Consideration of a master plan

for Fayetteville's south side took another forward step this week as the

city's Planning and Zoning Commission voted to recommend approval of a

proposed update to the future land use map.

The vote was 3-2, as commissioners

Sarah Murphy and Jim Crain voted in favor and Allen Feldman and Kevin

Bittinger voted against, forcing Chairman Myron Coxe to break the tie.

A previous motion by Bittinger to table the plan failed with the same

vote breakdown.

"This reminds me of the

[Fayette] Pavilion," said Feldman, who noted that he would likely

be the "Lone Ranger" in his opinions concerning the new plan,

which he thought would make unwanted high-density development more feasible

than if the tract is left as is.

Plans for the roads will also

have to be reworked with considerable widening, Feldman added, saying,

"This will be a traffic nightmare."

The 389-acre site currently

has 101 acres zoned for highway commercial. The future land use map takes

all of that away and provides for 95 acres of community commercial, which

is considered less intensive.

But the proposed update to

the map allows for 132 acres of highway commercial, taking the approach

that fewer separate projects would take up the space under that zoning

and the result would be less piecemeal. The proposed new map also sets

aside 17.5 acres for office and business park uses, which do not exist

in either the current zoning or the existing future land use map.

Coxe pointed out that a significant

amount of highway commercial and relatively high-density residential zoning

is in place now, which the city cannot control without a master plan.

But Feldman said he would prefer to take his chances with the current

zoning that accept the proposed changes to the future land use map.

"This is detrimental to

the city no matter how it is tweaked," said Feldman.

The measure will now go the

City Council for consideration.

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