Council delays vote on Stacy Weaver rezoning after neighbors push for buffering and traffic work

Fayetteville City Council on Monday postponed action on a rezoning request for a 2.1-acre corner parcel at Stacy Weaver Drive and McArthur Road that the applicant has proposed developing as a 7-Eleven convenience store. The rezoning request would change the parcel from SF-10 (single-family) to LC (limited commercial). Council voted to table the request and gave the applicant an option to withdraw and resubmit as a conditional rezoning to secure more community commitments.

Nut graf: Residents from nearby College Lakes told council they oppose a gas-station/convenience store at the subdivision entrance, citing health risks from vapors, property-value concerns, increased traffic and safety at an already-congested intersection. The applicant and their attorney presented a site plan showing proposed mitigation measures including an 8-foot privacy fence, additional evergreen screening, directional lighting and a dry retention basin; neighbors said they want the commitments written into a binding agreement.

What happened at the hearing The item had gone to the zoning commission in April and had been denied; staff recommended approval consistent with the city's future land use plan for neighborhood mixed use. Applicant attorney Jonathan Charleston said the proposed 7-Eleven is a low-scale commercial use and described concessions offered to neighbors: an 8-foot privacy fence along the residential edge, directional lighting, enhanced landscaping and a dry detention basin rather than a permanent pond. Charleston said a DOT-required turn lane on Stacy Weaver and no-left-turn controls on McArthur would help mitigate traffic.

Neighbors' concerns Speakers from College Lakes raised scientific and health studies about vapors and benzene emissions from gas-station fuel systems, noise and crime concerns, and loss of the subdivision's wooded buffer. "Gas stations can release pollutants like ozone and benzene into the air," said resident Donna Johnson in the public hearing, citing public-health studies. Tawanda Peterson and other residents asked for an 8-foot privacy fence and replacement trees and said the parcel would be the only subdivision entrance in the city with a gas station.

Council action and next steps Council discussed whether the rezoning could be approved subject to conditions; staff and the city attorney clarified that this application was a straight rezoning (not a conditional rezoning), and that any binding commitments would need to be part of a conditional application or private agreement between developer and neighbors. After discussion, council voted to table the item to allow the applicant to withdraw and resubmit as a conditional rezoning. The motion to table carried by a 6-4 vote.

Quotes "The developers have agreed to use directional lighting, which will not shine onto the properties of the adjacent landowners," said Jonathan Charleston, attorney for the applicant. "From Scientific American, is it safe to live near a gas station? ... Gas fumes, car exhaust, and emissions from underground storage tank vents raise ozone levels," said resident Donna Johnson.

Ending: The council directed the applicant to work with neighbors and noted that a conditional rezoning route would allow specific site commitments to be packaged into the rezoning approval. If the applicant withdraws and files a conditional rezoning, the item would return to the zoning commission and then to council for final action.