Fayetteville could see gravel alleys with Planning Commission recommendation

FAYETTEVILLE -- Gravel alleys could be allowed under certain circumstances without a developer having to seek a variance if the City Council approves a proposal the Planning Commission recommended Monday.

Alleys have the same requirements as roads under city code, meaning no gravel. A designer can apply for a variance, which is up the city engineer to grant or deny.

Next meeting

5:30 p.m. Sept. 12

Room 219

City Hall, 113 W. Mountain St.

A proposal to amend the city's minimum street standards would exempt existing alley rights of way with a grade less than 5 percent from the requirement. Alleyway construction would be in line with the standards for driveways rather than roads. Alderman Matthew Petty of Ward 2 presented the proposal to the Planning Commission.

Planning Commissioner Matthew Hoffman motioned to forward the proposal to the City Council with a recommendation to approve. Planning Commissioner Allison Thurmond Quinlan seconded and commissioners Ron Autry, Ryan Noble and Janet Selby joined in support. Commissioners Tom Brown, Kyle Cook and Tracy Hoskins voted against. The motion passed 5-3.

The issue came up during the commission's July 25 meeting but was tabled. The proposal that planning commissioners considered Monday changed the language from new alleys to rights of way, reduced the grade from 10 percent to 5 percent and added the comparison to driveway standards, in addition to requiring the city engineer approve the type of gravel used.

Brown made a motion to have the proposed change apply only to single-family residential zones and require signs showing the city wouldn't be responsible for maintaining the alley. None of the other commissioners seconded his motion.

Hoffman said the number of homes over the next 30 years likely will double, and city officials should consider what kind of Fayetteville they want to deliver to future generations.

"(The proposal) actually does get to the affordability issue in a real way," he said. "This is a great way actually to provide affordable housing that does comply with our 2030 goals."

Hoskins argued the city's standards for alleys are too lofty and can result in high costs, but pointed out problems with gravel he has experienced as a developer, such as erosion and drainage issues.

"Are we not going squirrel hunting with a bazooka?" he said. "Shouldn't we look first at the standards that we have now and evaluating those and how we might be able to reduce those before we start looking at, 'Let's go all the way and let people do gravel (alleyways)?'"

In a separate issue, Petty presented to the commission a request to rezone just more than half an acre at South Street and South College Avenue. Petty's Infill Group sought the small-scale real estate development.

The original request was to rezone to a downtown general district, but Petty amended the request at Monday's meeting to residential single family with 18 units per acre.

Neighbors had expressed concern about what the downtown general zoning could allow a different developer to do, even though many supported Petty's plan to possibly bring townhouses or small flats and neighborhood corner stores to the area.

The residential single-family zoning commissioners approved unanimously, with Quinlan abstaining, allows only single-family homes on small lots. Neighbors who spoke at Monday's meeting supported the amended zoning request.

Planning commissioners also unanimously approved a request from Planet Fitness to develop a 15,000-square-foot gym next to Harps Food Store at 1780 N. Crossover Road. The plan calls for added trees and greenspace, and would use a parking lot commissioners panned for being too large and underused.

NW News on 08/23/2016

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