Southside annexation opposed by area residents

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

Several south Fayetteville residents have voiced opposition to plans to annex a 108-acre tract in the area for a 94-home subdivision.

The plan for Bellemeade subdivision includes an eight-acre park with walking trails and exercise stations that will be fully developed and turned over to the city.

Residents who spoke at Tuesday’s meeting of the Fayetteville Planning and Zoning Commission said morning traffic in the area is already difficult to navigate and building more homes would exacerbate the problem.

The proposed subdivision is located off Redwine Road and bordered by Old Senoia and Hawn roads.

Myron Coxe, chairman of the planning and zoning commission, said the commission could not deny the annexation based on the traffic the subdivision might create.

Commissioner Derryll Anderson reminded residents of the Lakeside and Lakemont subdivisions that their subdivisions were also at one time part of the county before they were annexed into Fayetteville and developed with lots much smaller than the one-acre minimum required by the county because of the lack of sewer service outside the city limits.

City Planner Eldridge Gunn said the subdivision would be developed similarly if it remained in Fayette County’s jurisdiction.

Residents who live near the proposed subdivision also complained to the commission that they had plenty of recreation space at the nearby Kiwanis ball fields so there is little need for the park.

Developer Bob Rolader said the park was ideal because of its size and proximity to the parking at the Kiwanis fields, which is part of a Fayette County recreation complex. He also pointed out that 30 percent of the site will be retained for greenspace and the neighborhood would be “very upscale.”

In a meeting Thursday night, the Fayette County Commission voted to oppose the annexation because the county was unclear how the subdivision would look. It was also argued that a similar subdivision could be built under the county’s regulation, with the only difference being that sewer access wouldn’t be provided.