Nearly all on the Fayetteville Planning & Zoning Commission said they appreciated the planning that went into The Homestead, a 58-acre proposed residential development at the northwest corner of Beauregard Boulevard and Ramah Road. But when the vote was cast at the board’s Sept. 25 regular session, commissioners cited concerns over density as the reason to deny a request to rezone the property from R-30 to R-22 PUD (Planned Unit Development).

At issue was the placement of 17 additional homes on The Homestead development that the R-22 PUD designation would have provided. Previous meetings had seen concerns introduced by neighbors and the commission over issues relating to density, including the increased number of vehicles on area roadways and the impact to areas schools. Neighbors also surfaced concerns over historic stormwater drainage issues in portions of the adjacent Quail Hollow subdivision.

“We have to look at the overall project,” said Commissioner Allan Feldman. “There is no problem on the lot size, but density’s what counts. It’s just the overall density. Everything else is fine.”

Representing Oddo Publishing, Inc., Tom Hardy had originally decreased the number of homes that would have been allowed under R-22 PUD zoning from 109 homes to 101. The current R-30 zoning would allow construction of 84 homes with a minimum of 1,800 square feet. Hardy had previously agreed to provide 43 percent open space and a number of amenities throughout the development in addition to helping adjacent neighbors in Quail Hollow subdivision solve long-standing stormwater runoff problems.

Planning & Zoning Director Eldridge Gunn said the applicant had made several changes to the original request. Among those were the elimination of a cul-de-sac and withdrawing a surface street connection proposal to Quail Hollow. Gunn said the applicant had worked to address the stormwater runoff issue. The proposal meets the criteria of the city’s future land use plan, he said.

“It boils down to density,” Hardy said later during the discussion. “We’ve made improvements with open space and a lot of other issues. It boils down to the future land use plan. We’re prepared to go forward with the R-22 PUD.”

At the end of the night, persistent concerns by commissioners over increased density from the 17 additional homes under the R-22 PUD designation had the proposal stopped dead in its tracks. But not all commissioners thought the proposal should be voted down.

“In the quantitative analysis there doesn’t seem to be a reason to deny,” Commissioner Bill Talley said prior to the vote.

But a majority of commissioners disagreed with Talley. The decision on the rezoning request came on a 3-2-1 vote, with Chairman Sarah Murphy breaking the tie after commissioners Allan Feldman and Mike Menchinger vote in favor of the motion to deny, commissioners Derryll Anderson and Bill Talley voted against the measure and Commissioner Chet Enigenburg abstained.