Two new proposed Fayetteville

restaurants are moving forward with their development plans now that a

long-awaited agreement appears to be near between the city and a major

developer.

Chuck E. Cheese and Sonny's

Bar-B-Q will have their development plans heard at the July meeting of

the Fayetteville Planning and Zoning Commission. Both are to be in the

Fayette Retail Center on Ga. Highway 85 north near Banks Road and Ga.

Highway 314.

The commission's monthly work

session is scheduled for this Tuesday, with the regular voting meeting

set for July 24.

A development agreement between

the city and JDN, or the 85/314 Partners, was tabled at Thursday night's

City Council meeting. It is for the property between the two highways

and south of Banks Road. Included on this site are the current Eckerd

and Applebee's as well as a proposed Walgreen's store.

The agreement provides for

improvements to Banks Road and the two highways by the developers in exchange

for impact fee credits and reimbursements.

The developers also agreed

to adhere to the 1997 Zoning Ordinance with a few exceptions for a period

of five years, according to city staff. The original site plan approval

for the tract took place during the time the 1997 Zoning Ordinance went

into effect, and thus the ordinance didn't technically apply to that plan.

The developers are also responsible

for a connector road between Ga. highways 85 and 314 that is not eligible

for impact fee credits.

A number of proposed developments

have been held up due to the lack of a development agreement. Last summer's

attempt to build a Hooters restaurant on the site was vehemently opposed

was stopped because the promised road improvement had not been made by

JDN and no development agreement was in place for the site.

After some council discussion,

it was decided that a portion of the site would be required to meet the

current zoning ordinance instead of the old one, with a three-year time

frame for future development instead of five years. Anything done after

the three-year window is expired would be subject to the city's zoning

ordinance at that time.

Council members will tweak

the agreement a bit more before giving it their final approval. After

a motion to approve the agreement failed 3-2 Thursday night, it was determined

that tabling the measure for two weeks would not significantly delay Chuck

E. Cheese and Sonny's Bar-B-Q, because the development agreement could

still be approved before the development plans for the restaurants came

up for a Planning and Zoning Commission vote.

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