To the Fayetteville City Council: First of all, I would like to apologize for the tone of my previous email (also published in The Citizen) that I sent following the March 21 City Council meeting where you approved the zoning for the Walton Communities apartment complex. It was sarcastic and a little insulting and I wish I had toned it down before sending it.
I apologize for the tone but I stand behind the substance of that email. I think that the decision to actively pursue apartment development downtown is a mistake.
I hope I am wrong, but I don’t think you build a vibrant community with apartments. Most (not all) apartment renters are not invested in their community, simply because they do not have a financial investment in their property or the community in which it is located.
The people who came to the meetings and spoke against this zoning, who came to the meetings to show their opposition but did not speak, who sent you emails in opposition, and who didn’t say anything but, I believe, overwhelmingly oppose this, are the people who build this community.
They are the people who are paying their mortgages, taking care of their houses and yards, sending their kids to our schools, voting in our elections, etc., because they have invested their money and their lives in this community. They are not going to be looking for a better deal in 6 months when their lease is up.
But many of them will be putting “For Sale” signs up in their yards when the congestion, traffic and crime get worse.
The main issue in my last email was that you seem to be ignoring the “Minimum Area Per Dwelling” requirement in Section 94-227 of the Zoning Ordinance. You are going to permit approximately three times more apartments than the ordinance allows on this property.
I brought this up in the March 7 City Council meeting and I discussed it with the city manager but I have yet to hear anything about how you plan to address this issue. Am I misinterpreting the ordinance?
It seems pretty clear to me that the number of units you are allowing is in violation of the ordinance, so how do you plan to address this issue?
Billy Brundage
Fayetteville, Ga.
