Development plans for The Shoppes at Highway 54 West announced Feb. 13 at Fayetteville Planning and Zoning Commission work session would bring 55,000 square feet of retail and office space to the southeast corner of Grady Avenue and Ga. Highway 54. The proposal will be up for consideration at the Feb. 27 regular session.

The proposal calls for constructing two retail buildings, at 14,000 square feet and 11,250 square feet, along Hwy. 54. Three two-story office buildings, each at 9,968 square feet, were also included in the plan. Two of the buildings would front on Grady Avenue while the third would be situated in the southeast section of the 4.685-acre site. Access to the development would be from Hwy. 54 and Grady Avenue.

Owner Asa Candler said the buildings would be four sides brick. The site is proposed to include a round-about near the center of the property with a fountain or tower, Candler said.

Chairman Sarah Murphy expressed concerns over the elevations, questioning whether they were consistent with what the city is attempting to achieve in the area. The Hwy. 54/Grady Avenue area is the gateway to the west side of the city’s historic district. Murphy and others suggested the plan contained an excessive amount of glass, citing the need to have the buildings portray a look representative of the early 20th century.

The site is located in the Main Street Architectural Overlay District. Candler is expected to meet with the Architectural Review committee prior to the Feb. 27 meeting to address elevations.

The site was rezoned in 2006 from R-30 Single-Family Residential to C-1 Downtown Commercial. Three variances were granted by the city council during the rezoning. Those included a reduction in the number of parking spaces from 220 to 177, a reduction of the setback on Hwy. 54 from 50 feet to 20 feet and a reduction in curb cuts and access points along the corridor from 500 feet to 364 feet.