Fayetteville Council Denies Appeal Against Jiffy Trip Gas Station

Fayetteville City Council Denies Neighborhood Appeal Over Jiffy Trip Development

The Fayetteville City Council voted 7-0 on Thursday to deny a resident appeal opposing the development plan for a 4,326-square-foot Jiffy Trip convenience store and gas station near Huntsville Road, the Fayetteville Flyer reported. The decision clears the path for the project on about 5.7 acres northwest of Huntsville and Stone Bridge roads, following a 9-0 approval vote by the Planning Commission back in September.

Council members Sarah Moore, D’Andre Jones, and Bob Stafford originally sponsored the neighborhood appeal. Last month, the council delayed its decision to give local residents and project representatives time to meet and address community concerns directly. Those discussions focused heavily on traffic safety, light and noise pollution, trash, flooding, and the project’s close proximity to the residential area located directly to the north.

Sidewalk Additions and Traffic Engineering Plans

During the proceedings, Rick McGraw, a civil engineer with local firm Harrison French and Associates, detailed the site adjustments made to accommodate neighborhood safety. The updated plans include a 5-foot-wide sidewalk along the property edge on Stone Bridge Road, though it stops just short of the northern neighborhood. Because the city currently lacks the right of way required by master street plan standards to build the remaining span, the company will provide a $10,147 fee in lieu for future construction.

Fayetteville Council Denies Appeal Against Jiffy Trip Gas Station

Refueling trucks are scheduled to enter the property from the south along Stone Bridge Road and exit via a right-in, right-out only driveway on Huntsville Road. Developers plan to construct a portion of a trail along Huntsville Road featuring a path leading to and around the building. Situated on a downward slope from the neighborhood, the back of the convenience store will sit roughly 135 feet away from the nearest home, buffered by a privacy fence and more than 700 plantings.

Council Discusses Future Infrastructure Needs

While two neighborhood residents acknowledged that the developers worked to make the project as safe as possible and exceeded city requirements, they emphasized that those measures alone cannot solve broader area traffic risks, particularly with future development looming. Council members noted that the interaction between the two sides ultimately produced a better design for land already permitted for commercial use under existing zoning.

“At some point, the city is going to have to buck up and create that sidewalk there,” Council Member Bob Stafford said. “We’ve just got to figure out how to do it.”

Council Member Scott Berna pointed out that while the neighborhood held legitimate safety concerns, the project satisfied every municipal requirement. He described the direct meetings between residents and developers as an unusual and successful compromise.

“You need to mark it on the calendar, because that doesn’t happen very often,” Berna said.

Council Member D’Andre Jones did not attend Thursday’s session, which was rescheduled from Tuesday to avoid conflicting with election day.

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