Applebee's restaurant has been replaced by O'Charley's in

Fayette Pavilion developer Stan Thomas' hopes to develop a patch

of land between the Pavilion and an equipment rental business on

Ga. Highway 85.

"Applebee's got tired of waiting" for city approval of

development plans, Thomas told the city Planning Commission

last Tuesday.

The plan also includes steak house/salad bar Ryan's and a

third restaurant he is keeping secret in accordance with the

company's wishes, Thomas said.

But he is facing a catch-22 in developing the land, and he

hopes the Planning Commission this month will help him solve

the unsolvable, Thomas said last week.

In approving commercial zoning for the restaurants, City

Council required that he build a road through the property,

providing an additional access to the Pavilion from Hwy. 85. The

problem, he said, is that there is a residence next door, and the road will

use up a hefty portion of the 75-foot buffer required between

commercial and residential properties.

Thomas is asking the Planning Commission for a variance,

reducing the buffer requirement to 20 feet, and proposes to make

up for the lost buffer by building a six-feet-high berm

thickly planted with trees in the middle of the buffer area.

The Planning Commission will consider Thomas' request at

its Aug. 11 workshop and Aug. 25 business meeting, but

Thomas will be out of town those dates and said he wanted to make

an early presentation last week.

One commissioner made it clear he will be hard to

convince. "I have never seen either the city or a developer get a waiver of

the buffer for a private residence," he said. "We have never made an

exception."

Other commissioners expressed some willingness to

consider the request, saying it was the city's requirement that created

the difficulty.

In other business last week, the Planning Commission

denied Valvoline Oil Company's request to put an oil change business

at 110 Ga. Highway 314. Representatives from Valvoline said

they will appeal that decision to City Council.

The firm is asking for a special exception to allow auto service

in the C-3 commercial zoning district, plus approval of its

development plans. City Council will consider Valvoline's appeal

during its Aug. 17 meeting, 7:30 p.m. at City Hall, if city officials

receive the company's appeal letter in time to include it on

the agenda.

Merlin Muffler and Enterprise Rent-A-Car fared better.

The commission approved a variance and development plan for

Enterprise at 320 S. Glynn St., land formerly occupied by a used

car lot. The approval is conditional, though. Owners must get

an engineer's stamp certifying that there is adequate impervious

surface in the development, and city staff must approve a

landscaping plan before the business can be developed.

The commission also approved a special exception to allow

Merlin Muffler to operate in a commercial district at 280 N.

Glynn St., but tabled Merlin's development plan. Commissioners

said they want more details.

The group also approved elevations for Joshua's

Bookstore at Fayette Pavilion.

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