The Stone property on Ga. Highway 54 and Burch Road was on the Fayetteville Planning and Zoning agenda again March 28 along with elevation plans for renovations at the former Banks Crossing SteinMart. But as significant as any agenda item was the departure of Commissioner Jim Crain.

Crain’s final meeting was accented by a plaque presented by Councilman Wilson Price, who thanked Crain for his service on the board and to the citizens of Fayetteville.

“It doesn’t seem like it’s been six years,” Crain said. “It has been quite an honor to serve on the board and I’ve learned a lot. I was always glad to see the public attend these meetings.”

In other business, commissioners approved a rezoning request for the combination commercial, medical office and residential development at Hwy. 54 and Burch Road, known as the Stone property.

The request for rezoning from C-3 and R-40 to MO (Medical Office) carried the stipulation that the site plan have no access to Burch Road and included a friendly amendment that approval by the City Council would stipulate the problem with the entrances along Hwy. 54.

The issue of entrances to the development came into play due to the requirement of having two entrances in a MO district. Also contained in those requirements is a limit on curb cuts per every 500 feet along a major roadway. The two proposed entrances are approximately 250 feet apart due to the amount of available frontage along Hwy. 54.

The project includes retail, medical offices, assisted living and independent living residences proposed for the 20-acre development. The concept also shows a park in the center of the property and a small lake on the southeast side.

Related to the Stone property project, Planning and Zoning commissioners in April will consider amending the Zoning Ordinance to address the Medical Office Zoning District and a Special Exception related to locating residences on the development site.

Commissioners also approved elevation plans for the former SteinMart store located at Banks Crossing. Owner AIG Baker has been renovating the entire shopping center during the past two years, said P&Z Director Eldridge Gunn. The most recent renovation was the current J.C. Penney store, he said.

The applicant proposes to divide the former SteinMart into space for use by two retailers, Gunn said, including a guitar center. Overall improvements to the development have included the addition of sidewalks and landscaped buffering.

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