the next is scheduled for the Jan. 11 planning commission meeting.

Orville Barber, who said he is a 26-year resident of Peachtree City, said in Monday's hearing that he has "reservations on this." He described his chief concerns as the "right of entry" of building inspectors, restrictions on the per-person square footage requirements of bedrooms, and the lack of present enforcement for some nuisances and eyesores because "the city says they don't know who owns" the offending properties.

Planning Commission chairman Julian Campbell Jr. told Barber he "made some interesting points, and you have some valid concerns." He asked whether the city might write its own administrative portions of the codes.

City building official Tom Carty said "the state encourages each government to write its own, following the guidelines in the sections." Peachtree City would also have to set up a board of appeals, he said.

"These codes give us the ability to enforce violations in older houses," Carty said, "but we would not go in to anybody's house without their permission or going before the courts. We are prepared to treat all equally and investigate ridiculous claims. I'm just glad somebody is reading the code books."

Carty said later that the bedroom square footage "was not as bad as Mr. Barber had thought at first reading." He said he thought Barber had been reassured, but the building department "will always listen to the concerns of our residents."

Nancy Larson and Jim Barber also expressed concerns about how the codes might help upgrade rental property and apartments. Larson said she hoped the codes would give the city "standards about what is and isn't junk" and what can be done about unsightly buildings.

The planning commission also approved a site plan for an addition between buildings A and B at Panasonic. The expansion is about 18,000 square feet and is a relocation of Panasonic's validation lab, not involving new personnel, a spokesman said.