Wednesday, October 4, 2000

Walgreen's

plan denied by Fayetteville P&Z

ROARK

[email protected]

In baseball

terms, one could say that Walgreen's was 1-for-2 with a hit and a strikeout

at last week's Fayetteville Planning and Zoning Commission meeting.

The drug store

chain is attempting to establish a pair of stores in the city, both on

Ga. Highway 85 at the northern and southern ends of the city.

Development

plans for the proposed site at Hwy. 85 and Ga. Highway 314 were rejected

location was approved.

City officials

cited problems with the detention ponds at both locations at the commission's

workshop two weeks ago. For the north location (85/314), the applicants

actually submitted a revised development plan that called for a change

in the detention area from an underground facility to an open wall pond.

City staff felt that this would pose a health and safety risk and recommended

denial.

The previous

plan was approved with an underground facility, which the developers said

would be too expensive to install. They can go back now and build according

to the original plan if they like, according to city planning director

Maurice Ungaro, but implementing the requested changes would require an

appeal to the City Council.

While city

staff also prefers an underground detention facility at the other location,

the recommendation was to table the project for a different reason to

await Georgia Department of Transportation approval of a proposed drive

cut. While that approval has not yet officially come, the commission voted

to approve the development plan pending eventual state approval.

In other business,

Peachtree National Bank received approval of the development plan for

its proposed Burch Office Park location, with several conditions.

The commission

stipulated that the automated teller machine be moved to the west side

of the building, and that dormers be added to the roof to make the building

look more residential. Moving the ATM allows for a reduced drive-through

facility on the east side of the building.

Other requirements

include three lanes going north on Burch Road to Ga. Highway 54 next to

the project one left-only lane, one right-only lane, and one through lane.

The preliminary

development plan for The Villages at LaFayette Park, a mixed-use development

off Ga. Highway 54 and Tiger Trail, was tabled while work continues on

the alignment of the Hwy. 54 entrance.

City officials

have said that the intersection, which will have a signal light, must

line up with an office development under construction across the highway.

Both the city and the developers have said that they believe the matter

will be worked out soon.