Council to hear updates on Murchison Road grocery store, Woodpeckers’ impact, housing programs

The Fayetteville City Council will meet at 2 p.m. Monday. Here’s what’s on the agenda:  

• Fayetteville Woodpeckers review: After five years of having the minor-league baseball team based in the city, the council will hear a report about the impact of Fayetteville’s agreement to bring the Fayetteville Woodpeckers here and have them play home games at Segra Stadium, which is owned by the city.

• Employee compensation: The council will hear a presentation on the city’s recent and ongoing efforts to make Fayetteville an “employer of choice,” a preferred workplace for candidates and current employees. 

• Housing plan review: The council will review and consider the city’s proposed 2024-25 Housing and Urban Development annual action plan. The plan works as a “framework for a community-wide dialogue to identify housing and community development priorities that align and focus funding” from three city programs supported with federal funding: the Community Development Block Grant, the Home Investment Partnership and the Housing Opportunities for People With HIV/Aids. 

• Murchison Road grocery store: The council will review options to address food insecurity and bring about healthy food options for residents in the Murchison Road corridor. The city can explore several options to achieve the goal, including recruiting a traditional grocery store, assisting community-led efforts to establish grocery co-op or enhancing healthy food options at current retailers in the corridor. A grocery store with healthy food was identified as a top community need during the development of the Murchison Choice Implementation grant, which is still in review.

• Code enforcement compliance: The council will hear a report on recent code enforcement actions to reduce compliance times for violations as per the council’s direction last October.

• City, county, and state owned property: The council will hear an administrative report on properties owned by the city, county or state that city staff have identified as possible “surplus” properties in Fayetteville. If the city or the Public Works Commission don’t have use for these properties, they can be declared as surplus and be sold for return to the tax roll.

• Demolition liens: The council will hear a presentation on potential enforcement options for liens from city-initiated demolitions. A lien is the city’s claim to a property after an owner fails to pay a debt the city incurred when it demolished an unsafe structure. The council can decide to actively enforce the liens, such as by selling the properties, or to wait for owners to pay the liens voluntarily. 

• Council agenda item requests: Council members have proposed discussions for potential action on these topics. Discussions are typically limited to five minutes for each request: 

• Council Member Brneda McNair: Considering free bus fares for elderly and disabled residents; having the council receive a presentation on recruiting a developer to build an amusement park in Fayetteville
• Council Member Malik Davis: Asking staff to explore the cost of installing a playground at the new Fire Station 16 on Cedar Creek Road
• Council Member Derrick Thompson: Seeking support for change in city policy on storing or parking of buses and large trucks on private property 
• Council Member Mario Benavente: Seeking support for passing a resolution in support of immigrant communities in Fayetteville 

The council meeting will take place at City Hall, 433 Hay St. It will also be aired on Spectrum Cable Channel 7 and live-streamed at www.faytv.net.

Contact Evey Weisblat at eweisblat@cityviewnc.com or 216-527-3608. 

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