By DAVE HAMRICK
dhamrick@thecitizennews.com

Fayetteville's government has started the process of rezoning a small parcel of land to a residential category, which would reverse an earlier decision to change its zoning to office-institutional.

First reading of an ordinance reverting the zoning is on the City Council agenda for Monday night, with a work session scheduled tonight to discuss the matter.

Council rezoned a small portion of the Landrum property on Ga. Highway 54 east of town to O-I after an agent for the owners said the plan was to operate an accounting office in a small house on the land.

But city manager Mike Bryant said the city has cited the owners twice since the rezoning because they are parking dump trucks and other vehicles on the site, and that's not allowed under the new zoning.

The owners got a restraining order to stop the city from issuing any more citations until the older ones are dealt with in court.

City Council recently voted unanimously to start the process of reversing their earlier decision and rezoning the property for residential use.

Also on the council agenda for tonight's work session and Monday's meeting will be a resident's controversial request for a variance to allow a fence in his back yard, which faces Creekwood Trail. City ordinances define back yards that face directly on city streets as legal front yards, and privacy fences are prohibited in front yards.

Neighbors say similar fences, put up before the city had such an ordinance, detract from the neighborhood.

Council also might be discussing the long-awaited Village rezoning request tonight and Monday.

The city Planning Commission had scheduled a called meeting last night after press time, and if the commission voted to recommend approval of the PCD (planned community development) zoning category, and use of that category for The Village, council could act on the request Monday.

The Village is a proposed mixed use development including 200 homes, plus retail stores, offices, a hotel and parks on 110 acres at Ga. Highway 54 and Tiger Trail.

A plan for the development was hammered out in concert between developer Bob Rolader and a committee of city leaders seeking to master-plan large, undeveloped tracts in Fayetteville.