610 acre, 454-home plan revisits, stormy chapter in F'ville's past: recall, reformers and legislative deannexation

By MONROE ROARK
mroark@thecitizennews.com

The city of Fayetteville will soon consider a major annexation proposal that a local developer thinks is a win-win situation. The parcels to the west of Fayetteville, however, have a controversial history, including a previous annexation that rocked the city government more than a decade ago.

The land is part of a larger area that was first annexed, then de-annexed in the mid-1980s in a major upheaval in Fayetteville that ended with several council members losing their seats in recalls and subsequent elections. Some of the current council members won their seats initially by opposing the mid-'80s' annexation.

Known then as the Signa property, the land is getting a fresh look by well-known Fayetteville developer Bob Rolader.

Rolader is asking that the city bring in 610 acres for his Deer Pointe residential development on Ga. Highway 54 West, Lester Road and Huet Road. In return, he is offering a wealth of green space, including 215 acres for a city park, to the city for free.

The plan, which includes a rezoning request to R-30 and a PUD, is on the agenda for Tuesday night's Fayetteville Planning and Zoning Commission meeting.

Rolader estimates that 30-40 percent of the total development would be green space, and he plans to cluster the 454 homes he proposes for the development to make those open areas larger and more appealing.

With annexation, Rolader gets something from the city that he feels is very important for a development this size — sewer hookups. “Sewer is a big factor because of the size of the site,” he said.

He is also planning to let the city use several small lakes on the property as a water source if the city agrees to his proposal. “The city has tried to purchase those water rights in the past,” he said. “I'll give it to them.”

Under the current zoning as part of unincorporated Fayette County, Rolader says he could build 518 homes on the property right now, with septic tanks. He added that the smaller number of homes with sewer would be much more environmentally positive than having “500 septic tanks leeching into the ground,” as he put it.

Rolader also said he wants to bring the home sizes up to around 2,000 square feet, considerably larger than the minimum under the site's current zoning.

This land was part of a huge site that was annexed into Fayetteville back in the 1980s with some 2,500 lots in the total plan. When the dust settled, the land was deannexed by the state legislature and some local elected officials were recalled by outraged local citizens. Subsequent litigation resulted in the overturning of the state recall law and the adoption of a recall process that many believe makes it harder to remove elected officials from office.

City Manager Joe Morton said that Rolader's proposal will be looked at closely by Fayetteville officials, and the process could take several months. The city is under no legal obligation to even consider an annexation, unlike a zoning request, but because Fayetteville does not have a moratorium on annexation like Peachtree City, projects like this can be considered on a case-by-case basis.

“It's an opportunity for us to take a look at it and see what the benefits would be to the city,” said Morton.

Rolader says it is an opportunity for a development that “is a winner for the city and does not harm the county either. This gives us 454 lots that we know will work.”

If this proposal does not pass, Rolader said the property will still be developed in the county, but he will not be involved.

“Somebody will develop this property,” he said. “It can either develop the old-fashioned way or we can do it better.”