Details on plans to construct Main Street Officer Center, a three-story office and bank building on Ga. Highway 54 where Lanier Avenue and Stonewall Avenue split, were heard at the April 12 work session of Fayetteville Planning and Zoning Commission.

Project representative Josh Mudd said he would return for the April 24 regular session despite suggestions by the board that he request the issue be tabled after concerns surfaced.

The proposed Main Street Office Center located at 320 West Lanier Ave. would feature a three-story, 39,000 square-foot bank and office/medical building on 2.74 acres in Fayetteville’s downtown historic district.

Representing McWhirter Realty Partners, Mudd said the first floor exterior would be cast stone with the second and third floors in brick. The building would be situated near the mid-point of the 2.74-acre tract. That area, Mudd said, is the highest point of elevation on the property.

Parking would be situated on the east and west sides of the building with the drive-thru window at Regions Bank, the building’s primary tenant, on the south side of the building. The requested variance would be for a total of 155 parking spaces rather than the 195 spaces that would otherwise be required.

“They have adjusted the parking and curb cuts as necessary to save as many trees as possible and to provide green space,” Planning and Zoning Director Eldridge Gunn said in an April 5 memo. “There is particularly concerted effort to save the older trees to the east along Tiger Trail, at the southeast corner of the property. Therefore, a parking variance is requested to reduce the parking from 195 spaces to 155 spaces.”

Mudd told commissioners the plan received approval from the city’s Art and Architectural Review Committee. Conveying the rationale for constructing a visibly unique three-story building on the site, Mudd said a two-story building would not be economically feasible.

“Property values have gone up and we’re trying to build a type of building that does not exist here,” Mudd said.

Fayette County historian and 42-year Fayetteville resident Carolyn Cary spoke in opposition to the project. Cary recalled past attempts to maintain the city’s historical integrity. Noting that a three-story “castle” would not tie in appropriately with The Villages, Cary said the building would be a “monstrosity” that would be out of place in the 184 year-old city it is sitting in.

“And now there are those who want to build a three-story castle on hallowed ground. There are four ‘gateways’ to Fayetteville and this is the only one left that could be something we are proud of,” Cary said. “The owner of this land is McWhirter Realty Partners. While they have similar projects in place ... there are none if Fayetteville. And while this company does have a 27-year track record, it does not seem to take into consideration the feelings of those who have been here for generations and who have been diligently working all that time to preserve the city’s historic integrity. If the people involved in this project want to build a two-story building in the same architectural vein as the Holiday Inn or the Mowell Funeral Home, I will support it with pride. But I am telling you, ladies and gentlemen, if this project goes through as presented, it will be over my dead body.”

During a discussion among the board, Commissioners Bill Talley and Chair Sarah Murphy suggested that Mudd request that the proposal be tabled for 30 days. Talley and Commissioner Derryll Anderson suggested that Mudd consult with Cary and others that might be interested in providing input on the proposal. In the end, Mudd decided to go ahead with the proposal and return for the April 24 regular session.

“We want to save time and find a way to put this building on the property,” Mudd said.

The proposal first surfaced informally at a January commission meeting, when Mudd provided a general overview of the building that would sit on the highly visible tract of land along the Hwy. 54 corridor where the highway divides into Stonewall and Lanier. The site was rezoned in September from RMS-15 (Residential Multi-family) to C-1 (Downtown Commercial).

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