In a change of plans, the well-known charity organization Goodwill Industries has dropped its bid to construct a career training center on the east side of Banks Road and Ga. Highway 85 In Fayetteville.

Goodwill representative David Poer told Fayetteville Planning and Zoning commissioners Nov. 11 that Goodwill had decided to proceed only with plans for a retail store. Development plans for the project were tabled until January.

As initially presented to city planning staff, the non-profit wanted to construct a 33,200 square-foot retail thrift store and training center adjacent to the Piccadilly restaurant on Banks Road. The thrift store would total 25,200 square feet, while the career center would use an additional 8,000 square-foot portion of the building. The property is zoned C-3 Highway Commercial.

Speaking at the commission’s Nov. 11 work session, Poer said after considering the project, Goodwill thinks it does not make financial sense to have the career center included in the project. He said the decision had been made only a few days earlier. Goodwill will go back to the development authority to propose that the career training center be removed from the project.

Fayette County Development Authority and the non-profit Goodwill had been in discussions aimed at having the retail store/training center come under a bond project to finance the construction.

Commissioners said they liked the project, but advised Poer to get things worked out with the development authority prior to submitting the revised plans that would be required if the project goes forward without the career center.

Contacted Monday, Fayette County Development Authority Director Matt Forshee said the career training center was a contingent portion of the plan when Goodwill approached the authority for help with a tax-exempt bond. Based on recent developments, Goodwill is expected in January to ask the development authority board to reconsider the project without the training center, Forshee said.

As proposed, the building would consist of brick veneer with a metal veneer finish. An aluminum storefront with a blue metal canopy will be provided and a cast stone band with varying heights will be used to break up the building. Aluminum frames will be provided around the windows with blue fabric awnings.

Ingress and egress will be from Banks Road and Hwy. 85, with Banks Road being the primary entrance. City staff are recommending the addition of an 8-foot sidewalk on the north side of the driveway on Hwy. 85 to the property line to the north.

Poer told planning commissioners Nov. 11 that Goodwill has 25 retail thrift stores in metro Atlanta and four or five career training centers.

login to post comments