By DAVE HAMRICK
Staff Writer

Fayetteville residents will be limited to three garage sales per year if the City Council agrees with the Planning Commission's recommendation.

But residents won't have to worry much about the new law unless their neighbors complain. The commission is recommending no requirement that residents get a permit for each sale.

Commissioners also are recommending that each sale be limited to three consecutive days.

Complaints that some residents conduct yard sales so much of the time that they are essentially operating retail businesses at home prompted discussion of the idea of limiting the sales during a recent Planning Commission work session.

“Most [cities] limit them to two or three garage sales a year,” city planner Todd Miller told the commission.

Some cities also require that residents buy permits for each garage sale, so the city can keep up with how many each resident has, but commissioners said they don't want to burden staff with the permitting process.

“We're going to know who the chief offenders are,” said commission member Kevin Bittinger. “We're going to know where to look.”

The proposed rule is expected to go to City Council for a first reading during its July 19 meeting, along with two other new ordinance recommendations. “That way, they can do them all at one time,” said planning director Jahnee Prince.

The other proposals are:

ä An ordinance prohibiting the operation of professional psychics in the city. After a New York psychic expressed an interest in moving to Fayetteville and asked which zoning category would be suitable, the Planning Commission discussed the possibility of including psychic services in zoning categories allowing entertainment, but eventually decided to prohibit them altogether.

ä A new zoning category for office developments in the Fayette Community Hospital area. Faced with a growing number of requests for annexation and zoning for offices along Sandy Creek Road and Ga. Highway 54 near the hospital, city officials decided the area needs its own development standards.

If the proposals are presented according to schedule July 19, council can act on them at its next meeting, Aug. 2, 7 p.m. at City Hall.