By DAVE HAMRICK
dhamrick@thecitizennews.com

Lawyers are still working out the details of a complex development agreement for The Village, a proposed mix if homes, businesses, offices and parks that is expected to transform the face of downtown Fayetteville.

City Council Monday night tabled action on a rezoning request for the development. Council members want the development agreement in hand before deciding whether the project can go forward.

Development firm Neo Main Street LLC is seeking PCD (planned community development), a new zoning category that provides for mixed use developments like The Village.

The company's plan includes 203 homes of varying densities, plus a neighborhood shopping square, a day care center, a class A office complex, a hotel/conference center and several neighborhood parks on the 110-acre McElwaney property at Ga. Highway 54 and Tiger Trail.

Council members in the past have enthusiastically endorsed the concept, which was designed by consultants hired by the city to master-plan the tract. But concerns over traffic have surfaced in more recent discussions, with some council members asking for traffic impact studies extending over most of the city's main thoroughfares.

During last week's work session, developer Bob Rolader asked council members how far he should go in studying traffic impact, and got varying answers.

Councilmen Larry Dell and Bill Talley said they thought it would be sufficient if Rolader studies the traffic impact around LaFayette Avenue at Ga. Highway 85, at Tiger Trail and Ga. Highway 54, and at the main entrance to The Village, which is also on Hwy. 54.

But Councilman Al Hovey-King said he wants a lot more information than that. Rolader should provide the city with a traffic impact study that encompasses everything on Ga. Highway 85 from Ga. Highway 92 on the south side to Jeff Davis Drive on the north, and everything on Ga. Highway 54 from Gingercake Road on the west to Jeff Davis Drive on the east.

“That's basically the whole town,” Rolader protested. “It's going to impact the whole town,” replied Hovey-King.

Rolader said it's almost impossible to predict traffic impact several miles away from the project, but Hovey-King said he should use existing data from the state Department of Transportation and try to put together at least a rough picture.

“It's easy to say why you cant — it's a little bit more difficult to figure out how you can,” he said.

The matter will next appear on council's agenda for its April 26 work session and May 1 business meeting.