By DAVE HAMRICK
Staff Writer

A 60-room, four-story hotel would be the best use of the space behind Fayetteville's new Schlotzky's Deli, developers say.

But city Planning Commission members say they're going to be hard to convince.

“I'll be honest. I don't like the concept of a hotel there,” commission member Kevin Bittinger told developers during a work session last week. “I don't think it's in concert with the rest of the area.”

“I'll have to put a lot of thought into this,” added commission member Allan Feldman.

Crown Capital Corp. is developing the site, next to Picadilly restaurant on Ga. Highway 85 just north of Banks Road. The “L” shaped property wraps around Picadilly, with frontage on both Hwy. 85 and Banks Road. Schlotzky's faces 85, leaving the space behind and the Banks Road frontage still vacant.

A development plan for Schlotzky's was approved early this year showing three small retail shops behind the restaurant, but Crown Capital representatives said they're worried that the site is too isolated for retail shops.

Preliminary plans for the hotel are for a building that takes up less space on the ground than the shops would have. Plans showed about 24,000 square feet of retail space, whereas the hotel would cover only about 13,000 square feet, leaving more green space, the representatives said.

But the height of the building would make it too imposing for area, said Bittinger. “I think it's going to be difficult for you to build a hotel of this scope that's going to fit into this area,” he said.

A four-story building would be about 50 feet high.

Commission chairman Bill Talley, who currently is not serving on the commission because he is running for City Council, offered his comments as a member of the public. “This belongs in the city center,” he said. “It's a vertical project.”

Representatives of Ruby Tuesday restaurant chain fared better in their bid for preliminary comment from the commission.

A Ruby Tuesday is already approved for the Barnes and Noble shopping center, Uptown Square, across Hwy. 85 from Fayette Pavilion, but company representatives have taken their time in bringing site plans to the commission.

Last week's work session was the second time restaurant representative Chuck Arnaud had presented drawings for commission comment, without actually placing approval of the site plans on the agenda for action.

Commissioners liked the latest plans much more than the first set that were presented. Ruby Tuesday's trademark striped awnings are gone from the latest plan after commissioners earlier remarked that they might be considered part of the corporate logo and thus part of the tightly restricted signage for the restaurant.

Arnaud showed a brick building with residential roof and stone entrance that commissioners seemed to like, making suggestions for minor changes. comments.