In 15 years or so, Fayetteville will grow to a city of 24,000, with population density about what it is now, plenty of roads and sewers to serve everyone, commercial areas separated by residential neighborhoods, and housing for every stage in life.

And this will all be accomplished while maintaining Fayetteville's "small-town atmosphere."

At least that's the plan.

City Council will take one more look at a new comprehensive plan being recommended by the Planning Commission during its workshop Wednesday, Oct. 14 before sending the document on to the Atlanta Regional Commission for its approval.

The plan, which includes goals for population, housing and land use, will provide a road map for future development. The city planning staff hammered out the plan over the nine months, then presented it to the public and the Planning Commission in a series of hearings.

Officials periodically update the plan, which was written in the late 1980s.

Among the new plan's assumptions, said chief planner Jahnee Prince, is that Fayetteville will continue to grow in popularity as a place to live.

"There is so much demand for new homes in the city of Fayetteville that industrial land is being rezoned to residential," Prince told City Council Monday night.

Currently, 34.7 percent of the city's 5,336 acres are used for single family homes. By 2013, that will grow to 58.5 percent, consuming much of the 42.7 percent of total acreage that is currently undeveloped, according to the comprehensive plan.

Among the new plan's other goals and predictions:

More of the city's land will be devoted to offices. Currently, only 34 acres are used for offices. By 2013, that will grow to 358 acres, going from .8 percent to 6.7 percent.

Commercial uses will rise even more dramatically, from today's 8.8 percent of total, or 467 acres, to 26.5 percent, or 1,421 acres.

Population will increase at an average rate of 6 percent a year. Currently, the city is growing at 8 percent annually, Prince said, adding 150 to 200 new homes each year, but that growth rate probably won't be sustained, she said.

Using current land uses on current acreage, the city's population probably would peak at about 16,000, said Prince, but she added that it's logical to assume the city will grow to almost 24,000 because it has sewer capacity for that many people.

Some of that growth probably will come from annexation, she said.

"We want to stop strip commercial development at [Ga.] Highway 92 south," said Prince. The plan's goals call for a commercial node at the highway's intersection with Ga. Highway 85, surrounded by residential neighborhoods, and a similar node at 92 and Jimmy Mayfield Boulevard.

The city will encourage planned commercial centers along Ga. Highway 85 north and discourage individual new businesses facing the highway.

Ga. Highway 314 is targeted for less intense land uses than any of the city's other thoroughfares, with office uses on the west side and light commercial growth on the east.

The plan calls for medium-density residential and some commercial uses in two large tracts. King McElwaney, representing owners of a 110-acre tract at Highway 54 and Tiger Trail, told officials he was uncomfortable with that, but a tentative plan to hire consultants to put together a comprehensive plan for the tract was rejected by the Planning Commission.

Another tract, about 175 acres on Jimmy Mayfield Boulevard, will be treated similarly, with areas designated for medium density residential and commercial.

Planning Commission members said if a consultant is hired for either of the large tracts, the owners should bear that cost and present their plan to the city. "Draw your plan up and bring it before us," said commission member Allan Feldman. "If there needs to be a consultant," agreed commission chairman Dan Talley, "let it be on the owner's ticket."

The plan calls for housing "for every phase of life, from young professionals, to young families, to older families, to empty nesters, to the elderly."

Generally, that means higher density neighborhoods and multi-family developments will be close to downtown, with lower density neighborhoods farther out.