A small group of residents present April 5 at a called meeting of Fayetteville City Council heard the beginning of a conversation that could lead to a maximum residential occupancy of eight adults, with a variance for children, a maximum of eight vehicles per residence and a definition of group homes.

Fayetteville currently has ordinances on residential occupancy and parking but nothing relating to group homes. Mayor Ken Steele said it is an appropriate time to update some city ordinances for the 21st century.

“Today is for information gathering,” Steele told the small group of residents. “Concerns were articulated at the council retreat last fall. We asked the staff to look and see what actions might be needed to resolve these issues.”

Though only generally approached, the proposed maximum occupancy ordinance calls for a maximum of eight adults per residence with a variance for any or all children.

“We are addressing the number of adults. We’re not trying to define a family,” said City Engineer Don Easterbrook.

The definition of the term “family” can be open-ended, council members acknowledged, as can the definition of an extended family. It is not the business of the city council to define the term “family,” Steele noted.

“Occupancy (where I live) is out of control. I’m a living witness to what can happen if something isn’t done,” said Sierra Leone, referencing issues resulting from the dense occupancy in Landmark Village Mobile Home Park in north Fayette.

Though not a citizen of Fayetteville, her remarks resonated and were followed by applause from residents and acknowledgment from the city council.

“Please put teeth in your ordinance. Landmark was a decent place to live 11 years ago. I liked what I saw when I moved there, but I don’t like what I see now. It’s only a matter of time before that happens elsewhere,” she said.

Other portions of the occupancy ordinance apply to the size of bedrooms, with a 70 square-foot minimum for the first occupant of that room and 50 square feet for each additional occupant. That proposal represents a change from the current ordinance where 70 square feet is required for the first two occupants. The ordinance would also adopt the International Property Maintenance Code in place of the current Standard Housing Code.

The proposal for residential parking set a maximum of eight vehicles per residence. Specifically, no parking of more than two vehicles would be allowed in the front yard, except in a garage, and with parking only on impervious surfaces such as a driveway or concrete pavers.

The proposal calls for a maximum of two vehicles per dwelling unit plus one additional vehicle for each bedroom beyond the first bedroom, for a maximum of eight vehicles. Vehicles are defined as cars, non-commercial trucks, trailers, boats, motorcycles, golf carts, recreational vehicles and buses.

The current ordinance stipulates that a maximum of two vehicles per dwelling plus one additional vehicle after the first bedroom between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.

According to the group home ordinance proposal, such a facility would be defined under classifications that include as personal care homes, drug treatment centers, intermediate care homes, community living arrangements and nursing homes. Provisions of the proposal would require a minimum distance of 2,500 feet be maintained between any two group homes, that minimum square footage requirements conform to city and state standards and that group homes be state-licensed.

The majority of those in attendance brought a concern for a specific facility apparently operating as a drug treatment home. Neighbors cited concerns such as whether the home is licensed by the state, the number of residents being served at the facility and the amount of traffic in and out of the house.

Neighbors April 5 supported the proposed group home ordinance, being told that the proposed ordinance would address many of their concerns.

After the meeting, Steele said the presentation of the proposed ordinances and the public input mirrored concerns around the state.

“I was very encouraged. I thought the community was very supportive of the attempt to meet the challenges that are readily visible throughout this and every other community in Georgia,” he said.

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