Southside development will look like Apple Orchard subdivision with 3.5 units per acre, sidewalks, rear garages with alley access —
A rezoning proposal for a 48-lot, single-family detached development on Whitney Street, located immediately north of the Summit Point retail center, was recommended for approval Nov. 19 by the Fayetteville Planning and Zoning Commission.
The request was to have the single-family-zoned property on 13.6 acres rezoned to accommodate 48 lots at 180 and 190 Whitney Street, situated between Ga. Highway 85 South and Bradley Drive, and immediately north of the Summit Point retail area. Property to the west is zoned commercial, while property to the north is OI (office-institutional), and with commercial to the south and residential to the east.
Modeled after the Apple Orchard subdivision, the plan calls traditional-style homes at 3.5 units per acre and would include features such as gardens, a gazebo, street side planter boxes and rear garages with alley access. Sidewalks would be located on both sides of internal streets, which would lead to a central park space.
As previously noted at an earlier meeting, the request by Michael Stone and Associates would have the property rezoned from single-family residential to PUD (planned unit development) for 48 detached single-family, homes with a 1,500 sq. ft. minimum with a price point beginning at $300,000.
Project representative Baxter Russell during the presentation said the development would target both those 55 and older and young families. Russell later agreed with the concerns of commissioners to remove the age-targeted approach, given that a number of existing developments in the city are age-targeted and that the comprehensive plan calls for housing for every stage of life.
“We completely agree. We want a higher quality neighborhood, with both the older and younger crowd,” Russell said. “We’ll remove it from the equation.”
A concern expressed by commissioners dealt with the Future Land Use Map’s call for the property to be designated at a lower density.
The 4-0 vote to recommend the development for approval came with the condition that, if approved in December by the City Council, the property be designated to accommodate the higher density included in the rezoning request.
Variances pertaining to the development will be addressed at the Dec. 17 commission meeting.
