It will be a slim but noteworthy agenda at the May 19 meeting of the Fayetteville City Council. The board will take up the issue of amending the Planned Community District (PCD) zoning ordinance to provide more open space by allowing increased density within that zoning category.
The council at the meeting will also consider a resolution to authorize a November referendum on Sunday alcohol sales.
The only PCD-zoned area in Fayetteville is located at the Villages at Lafayette residential/commercial development off Ga. Highway 54 on the west side of the city’s historic district. It backs up to the campus of Fayette County High School.
If approved, the amendment would allow “a new 0.1 unit residential bonus per acre for each percent increase above the existing minimum required 20 percent open space for all PCD projects. There would, however, be a one unit per acre maximum included in this formula to control the density,” according to city staff.
“Ultimately, the implementation of this recommendation would also serve as a development incentive for developers who would receive increased residential density within PCD projects in exchange for open space conservation as part of project development,” said city Senior Planner Linwood Robinson.
The potential to amend the document comes by way of a 2009 audit by the Atlanta Regional Commission. One of the audit recommendations suggested amending the PCD portion of the city’s zoning code to better provide for the designation of open space and greenspace as part of the arrangement of land uses. The amendment would also encourage the conservation of open space and natural, historic and cultural resources in new development projects.
A proposal is currently in process in the PCD-zoned Villages at Lafayette development that would establish independent living apartments and cottage-style residences on an 11-acre site bordering the west side of Hwy. 54 and Lafayette Avenue.
Council members May 19 will also consider a resolution that would put Sunday alcohol sales in the hands of voters on the November ballot. A recent vote in the General Assembly and a signature by Gov. Nathan Deal paved the way for the consideration.
The city does not allow full package stores so the referendum would apply only to beer and wine — not to stronger spirits.
If adopted by the council and approved by votes, Sunday sales of beer and wine in grocery and convenience stores would be allowed between 12:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.
