Residents outraged: Rezoning request could lower property values in low-income neighborhood

People living nearby say the company has been causing them troubles for nearly 20 years.

Now the company wants to expand and rezone three properties from Residential to Heavy Industrial.

Neighbors in the North Street community tell WRAL News they want city leaders to stop the Fay Block Company from encroaching on their neighborhood. Some of their homes are just a stone's throw away from the company.

Andrew Bryant's family has lived in the North Street Community for years. He says the Fay Block Company has asked the city to rezone this wooded area on North Street and two lots beside it they bought years ago.

"They wanted all three of those lots rezoned, and they wanted them rezoned from Residential 5 to Heavy Industrial condition," said Bryant. "That'll takes the property value of my lot and everybody's lots down."

A manager from the company followed WRAL News around the neighborhood as we recorded the story. WRAL News asked if he wanted to talk about the issue, but he turned us down.

Longtime resident Felice Lockamy says what's happening here is encroachment.

"This is residential. He's heavy industrial. I said, at least we should have some buffers. And the city said, no, you don't need buffers. You don't need buffers," she said.

Residents want to know how the company has been able to stack blocks and conduct industrial business in an area zoned residential.

The company has been cited eight times by the city. Seven of the violations are zoning related.

"It was unbeknownst to us that that was taking place and when it became apparent to the City of Fayetteville, those notice of violations were actually issued," said Loren Bymer, director or communications and marketing for Fayetteville.

But WRAL has learned those citations were issued a week ago. The company has been conducting industrial business on these two lots for years.

Bryant says first of all, he'd like the zoning to stop.

"I don't know if they can make them unzone it, but I doubt it," he said. "But what I want them to do is be responsible citizens."

A rezoning hearing was scheduled for Monday, but it was postponed. WRAL News has been told it'll be a month or more before it's rescheduled.

WRAL News has learned the Fay Block Company requested the rezoning hearing be postponed to give them time to correct the violation. City leaders say they have until February 26 to do so.