TO: Mayor and Members of City Council
THRU: Jodi Phelps - Assistant City Manager
Dr. Gerald Newton, AICP - Development Services Director
Jennifer C Baptiste, CZO - Planning & Zoning Division Manager
FROM: Thomas Cohen - Planner I
Craig Harmon, CZO - Senior Planner
DATE: August 24, 2026
RE:Title
Approve P26-29: A request to rezone 1928 Progress Street (0436035927000) from Single Family Residential 6 (SF-6) to Mixed Residential 5 (MR-5), 0.21 acres ±, from Patricia and Raymond King of King Construction and Development Company Inc.
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COUNCIL DISTRICT(S):
Council District(s)
2 -Council Member Malik Davis
b
Relationship To Strategic Plan:
Goal II - Responsive city government supporting a diverse & viable economy
• Objective 2.1 - To ensure a diverse City tax base
• Objective 2.2 - To invest in community places to ensure revitalization and quality of life
Goal III - City investment in today & tomorrow
• Objective 3.2 - To manage the City’s future growth
Goal IV - Desirable place to live, work, & recreate
• Objective 4.5 - To ensure a place for people to live in great neighborhoods
• Objective 4.6 - To reduce poverty and homelessness
Executive Summary:
The request is to rezone an approximately 0.21 acres parcel addressed as 1928 Progress Street from Single Family Residential 6 (SF-6) to Mixed Residential 5 (MR-5) for the stated purpose of building a duplex.
The subject property is a vacant lot that has not been the subject of any city action for the last five years. It’s predominantly surrounded by single family residential with some vacant parcels that are zoned for residential within the neighborhood itself and commercial on the neighborhood’s edge near Gillespie Street and Southern Avenue.
Zoning Commission
On July 14, 2026, the request received a unanimous (5-0) recommendation for approval by the Zoning Commission. The motion was made by Chairman Kevin Hight and seconded by Roger Shah.
Background:
Owner: King Construction and Development Company Inc
Request: SF-6 to MR-5
Parcel Identification Number (PIN): 0436035927000
Parcel Size: ± 0.21
Existing Site Conditions: Vacant residential parcel
Adjacent Zoning:
• North: SF-6 and MR-5
• South: SF-6 and MR-5
• East: CC, SF-6, and MR-5
• West: NC SF-6, and MR-5
Utilities: Public water, sewer, and power
Reason for Request: Request is triggered by desire to build a duplex. While SF-6 does allow duplexes by right, the dimensional standards prevent it being built. This would be resolved if it were MR-5.
Public Notice: Notification letters were sent to property owners within 1,000 feet of the subject site equating to 198 notices sent.
Issues/Analysis:
The request by the property owner is to rezone the ± 0.21 acres parcel addressed as 1928 Progress Street from Single Family Residential 6 (SF-6) to Mixed Residential 5 (MR-5). Pursuant to NCGS-160D, a rezoning without conditions entitles the landowner to the full range of uses specified for that base zoning district but bounded by the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO).
Land Use Analysis
The MR-5 zoning district is intended to meet diverse housing needs by allowing a variety of residential housing options ranging from single family, detached to multi-family housing as well as complimentary institutional uses such as post offices, police substations, day care, or small-scale accessory retail.
The Future Land Use Plan 2040 (FLUP) designations are central to policy analysis affixed by local contexts, reasonableness of the request, and service to the public good. Per the FLUP, the subject property is designated for Neighborhood Improvement (NIR). This designation is for an “area that allows higher density redevelopment and ‘missing middle’ housing to increase private reinvestment and revitalize neighborhoods. Target areas include clusters of vacant and/or underutilized parcels. Policies focus on neighborhood improvement and reinvestment.”
Local Context
The neighborhood itself is on the southeastern edge of the city; a stone’s throw away from the county line. It’s predominantly single-family homes residing on smaller lots with most being under a third of an acre and few being any greater than a half-acre. Many of these are vacant, such as the subject parcel, and have been for between 60 to 80 years as much of the neighborhood was constructed between the 1940’s and 1960’s until recently.
The neighborhood has a mixture of zoning districts with lots falling predominantly into three zones: Neighborhood Commercial (NC), Single Family 6 (SF-6) and Mixed Residential 5 (MR-5). The NC and MR-5 designated lots are generally found along Southern Avenue and Trade Street which are three lane roads that cross through the area: Trade Street being the border between the City of Fayetteville and Cumberland County.
While each of these zones is compatible with the Neighborhood Improvement designation, MR-5 is the most appropriate match for the subject property. It provides an opportunity for construction of missing middle housing which would raise density and allow for affordable infill development given the quantity of long-term vacant lots. The conversion of these lots into affordable housing will provide a much-needed increase in housing stock while making use of underdeveloped land and breathing new life into an older neighborhood.
Precedent
In addition, case P25-14 provides precedent for the current request. This case is related to 2026 Progress Street which is a 0.21-acre parcel that was successfully rezoned from SF-6 to MR-5 on May 27, 2026. At the time, this parcel was owned by the applicant of the current case (King Construction and Development Company Inc) and later sold. As of today, 2026 Progress Street is now a duplex of modern design and amenities.
Conclusion
The request serves as a form of modest infill development in an area designated for private investment and revitalization while adding to the city tax base and the stock of affordable housing units.
Budget Impact:
Approval or denial of the requested map amendment does not create immediate and direct impacts on the budget other than the collection of the application fee and cost for relevant staff. There is the potential for indirect budgetary impacts from development of the vacant parcel via additional property taxes and the downstream economics of new construction.
Options:
• Approval (Recommended Action):
Approve the zoning map amendment as requested - finding that the request is consistent with the Future Land Use Plan and reasonable to local context as outlined by the Consistency and Reasonableness Statements.
• Approval, but to a more restrictive district:
Approve the zoning map amendment from MR-5 to one that is more restrictive, but consistent with the Future Land Use Plan and Reasonable to the local contexts with amended Consistency and Reasonableness Statements.
• Denial:
Deny the proposed map amendment - find that the request is inconsistent with the Future Land Use Plan and unreasonable to the local context.
Recommended Action::Recommended Action
The Professional Planning Staff and Zoning Commission recommend that the City Council motion to APPROVE the request as presented - to rezone the ± 0.21 acres at 1928 Progress St from SF-6 to MR-5.
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Attachments:
1. Application
2. Aerial Notification Map
3. Current Zoning Map
4. Future Land Use Map
5. Site Pictures (Subject Site)
6. Site Pictures (Surrounding Properties)
7. Signed Consistency and Reasonableness Statements