FAYETTEVILLE — Residents in rural farmland just off the eastern edge of town are in no to hurry to have their community annexed into Fayetteville.

That’s because the way they see it, development almost always follows an expansion of the city limit.

“There is no need to rush to annex this into the city,” Colene Gaston said fl atly.

“Now, I know the issue is annexation,” said Roy Rom, 87, who’s lived on the rural Washington County hills for 43 years. “And I’m not sure I have a lot of problems withannexation, at least for the future - but I see no compelling reason to annex this property now.”

The Fayetteville City Council took no action Tuesday night to annex approximately 39 acres along Old Wire Road. Developers asked that the issue be tabled for two weeks.

Residents in the area insistednearly any suburban development would be out of context with the area’s horse farms, pasture and apple orchards.

“How many of you have ever walked on Rom Orchard Road?” Rom challenged the City Council. “It’s a delightful experience. It’s awonderful rural, city road.”

The Fayetteville City Planning Commission has already voted down the annexation, saying the development in this area is not in keeping with City Plan 2025.

“The big impact that I think we will see is the traffic,” Peggy Hart said. “It’s very congested already, and this would only addmore congestion.”

Also Tuesday night, the City Council approved a five-year contract with Waste Management to haul Fayetteville’s trash after the Cherokee Nation discontinued its waste-hauling contract with the city. Waste Management will haul the garbage for $32.50 per ton, 15 cents more than what the city is paying through its current “temporary solution.”

News, Pages 1 on 11/04/2009

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