Local residents with concerns

about the proposed master plan for Fayetteville's south side will have

the opportunity to make their points known over the next two weeks, as

a task force is being organized to study the pros and cons of the plan.

The City Council is expected

to table the various aspects of the plan on the current agenda for 60

days, giving the city time to take another look at what it thinks is the

best way to develop the area.

"This will get everybody

involved," City Manager Joe Morton said about the task force, whose

formation was discussed at last week's council work session.

Residents in the Kingswood

and Chanticleer subdivisions, just outside the city limits, are among

those who have voiced their opposition to proposed annexations and rezonings

that would create several new retail parcels near their homes. A large

number of residents came out again last week.

Mayor Kenneth Steele and council

members have listened to their concerns and assured them that there will

not be a rush to approve the wrong plan, while reminding everyone that

leaving the property as it is zoned right now in unincorporated Fayette

County might not be in everyone's best interests, either.

"The mayor and council

think we can do a better job than what's zoned now," Morton said,

adding that the plan brought forward by developers is also not quite what

city officials want.

The task force is expected

to include representation from all affected areas, including those outside

the city limits. It is also likely that outside consultants will be brought

in at the city's expense to examine traffic and other planning issues,

Morton said. The roster for the task force was to be finalized at the

beginning of this week, he added.

The consultants will probably

want a couple of weeks to do some research, but the task force will move

forward as soon as possible, Morton said.

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