Wednesday, December 11, 2013
FAYETTEVILLE — City Council members will consider four rezoning requests next month that could bring new commercial and residential development to town.
The Planning Commission met Monday and recommended approving of all four requests.
The first is on 25.9 acres west of Garland Avenue and north of Truckers Drive. One is on 19.6 acres southeast of Interstate 540 and Wedington Drive. Another is on 6.1 acres near Wedington Drive and Garland Avenue. A fourth is on 1.5 acres south of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and east of Beechwood Avenue.
Urban Agriculture
Fayetteville planning commissioners said Monday they want more details before signing off on ordinance changes to promote urban agriculture. The proposal would allow goats, bees and more chickens and ducks in non-agricultural zones.
Several commissioners said they want specific requirements for how large a beehive could be and how tall a fence must be to enclose animals. Commissioner Craig Honchell said neighbors should be notified if beehives are going in next door. Commissioner Tracy Hoskins said goats, in particular, should be confined to someone’s backyard. Planning commissioners will review the proposal Jan. 13.
Source: Staff Report
The rezoning near Garland Avenue and Truckers Drive was once part of a 140-acre development called Park West the City Council approved in 2006. Plans for Park West, across Garland Avenue from the 112 Drive In, included 1,700 residential units and 856,000 square feet of commercial space. Building permits were never issued, and the property is owned by Legacy National Bank.
The proposed zoning would allow for a mix of houses, apartments, restaurants, offices or a gasoline station.
The rezoning request near Wedington Drive and I-540 is for land subdivided into nine commercial lots in 2002. The land, owned by Thomas F. James Realty, is just east of Futrall Drive and across Wedington from where a Casey’s General Store is being built. The lots run along either side of McMillan Drive, one of two streets built through the property.
The proposed zoning would also allow for a blend of residential and commercial uses.
“Everyone knows this property has been sitting there as it is for a while,” Justin Jorgensen, an engineer with Jorgensen & Associates, said Monday. “We’re looking at a way to market it differently and get some movement on it.”
The third rezoning is for land behind a Harp’s grocery store at Wedington Drive and Garland Avenue. The City Council approved zoning and plans for 296 residential units and 16,500 square feet of office and retail space in 2006, but nothing was ever built. The planned zoning district where the development, called Wedington Circle, was expired and a new development cannot be built until the property is rezoned.
The proposed zoning would allow for similar uses as the Wedington Circle development.
The Beechwood Avenue property borders 16.6 acres the City Council rezoned Dec. 3. The land includes several warehouses and industrial buildings as well as the White Elephant Emporium and Suds Car Wash. The 1.5 acres are owned by Eaton Properties.
The proposed zoning, across from the University House apartments, would allow another student apartment complex to be built as well as shops, restaurants, offices or a gasoline station. University House used to be called The Domain.
City Council members are scheduled to consider the rezonings Jan. 7.