An ambitious development plan that includes 203 homes plus offices, shops, a hotel and parks near downtown Fayetteville received tentative City Council approval Monday.

Council unanimously approved the basic concept, designed by consultants Cooper Carry, for 110 acres at Ga. Highway 54 and Tiger Trail. But, "There is a lot more that has to be done to put this on the ground," cautioned Councilman Kenneth Steele.

Developer Bob Rolader must now take the plan to the city Planning Commission to hammer out a detailed development agreement and request zoning changes, all of which also must be approved by City Council, if he wants to follow through with the plan.

As approved by council, the plan includes 80 acres of homes including:

30 condominiums with a minimum size of 1,200 square feet and minimum price of $150,000.

151 homes varying from 1,850 to 2,250 square feet with minimum prices ranging from $175,000 to $200,000;

22 estate lots with homes priced a minimum of $250,000.

City manager Mike Bryant told council Monday that, after deducting for streets and other common areas, the residential portion of the property would have a density of about three homes per acre, a goal council members had pushed for in recent meetings after rejecting the initial plan for 300 homes, or about five units per acre.

Also contemplated are:

10 acres occupied by about 120,000 square feet of class A office space;

Four acres of smaller offices, about 40,000 square feet arranged like a small village;

Five acres of neighborhood shops like dry cleaners' and coffee shops, about 90,000 square feet in all;

A four-story, 100-room hotel with conference center;

A city park of about 17 acres with hiking trails, picnic and other passive recreation facilities.

The land, which has been in the family of its most recent owner King McElwaney for more than 100 years, became the subject of intense scrutiny last year when city staff and the Planning Commission conducted a thorough review of the city's comprehensive plan.

Planning staff discovered that there are only two large single-owner tracts left in Fayetteville, the McElwaney property and a 175-acre parcel south of town on Jimmie Mayfield Boulevard.

After a series of public hearings and work sessions, City Council decided to hire consultants to develop master plans for the two parcels.

Councilman Steele said he is concerned that the development agreement include as many styles of homes as possible. Councilman Larry Dell said he has talked with developer Rolader and that's the plan.

"It's basically a show place of Fayetteville developers," he said. "That's the way the discussion pretty much went."

That's central to the concept said Steele. The master plan has been touted as a way to bring an upscale life-style to downtown Fayetteville and ensure that the Courthouse Square doesn't go downhill as businesses move to new shopping centers on the outskirts of town.