Plans to build a passive park

in downtown Fayetteville may have hit a snag as negotiations for the city

to purchase two parcels for the project have stalled, according to city

officials.

The city has no plans to condemn

the property through use of eminent domain in the event the purchase can't

be successfully negotiated, said City Manager Joe Morton.

"That was never in the

picture," Morton said, adding that if an agreement isn't reached

with the two property owners for the first phase, the city will look for

another location for the project.

The Village Green park is planned

to be the first phase of a city-initiated development that would later

feature retail shops with offices and residential units to expand the

city's offerings downtown. The remaining development would take place

in two additional phases at a later date.

The city is attempting to purchase

two parcels that front Ga. Highway 85 on the block between LaFayette Avenue

and Ga. Highway 54. But the negotiations on the purchase have stalled,

Morton said Tuesday morning.

"It boils down to money,

just like everything else," Morton said, adding that more information

on the negotiations would be available in several weeks.

Other property owners in the

area have privately expressed displeasure with the plans to develop the

area.

The city has received a $1.5

million grant from the Atlanta Regional Commission's Livable Centers

Initiative for the first phase of the project. The city expects to chip

in another $361,000 as part of the 20 percent matching funds for the grant.

LCI is a voluntary program

designed to increase pedestrian traffic and reduce automobile traffic

in Georgia cities.

Officials plan to include walking

trails and other amenities as part of the passive Village Green park.

The city completed its LCI study process earlier this year and a report

recommends the Village Green be used as a place to hold community events

including the city's art festivals and summer gatherings.

A report from a real estate

consulting firm has indicated Fayetteville has a future need for more

small-scale specialty stores even though there is a glut of normal commercial

space.

If all three phases of the

project are completed, it would reach all the way to Tiger Trail from

Hwy. 85, bringing it near the Villages at LaFayette residential and office

development and the city's Villages Amphitheater.

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