Gerald Lee Peterson (aka “Jerry Peterson”) was born May 25, 1943, in New Elm, Brown County, Minnesota, to Jerome and Frances Peterson, and was raised in Winthrop, Minnesota. He attended the University of Minnesota and graduated from a six-year program with a Bachelor of Arts, and a Bachelor of Architecture in 1967.

After college, he worked for Gruen Associates in Los Angeles, California, as an architect and planner. In 1972 -1973, he was a city planner with Minnesota’s Jonathan Development Corp. working with the “new town" and community of Johnathan. This was to be one of the first "new towns" to be built in the United States, with a planned series of five villages. A recession and loss of interest slowed growth, and the planned town was not finalized, although homes surrounded by natural areas remained.

During this time period, Peterson also began with the Shenandoah Development Corp. in Coweta County, Georgia, as Director of Planning and Design, working for the planned community of Shenandoah which was never fully realized. After Peterson left, the Development was foreclosed, but later, the communities of Shenandoah, White Oak, and Summer Grove were built on those acres.

Peterson was hired in 1977 as a Director of Planning by Doug Mitchell, recently made president of Garden Cities Corporation, which under investor Equitable, was developing Peachtree City. Peterson joined others working on this “new town,” utilizing his past experience as a planner.

Peterson was involved in the planning the Peachtree Crossing shopping area in 1977, in planning for the Fasson company to open in the Industrial Park, and seeing that Peachtree Aircraft opened at Falcon Field, among other projects.

In 1979, Equitable foreclosed on the Garden Cities Corp, and left Equitable with lands. After that, Peachtree City Development Corporation (PCDC), in association with Equitable Assurance, was formed, and Jerry Peterson and others became part of PCDC. In January 1981,Jerry Peterson was promoted from Director of Planning to Vice President, Planning.

Peterson continued in his job as Planner, and met with citizens to present PCDC proposals and rezoning requests and work out agreements. These included, from 1994 through 1996, rezoning of 54/74 from Industrial to Commercial, the 720 acre Planterra Ridge neighborhood with homes and a golf course on land donated by PCDC, and the Kedron Village and Kedron Village shopping center, including traffic studies. Throughout these years Peterson named many of the subdivisions in the City.

In 1995, Pathways Communities was formed by PCDC which began developing outside of Peachtree City, in neighboring Coweta County, and beyond. The development of Summer Grove, Newnan, was planned by Pathway Communities. When Pathways Communities moved into Atlanta in 2003, Jerry Peterson, a member of the American Institute of Architects, remained in Peachtree City and formed Peterson Planning, concentrating on Land Planning and Site Design.