Fayetteville City Council Regular Meeting - March 25, 2024
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Fayetteville City Council Regular Meeting - March 25, 2024
The Fayetteville City Council met on March 25, 2024, at 6:30 PM in the Council Chamber. The meeting included announcements, consent agenda approvals, a public hearing on renaming Providence Street, two evidentiary hearings for special use permits, and tabling of compensation and administrative report items to future work sessions.
Consent Calendar
- Approved meeting minutes from February 26, 2024 (Regular) and March 4, 2024 (Work Session and Special).
- Approved rezoning cases: P24-08 (4.75 acres at 5510/5414 Bragg Blvd to MR-5), P24-09 (0.42 acres at 916 Hay St to NC), P24-10 (conditional rezoning at 0 Rock Creek Lane/Mount Rainer Road), and P24-11 (rezone to CC at 5709 Bragg Blvd).
- Approved contract for African American Museum (item 7.06 was pulled for separate vote and passed 8-1, Councilmember Benevento opposed).
- Approved quitclaim deed for 1128 Sun Valley Drive, public hearing settings for closing Carthage Drive and a portion of Joseph Street.
- Approved stormwater ordinance amendments (Sec. 23-33 and Sec. 23-35) and legal representation for Sergeant Don Bell and Detective Krista Zentner.
- Approved tentative award of ARPA-funded sewer main rehabilitation contract, capital project ordinance for Winslow St/Russell St parking lot improvements, Ray Avenue drainage improvements, and PWC bid recommendations for water main replacement and Gillespie solar PV utility station.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Public Hearing – Street Renaming (SN24-001): Consideration to rename Providence Street to JP Swinson Street to honor the late Bishop James P. Swinson. Eight speakers testified in favor, describing his community service, including feeding the homeless, opening his church for funerals/weddings, and assisting Hurricane Katrina evacuees. Three speakers (two property owners/tenants) opposed, citing financial burden for residents to change IDs and addresses. County survey: 12 responses in favor, 1 opposed, but some respondents owned multiple properties. Council voted 5-5 to deny (motion failed), then voted 7-2 to reconsider and tabled the item to allow Councilmember Hare to meet with stakeholders to explore alternative honors.
Discussion Items
- Announcements & Recognitions:
- Grant Bennett, founder of the 26 Project, reported over $400,000 in community support, $15,000 in scholarships, and partnerships with Google, Nike, Bank of America. Two student participants spoke.
- Fayetteville Police Accountability Community Task Force (FEVOPAC) presented an award to Chief Braden for transparency and community engagement.
- Proclamation of April as Development Services Month.
- Proclamation of March 25, 2024 as Greek Independence Day, with participation from local Greek Orthodox church.
- Evidentiary Hearing – SUP24-01 (1040 Stamper Road): Applicant sought special use permit for a duplex on a 0.25-acre lot zoned SF-6. Opposition cited safety (hilltop, blind curves), incompatibility with single-family Greenwood Homes neighborhood, and discrepancies in profit. Applicant clarified single driveway and corrected profit amount. Council approved 6-3 (Mayor Pro Tem Jensen, Councilmembers Davis and Benevento opposed).
- Evidentiary Hearing – SUP24-03 (Old Bunce Road): Applicant sought expansion of previously approved special use permit from 42 to 111 townhomes on three parcels totaling 17.61 acres. No opposition. Unanimously approved.
- Other Items of Business: Item 10.01 (Employer of Choice – Compensation) was tabled to the April work session for further discussion on compression and other details.
- Administrative Reports: Report on city, county, and state-owned property to be returned to tax roll was moved to a work session.
Key Outcomes
- Consent agenda approved with item 7.06 separately approved 8-1.
- Providence Street renaming tabled for further stakeholder engagement.
- Special use permit for duplex at 1040 Stamper Road approved (6-3).
- Special use permit for 111 townhomes at Old Bunce Road approved unanimously.
- Employer of Choice compensation tabled to April work session.
- Administrative report on public property moved to work session.
- Meeting adjourned.
Meeting Transcript
Well, good evening, everyone. We'd like to call our March twenty-fifth Federal City Council meeting to order. Welcome those who are joining us in the audience and those who are joining us remotely. At this time, we will ask that Father Alexander Papogios from the Saint uh Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church, if he would come and excuse me, sir, if I mispronounced your name. But uh, if we could all stand for the invocation, immediately following the prayer, if we could repeat the Pledge of Allegiance. It was the eighth grade, it was the eighth grade, Your Honor, before one of my teachers got the last name right. So it's okay. Thank you first of all for the uh invitation to offer the invocation this evening. Let us pray, Heavenly King Comfort of the Spirit of Truth, you out in all places so fill us to all things. Treasure blessings and the constant giver of life. That we honor the city of Fayetteville, we honor our city council and the members thereof who tried their hardest, Heavenly Father, to do the best they can for our growing community. I ask that you bless them and their endeavors always. Bless them, Heavenly Father, and their efforts always. It's Papage with a hard hard G. So got it. I haven't seen you in a while, Your Honor. If it was, I remember Karen Brown's funeral week. That was a while ago. Yes, sir. And I thank you for this opportunity. It fell on Monday again and um this year on March 25th. And I mentioned to Dino Hondras, who's also the president of our parish council at our meeting last week. I reminded him that it had been a number of years ago. I don't remember my memory, it's not as good as it used to be, like a lot of us. But then I'm kind of kind of following what Billy Graham said a long time ago, Your Honor. He said, I was never afraid to meet my maker. I just wasn't ready to get old. Right. And so it's exactly right. But we're a growing community. We have lots of children in our community with lots of soldiers who attend our community as well. And I'm proud now to have Mrs. Jensen and Dean O'Hondris on the on the city council. And also my new representative, Ms. Green, and the great job that she's doing as well. And this is a wonderful opportunity for us. And I thank you for the entire community for this chance to be here this evening and to share a little bit with you. It's an older community, we've been around since the 60s. So it's um still going strong. Thank you, sir. Thank you. Thank you for coming tonight. Thank you very much. Uh Council, at this time, as we move uh into the announcement section, I asked Mr. Grant Bennett and the 2 6 project uh members to come up. Uh or anyone you would like representing Grant. 26. So good to see you, sir. Absolutely. How you doing?
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