Source: City of Fayetteville
Plans for a resort catering to hikers and mountain bikers in south Fayetteville cleared another hurdle this week.
City Council members on Tuesday voted unanimously to rezone about 23 wooded acres at the northern base of Kessler Mountain from Residential Agricultural to a mix of Urban Thoroughfare and Community Services.
The change will allow for development of the property, which will include The Reserve at Mt. Kessler, a high end recreational vehicle resort for visitors who want to enjoy the Kessler Mountain area. Other businesses are also expected to cater to the same clientele.
New Zoning / City of Fayetteville
The Planning Commission in February approved a permit to allow RVs and camping on about 7.5 acres of the property at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Hanshew Road. The resort would include 99 RV lots with electricity and access for internet, water and sewer. Other plans include a clubhouse with an indoor meeting area, a fire pit, a dining area, a pavilion and yard games.
The property parcel contains 30.9 acres, however only 23.76 acres was proposed for rezoning. The property owners first sought only the Urban Throughfare zoning district, but council members were concerned about the district’s allowance of up to seven stories so close to the mountain. An amended request provided a stepped back rezoning proposal for the less intensive Community Services district between the mountain and the Urban Thoroughfare zone.
Tom Joseph, an agent with Griffin Company Commercial, said the resort and any of the other buildings developed on the land will have an outdoor theme with native landscaping that incorporates natural stone and wood.
“Our whole goal is to leave as many trees as possible because we want that outdoor natural feel,” said Joseph. “That really doesn’t work with a lot of pavement.”
Before anything is built a large-scale development plan must first be designed and then approved by the Planning Commission.
