This summer, the place to be for local government has been Fayetteville City Hall.
For months, crowds have packed the meeting room to decry potential multi-family developments in the city, and Thursday should be no exception as the much-discussed Abbington Square vote comes up for a final vote.
The proposal would establish an apartment complex called Abbington Square to house apartments along with limited retail on the first floor facing North Glynn Street. The property is situated on 4.6 acres downtown, within a block of the city’s historic courthouse square.
The request for the property would have it rezoned from C-1 (commercial) to PCD (planned community development). Plans call for 93 percent of the apartments to be one or two bedroom units. Rents will run from $640 per month to $1,200 per month. Amenties would include an art/studio space, business center, fitness center, a community garden, Energy Star appliances and washer-dryer hookups.
Access to the development would be by way of Lafayette Avenue only, according to city planning staff.
The proposal has come under fire because of its plan to provide affordable housing in Fayetteville through the use of federal tax credits and rent caps based on income.
Staff has recommended approval, but in previous discussions, Mayor Ed Johnson said it was a nice place, but the wrong location. REA Ventures has already filed a constitutional objection, so a lawsuit could be in the offing if the rezoning is turned down.
In other action, the council will hear the second read of the 2017 budget. The general fund budget is projected to drop from $13.7 million in 2016 to $12.1 in fiscal year 2016. The reason for the big drop, Bush said, is the city used more than $1 million to help fund the Hood Avenue road project now under completion. The city is working on getting grants to fund additional police officers, so the numbers could change by this meeting.
The City Council will also consider the second read of new water and sewer rates. Rates are projected 2.4 percent in the upcoming year. The minimum bill would increase by 79 cents.
A contract with The Collaborative Firm will also be discussed Thursday night. With the uptick in rezoning requests, the city’s management is asking for assistance from the form to help with planning and zoning activities. The contract would be for $148,000 per year and provide the city with a planning director for 20 hours per week, along with a senior planner for 20 hours per week.
Thursday’s meeting starts at 6 p.m. at Fayetteville City Hall.
