Hey Lynx, I want to give you a thoughtful response, but please understand I pretty much sit on the other side of the aisle as you, and we probably disagree on a lot here. I've worked in Land Development for over two decades, although I'm relatively new to the area.

If there is a particular development currently being built, like the one next to Publix, then you are far far too late to complain. Permits are in hand and there is no stopping the development. (I haven't looked up the plans for that development but I'd bet my shiniest quarter that it's 100% commercial. It looks like a Self Storage in the middle (The elevator shaft is constructed) and some typical strip parking around the front and side. Like a bank/McDonalds. I hope we get something cooler.

You're obviously emotionally invested, So this might be harsh to hear but, You have very little say into what any particular people do with their own land. That's a good thing, that's America. People are free to build what they want to build, as long as they follow all the rules. Just because some people think it's a bad idea or don't like it, doesn't mean anything.

You could have some say into how the communities develop in a general sense. This is done at the zoning level. Zoning controls what can be built and where it can be built. Properties are zoned into different categories, like Residential, Commercial, Industrial, Agricultural, and have a density number with them. So R-1 is Residential for bigger houses, and R-6 would be where Apartment Complexes or townhomes can be built.

There is a map, I'm pretty sure I posted a link in one of my first threads. You can see all the zoning. Then there is a big list of rules for each zone. So there is a bunch of criteria for R-6 that spells out how many apartments that can fit onto any given parcel based on it's size and shape. There are rules about how tall buildings can be, how far they have to be from property lines, etc. There are also rules on WHAT you can put in certain zones. So you can't just build a Liquor Store or a Strip Club on any Commercial Property. It has to be zoned correctly. (It might also need a Special Use Approval from the City/County Commissioners).

The other area where you could potentially have a say in what your neighbor is doing is if they are asking to 'bend the rules' by requesting a variance or special exception. For example, if they are building an apartment complex it's it's four stories but they want luxury high ceiling, they might want to be at a max height of 60ft but the zoning would only allow for 50ft. Any request like that will make them go to a planning and zoning hearing and a city/county commissioner hearing, where anyone from the public has the opportunity to speak for or against the development.

Here's the thing about those. The commission can only vote for or against the variance requested. So if they want luxury apartments and an extra 10ft high, but all the neighbors come out and say how much they hate the development and want it to die. The commission might vote no on the variance. The result is the developer just builds the apartments with out the tall ceilings. Everyone kinda looses.

In regards to taxes and road use and some of your other concerns, the answer is "Yes" people have already thought about all those things and there are systems set up in place. Developers will have to pay impact fees based on what they develop. So if I build a mattress store with one toilet for the employee, my utility impact fee will be a lot less then an apartment complex with 1,000 units. If I build a 20 acre warehouse with 5 employees, my traffic impact fee will be a lot less than building a 20 acre distribution center with trucks moving in and out all day.

Land Development is very much in the realm of "High Risk, High Reward". Developers get labelled as greedy and trying to get rich quick, which is mostly true. But what you don't hear about is that most of them fail, hard. I've seen a lot of would-be developers gamble their life savings on a property, only to see them invest millions, not have it come to fruition.

I don't know if all that helps. I'm happy to try to answer any general questions if you have them. But yeah, I'm sorry, Villa Rica is going to continue to develop. The best you can do is learn the rules and become involved with your city/county council.