Chicken plan lays an egg

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

Although they have revised their plans once already, developers seeking approval for a Zaxby’s restaurant are headed back to the drawing board again.

Officials had hoped for approval of the new plan, which added a two-way drive along the restaurant’s frontage on Ga. Highway 85 south. The Fayetteville Planning and Zoning Commission previously asked for that change to create an access to Ellis Road for customers of the adjacent J&R Clothing plaza.

But the new plan had one element commissioners lacked comfort with: the use of a few pervious parking spaces to meet the city’s requirement for limits to impervious surfaces. The pervious parking spaces would not be paved, instead using concrete features designed to allow water to filter through to the ground.

Several commissioners expressed concern that the pervious surface would not be well-maintained and would eventually fail, allowing leaking car fluid such as oil and antifreeze to seep into the water.

The intent of the requirement to have no more than 60 percent impervious surface on a given site was to enhance landscaping, not add more parking, officials said.

Seeing the writing on the wall, Zaxby’s officials asked the commission to table the matter so it can determine an alternate proposal for the pervious parking spaces.

Commissioner Kevin Bittinger asked if the company could look at reducing its parking further. Officials said they will consider eliminating the pervious parking spaces entirely.

The commission wasn’t entirely without compassion, though, as several commissioners thanked Zaxby’s officials for creating the two-way drive in front of the store. Previously, the store was closer to Hwy. 85 with a one-way traffic circulation pattern around the entire restaurant.