Wednesday, October 9, 2002
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Wednesday, October 9, 2002 |
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F'ville's south side rezoning plan gets citizen make-over By MONROE ROARK
The proposed southside master plan for Fayetteville is back at the drawing board, and a whole new team of artists is elbowing its way to the canvas. After tabling an annexation and rezoning request until December, the City Council has directed staff to create a special task force made up of local residents, developers and city officials to study the matter. Urban Collage, an Atlanta consulting firm, has been conducting interviews with various members of the task force in preparation for the first meeting, set for next Wednesday, Oct. 16, at 5 p.m. at the Depot. Recent actions leading up to the formation of the task force have been motivated in no small part by the enthusiastic participation of residents on the southern tip of Fayetteville, many of whom came out in strong opposition to the proposed master plan in fear that it would create a "Pavilion South," a mega-retail complex similar to the Fayette Pavilion on the city's north side, only this one would be at their back door. The creators of the master plan have proposed a multiuse development comprising as much as almost 400 acres, depending upon how many of the property owners are involved at any given time. In addition to various retail, office and residential components, the long-term plan called for designated open space and the eventual extension of the Ga. Highway 92 connector from Jimmie Mayfield Boulevard to Jeff Davis Drive, a move the developers said would greatly reduce traffic through the Fayetteville square by allowing Jeff Davis area residents better access to Fayetteville Towne Center and other retail destinations. An important portion of the overall site is a tract of about 53 acres just off the northeast corner of hwys. 85 and 92, behind GTO's and Walgreen's. That land is in unincorporated Fayette County, although it is nearly an island surrounded by city property. Developers have proposed putting a shopping center, anchored by a Publix supermarket, and other office and residential uses on that site. That proposal got many local residents, specifically in the Kingswood and Chanticleer subdivisions just outside the city limits on Hwy 92, on full alert. Charging that the retail components of the master plan would lead to major traffic problems and increased crime, among other problems, many of these residents let their opposition to the plan be known at several City Council meetings. The council voted last month to table the annexation and rezoning request until Dec. 5. Another tract of concern to local residents is adjacent to Kingswood, on the south side of the Hwy. 92 connector. That land is currently zoned for townhomes, but proponents of the southside master plan petitioned the city for rezoning to commercial. A tract on the east side of Jimmie Mayfield, next to the path of the proposed road extension, is also part of a commercial rezoning request. The task force is an unusually large group, consisting of members of a number of families with interests in the land included in the master plan. Also involved are members of the City Council and city staff, along with representatives of the Kingswood, Chanticleer, Highland Park, Lakemont, Woodgate and Wyngate subdivisions. The driving force behind the proposed master plan, at least at the council meetings, has been a three-man team consisting of local developer Bob Rolader, whose family is one of the land owners, along with Kent Rose and Rich Dippilito of Concordia Properties. All three are on the task force. Rolader would not comment on the upcoming proceedings and where they might lead. "I have no idea where this is going," he said. Efforts to reach Rose and Dippolito for comment were unsuccessful. Mayor Kenneth Steele and Councilman Bill Talley have been designated to represent the City Council on the task force, and Talley is impressed by the way the group has taken shape. "I'm very glad the community is getting involved," he said. "Sometimes these kinds of things can take a life of their own." Talley said that he has gotten a lot of positive feedback from Kingswood residents and others with regard to the formation of the task force. He also believes that the consultants will provide a great deal of help by showing all of the participants what alternatives are available. Since the master plan was first proposed more than a year ago, some city officials have suggested that having the entire area under a single plan would allow the city to better control the level of development. That philosophy could figure into the council's eventual decision whether to annex the unincorporated portion of the plan, although Talley stressed that the need for annexation has not yet been established. "I think the city's development standards are a little higher and tougher than the county's," said Talley. "We could have a little more control [if annexed]. But I'm not looking to expand the city. We've got plenty to say grace over right now." Some residents think that the city has plenty to handle right now and should reject what they believe is "gross overdevelopment." That phrase was at the top of a flier circulated throughout the various neighborhoods and a key topic of discussion at a residents' meeting last week at the library. The first line of the flier read, "South Fayetteville Pavilion coming?" Concerns about declining property values, the lack of state action in widening the highways south of Fayetteville, possible septic problems stemming from new development, more density and further school crowding, noise, crime all of these topics were mentioned as possible results of the proposed "Pavilion South" plan, as some residents are calling it. "There's a lot of emotion involved," said task force member Gina Mosley, a Wyngate resident who attended the library meeting. "Whenever there's change, there's a lot of reluctance." But Mosley added that she is encouraged by the "tremendous" amount of citizen involvement this issue has generated, and she is pleased with the City Council's current approach. Residents are concerned about a traffic situation that is already a problem on Hwy. 92, and the new jail/courthouse complex opening soon is a concern as well, although no one is sure how it will affect the area. But she thinks everyone can work together and find a solution all can live with. "Not everybody will be happy," she said. "There will have to be some compromise involved. All of the stakeholders should be open to that." Steele sees the process simply as a way to "come up with something better" than what is there now. Most of the city zoning has been in place since the 1980s, and realignment of the highways on the south side of town have impacted the zoning somewhat, he said. "There are no easy answers," said Steele. "It's going to take an open mind. But it's worth the effort." As for the unincorporated tract, Steele said the current county zoning (A-R, or agricultural-residential) is probably not appropriate, given what surrounds the property. But he feels no compulsion to annex it, and determining that is part of the task force process. Steele is very encouraged by the participation of the residents, and how they have already shown a desire to learn as much as they can from city staff and other experts about what is going on. He welcomes constructive ideas and possible solutions from all comers. As Talley pointed out, there is plenty of work to be done, and a decision is far from being made. "I am in no way, shape, or form committed one way or the other," he said. "Let's see how it turns out."
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