Fayetteville Ward 3 candidates have differing views on growth, development

FAYETTEVILLE -- The candidates running to represent residents on the northeast side of town have different opinions about how to shape the city's growth.

Lucas Regnier and Sloan Scroggin are vying for the Ward 3 seat being vacated by Justin Tennant, who is not running for re-election. Tennant was elected to his first term in 2010 and won again in 2014.

The candidates' viewpoints differ about development along and near College Avenue, improving east-west connectivity and fostering harmony between residential and commercial areas.

The city is in the middle of a study that will guide land use for development along the U.S. 71B corridor, which includes College Avenue from North Street to Lake Fayetteville. Last year, the city rezoned a stretch from Maple to North streets to allow for a wider variety of commercial and residential uses. It also added wider sidewalks, lighting, decorative trees and reduced curb cuts there. Any new buildings will go closer to the street with parking in the back.

Regnier said he'd prefer to keep most of the dense, mixed-use development of Ward 3 on or near College Avenue, which is already a high-traffic area. Upzoning the corridor would help keep intense development out of neighborhoods, he said.

Regnier also advocated for a bus rapid transit route along College Avenue, which regional planners have been discussing.

"If we seriously are going to become a city of 150,000 people like people say we are, then OK, I think the economics are there," he said. "As a council, we need to be prepared to greenlight it."

Scroggin said taking what the city has already done with College Avenue from Maple to North streets and applying it all the way to Lake Fayetteville makes sense. Also, the city needs a solid plan to connect traffic east-west, he said.

Scroggin proposed connecting smaller roads running east-west in multiple spots across the city. Ideally, the city would take on the projects at around the same time so no one neighborhood would feel the pinch more than the other, he said.

"I understand why people don't want to be first. I'm not confused about that," Scroggin said. "If we need six more streets going east and west, and you go first, that means six streets' worth of traffic going through your neighborhood. I will always take that into consideration."

Regnier suggested widening the city's existing east-west arteries, such as Township Street, to accommodate more car traffic. To go along with that, Regnier proposed building more east-west routes for bicycles or walking.

Scroggin said mixed development can work in just about any part of town as long as it's all within the same scale. Many residents might not even notice the veterinarian or doctor's offices in their neighborhoods, he said. More ambitious establishments work better near the Uptown Apartments, for instance.

"I think Uptown is nice where it is, but I don't want that off of Crossover," he said. "I think we can do mixed-use, I think we can do it incrementally and I don't think it'll negatively affect the neighborhoods if we do it right."

Regnier said he felt mixed-use doesn't necessarily work everywhere. Some areas seem ripe for development of commercial use, while others less so, he said. Regnier would not support every instance of proposed mixed-use development and would consider a variety of factors, including the will of neighbors, he said.

"Sometimes the people we might call 'NIMBYs' (not in my backyard) maybe have a good point," Regnier said. "It's worth listening to them."

Ward 3 encompasses the northeast part of town. It includes College Avenue north of Township Street, Crossover Road north and southwest of Mission Boulevard, Root School, Butterfield Elementary, Gulley Park and Lake Fayetteville.

City Council members earn $12,504 annually and serve four-year terms. The election, which is nonpartisan for municipal candidates, will be Nov. 6.

NW News on 10/07/2018