The Fayetteville City Council last week acted as expected and unanimously approved changes that eliminated a number of inappropriate or undesirable permitted uses in the city’s manufacturing zoning districts.
Now banned are meat processing plants, wastewater treatment facilities, sawmills and other milling operations, sanitary landfills and waste transfer facilities.
Pertaining to the proposed amendment to the zoning ordinance, city senior planner Linwood Robinson in a recent memo noted that, “During its review of the M-1 and M-2 zoning districts, staff determined that there are several inappropriate or undesirable uses within the M-1 (Light Manufacturing) and M-2 (Heavy Manufacturing) categories. Staff proposes to omit or prohibit these uses in the current ordinance.”
“This determination (to eliminate a number of uses) was made because of the adverse impact the use would or does have on the surrounding community. In some cases, certain uses were also omitted or prohibited because it is now deemed obsolete or unnecessary by current development trends and standards,” Robinson said.
Robinson did recommend, and the council agreed, that mulch composting facilities be added to the permitted uses.
Concerning the adopted uses, Robinson in response to a question by Councilman Paul Oddo concerning any future uses deemed appropriate by the council said the ordinance could be amended at a future date if desired.
And in response to a question during an earlier meeting about businesses such as pet grooming facilities being included in the M-1 zoning district, City Manager Joe Morton said some business operations are allowed in more than one zoning category.
Also at the meeting, the council approved a request to amend the alcohol ordinance designed to clear up possible conflicting language contained within the ordinance.
Police Chief Steve Heaton recently told council members his office found a discrepancy in areas of the ordinance pertaining employees affiliated with the sale, delivery and serving of alcohol.
Heaton requested that the verbiage in the ordinance be re-stated to note that employees cannot have been convicted of any offense relating to the manufacture, sale or misuse of alcoholic beverages within the preceding two years rather than in a one-year time frame noted elsewhere in the ordinance.
The vote by the council was unanimous.
