Proponents of a Hooters restaurant

in Fayetteville have officially withdrawn their application, putting to

rest for the time being an issue that has aroused a sizeable moral debate

in the community.

A letter dated

Aug. 1 was actually received by city officials the last day of August,

after it was faxed a second time, according to the city's Planning Department.

There was apparently some confusion as to whether the initial fax was

ever received, senior planner Todd Miller said. The single paragraph of

the letter gave no reason for the withdrawal.

A couple of

hundred citizens came out to the July sessions of the Planning and Zoning

Commission to oppose the idea of Hooters in town, but officials of the

company also faced a different obstacle.

The proposed

Hooters would have been between Ga. highways 85 and 314 just south of

Banks Road.

The city informed

JDN, the company developing Hooters as well as the existing Applebee's

and Eckerd locations on the same site, that no more development would

take place until required improvements to Banks Road were completed and

a signed development agreement is in place.

The Planning

and Zoning Commission tabled the matter in August for 60 days, before

the city was aware of the letter requesting withdrawal. It was not mentioned

at the Sept. 12 P&Z meeting but will be brought up in October, Miller

said.