At Monday’s Fayetteville City Council meeting, several residents held up signs reading “Community says NO” with a 7-Eleven icon crossed out. They were there to protest against a 7-Eleven being proposed in the College Lakes subdivision, on the corner of the intersection of McArthur Road and Stacy Weaver Drive.
Neighborhood residents have strongly opposed the development of the gas station on the 2.1-acre parcel, arguing it will be detrimental to their health and safety, as it abuts single-family homes. Among their concerns are air pollution from the 7-Eleven, as well as increased traffic at an already busy intersection.
On Monday, approval of the rezoning was initially placed on the council’s consent agenda, a list of items that can be passed without discussion in a single vote. But council members agreed to remove the item from the consent agenda in favor of further discussion. The Fayetteville City Council ultimately voted 9-1 to hold a public hearing at a later date on the rezoning request, with Council Member Deno Hondros voting in sole opposition.
The council’s decision followed the public forum at Monday’s meeting, in which two College Lakes residents expressed their continued concern over the 7-Eleven. Residents focused on the proposed location of the gas station inside a subdivision, saying it could set a dangerous precedent for future development. They believe it would be the first gas station built inside a subdivision in Fayetteville.
“If it’s built in our subdivision, it’ll be built in others,” College Lakes resident Donna Johnson said.
“Please don’t be the city council that lets a gas station be built in a subdivision in Fayetteville for the first time.”
The city’s Zoning Commission had initially voted 3-2 not to recommend the developer’s rezoning request when it came before them on April 8. The board had argued the rezoning from single-family residential to limited commercial was incongruent with the city’s future land use plan, according to meeting minutes.
The developers appealed the decision. Some conditions were added based on residents’ concerns and the developers resubmitted the request as a conditional zoning, as per the city council’s direction following the public hearing on the appeal. The Zoning Commission then reversed course, voting 3-1 to recommend its approval on July 8. Among other stipulations, the conditions included an 8-foot wooden fence and an additional 20-foot tree buffer.
The public hearing will take place either at the council’s next meeting on Aug. 25, or as soon after as it can be scheduled.
Government accountability reporter Evey Weisblat can be reached at eweisblat@cityviewnc.com or 216-527-3608.
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