Commission supports commercial, residential mix at spot in Fayetteville's Walker Park neighborhood

Courtesy/CITY OF FAYETTEVILLE The location of a rezoning request on South College Avenue in Fayetteville is seen. The Planning Commission forwarded the request to the City Council with a recommendation of approval.
Courtesy/CITY OF FAYETTEVILLE The location of a rezoning request on South College Avenue in Fayetteville is seen. The Planning Commission forwarded the request to the City Council with a recommendation of approval.

FAYETTEVILLE -- A rezoning request in the Walker Park neighborhood to open a piece of property to small businesses will go to the City Council after a Planning Commission decision Monday.

The commission voted 5-1 to changing the zoning classification at 510 S. College Ave. The vacant, quarter-acre is on the east side of South College, north of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Former Mayor Dan Coody has owned it since 2014, according to property records.

Other items

Fayetteville’s Planning Commission met Monday and approved:

• A variance for a driveway on undeveloped property near Sardinia Way and Malta Lane, west of Rupple Road.

• A permit allowing TriCycle Farms to build a teaching farm with accessory buildings and greenhouse, as well as allowing community events and up to 30 chickens on the property.

Source: Staff report

Commissioner Zara Niederman, a developer, applied for the request and recused from voting. Commissioner Tom Brown cast the sole no vote.

Brown agreed with the planning staff, who recommended denying the request, that the desired land uses could be allowed under the current zoning but with a permit from the commission. The current zoning is called neighborhood conservation, which allows single-family homes and accessory dwellings. With a permit, other uses such as limited businesses, home occupations, offices, studios and homes of up to four units are possible.

The request was to change to a limited neighborhood services zone, which allows those uses without a permit.

In his letter to the city, Niederman said the plan is to build a live/work-style building. Someone could live upstairs with an office or small business on the first floor. Or, a separate residential unit could go on the first floor.

Planning staff said the requested zone wouldn't be compatible with the character of the neighborhood or the Walker Park neighborhood plan developed about a decade ago with resident input.

Chairman Matt Hoffman said he lives nearby and is familiar with the character of the neighborhood.

"I'd have to disagree that small, limited business is not a part of the DNA of the neighborhood because it absolutely is," he said.

No one from the public spoke. A memo from planning staff said the city received some written support of the request, highlighting the proposal's ability to provide low-intensity commercial and mixed-use opportunities.

In other business, the commission tabled a request to rezone about 20 acres north of Old Farmington Road, east of the planned Centennial Park at Millsaps Mountain. Rezoning would allow homes of up to four units, general business, home occupations, accessory dwellings and cluster housing.

Commissioners asked the applicant, Zack Kifer with Newmark Moses Tucker Partners, to reconsider the request and possibly ask for different designations for parts of the land. It will appear again at the commission's next meeting March 25.

NW News on 03/12/2019

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